… As Village Head Seeks AKSG Intervention On Gully Erosion

By Udeme Hosea

The Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency (AKSEPWMA) Prince Akpan Ikim has commended residents of the state for complying to the eco-friendly directives of the state government on monthly environmental sanitation exercise, which is one of the International best practices recommended by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP .

Prince Akpan Ikim

Prince IKim, who made the commendation today Saturday,  30\03\2024 at Nsukkara Offot during the flagged off of the rural participation of environmental sanitation , which the Agency has been doing in  rural communities across the state since 2021, charged residents on waste management practices and the need for them to keep their environment clean.

The Chairman of the Agency, who also  inspected the  level of compliance by residents in participating in the  monthly sanitation exercise  in  Uyo metropolis , applauded  them  for keeping the state clean , hinted that , the exercise which focused on de-silting  has achieved it aim and  rated residents compliance at  85%.

The Board Chairman, while assuring residents of the readiness of the Agency to build a sustainable eco friendly environment, urged them to desist from indiscriminate dump of waste even as the state is expanding, but use designated dump points to avoid putting laws into their hands.

Prince Akpan Ikim with the Village Head of Nsukkara Offot, Eteidung Eyo Asuquo

Ikim ,immediately  after flagging off the rural participation exercise  was  led  by the Village Head of Nsukara Offot , Eteidung Eyo Asuquo Esen  to  inspect the  gully erosion that has caused the community panic, he sympathized with them over their  loss .

the gully erosion site

Speaking at the exercise, the Village Head of Nsukkara Offot, Eteidung Eyo Asuquo thanked the Agency for flagging off the exercise in their community, commended the executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno for his intervention at  Etim Umana gully Erosion, pleaded with the State government to extend same gesture to Nsukkara Offot  gully erosion which started in the 70’s .

The Village Head, Eteidung Esen leading the team to the gully site

The Village Head  who raised alarm that gully Erosion has destroyed many houses and claimed lives in the community, lamented the  inability of the past  administrations  to checkmate the gully that have rendered many  people homeless, while  others are on the verge of being swallowed by the widening gully, noted that, if nothing is done to address the gully Erosion ravaging the community, lives and property of residents especially pupils of St Michael  Primary School, which the erosion water emptied  might be at severe  risk.

Eteidung Asuquo, who recounted the risk the community is facing especially during raining season, hinted that, the gully erosion which has taken over a street in the community is really affecting pupils of St Michael Primary School, as the remedial pathway to cross to the side of the primary school is always flooded during raining day, announced that the gully recently claimed a life.

“The Nsukarra Offot erosion menace has really affected St Michael Primary School, because the erosion water empties there, I am calling on our pragmatic Governor who is poised to restore erosion menace in the state to please help Nsukkara Offot, especially the pupils”.

“If they don’t go to school because of the negative impact of erosion in our community as the rain is setting in, they may become wayward in future”.

He also expressed concern on the safety and well being of the pupil’s of St Michael Primary, called on the Akwa Ibom State Government to also  intervene  in the perimeter fence project of the school which  is uncompleted to give the pupils a befitting learning environment  .

While expressing dissatisfaction over the closure of the community stream about a decade ago, due to road construction, the Village Head appealed to Pastor Umo Eno who is a listening governor to assist in de-silting of the stream to open the channel and  quoted the scripture from Matthew 7:7.

Also speaking, the Coordinator of the Concerned Nsukkara , Akparawa Tony Effiong while also calling on the state government to come to their aide, posited that,  the erosion menace has been there for years without the state government intervention, pleaded with the governor, Pastor Umo Eno to rescue them from the menace , as the  remedial measure by the youths is not effective.

Akparawa Tony Effiong

 “Many people in their individual ways have carried out remedial works to at least stop the gullies from progressing but those measures had not been effective as the land keeps caving in, swallowing property, trees, and animals”, he said.