Leaders of Ogbaru Local Government Area in Anambra state have raised the alarm over serious erosion threatening residential and public buildings in nine communities within their area.
They blamed the menace to the deployment of heavy dredging machine in River Niger for sand dredging by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc constructing the second Niger Bridge.
Addressing newsmen on Monday at Okoti Odekpe, the community Spokesperson, Chief Nwachukwu Ossai, disclosed that nine communities on the coastal line of River Niger are now experiencing serious erosion menace.
He added that no fewer than 160 buildings have equally been affected.
He said, “Due to the deployment of heavy dredging machine for the excavation of sand from the River Niger, the river is now overflowing its bank thereby pulling down private and public buildings.
“Our concern is that a multi-national company like Julius Berger should be aware that some embankments must be constructed to check obvious spill over of water after the dredging, but they ignored that because the black man’s life does not matter to them.”
Another community leader, Emma Mbieli, alleged that officials of the company in alliance with some senior officials of Federal Ministry of Works in the state and B and Q Dredging firm were involved in the sales of sand excavated from the river.
Mbieli, ex-secretary of Ogbaru Local Government Area regretted that some residents were already recording erosion ocassioned by excessive dredging activities, even when it was not yet time for perennial flooding usually recorded in the area.
Chief Peter Okala and Mr Sylvester Nsofor, called on the Federal and Anambra Governments to urgently look into the plights of Ogbaru people before the problem degenerated to a more serious disaster.
Okala specifically said, though Ogbaru people were happy with President Muhamadu Buhari’s effort at the construction of the second bridge, but poor treatments meted to the community had now turned to heartbreak to residents.
Reacting, Federal Controller of Works, Federal Ministry of Works, Anambra State, Mr Ajani Adeyemo explained that the sand being dredged from the river by B and Q Dredging, a sub-contractor engaged by Julius Berger was for the filling of the access road of the new bridge.
He said, “Although I can’t speak for Julius Berger or B and Q Dredging on the sales of sand for private gains, the community leaders are yet to inform them of any existing embankment collapse.
Efforts to contact Julius Berger Project Director, Mr Fredrich Wieser through text messages and calls through his cell phone were unsuccessful.
