The Project Coordinator, Dr. Inyang Asibong; the Cross River State Head of Service, Mr. Ogbang Akwaji; the State Accountant General, Sir Adie and the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on NEWMAP, Mr. Francis Agaba

Erosions Control Agency Urges Communities to Protect Completed Projects

By Eme Offiong, Calabar

On Sep 8, 2022

Communities that are benefiting from erosions control and management have been challenged to take responsibility for the projects within their territories to avoid devastating consequences.

The Project Coordinator for Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project, NEWMAP, who is also the Commissioner for International Development Cooperation, Dr. Inyang Asibong gave the responsibility to host communities while handing over six rehabilitated gully erosion sites to community leaders in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, south-south Nigeria.

The NEWMAP selected communities, ravaged by gullies and that benefitted from the interventions are: Atakpa, Ikot Anwantim, Nyangasang, Lemna-Federal Agriculture, Ikot Ekpo and Edim Otop – in Calabar Municipality and Calabar South.

Utilize Bins

The before and after pictures of one of the rehabilitated gullies in Calabar

During a remark, Dr. Asibong urged the community leaders to take firm actions against those, who may exhibit anti-social behaviours such as dumping refuse in the drains especially in the rains.

Asibong frowned at the rate people transform drainages across the metropolis into dumpsters when it rains rather than make use of waste bins placed at strategic locations.

She cautioned residents against clogging the drains, which may result to more devastation.

She noted that the rehabilitation projects gulped huge sums of money, which were supported by the World Bank with counterpart funds from the Cross River State Government.

The Project Coordinator stated, “it is worthy to note that enormous government resources have been sunk into the projects. It behooves on the relevant stakeholders to jealously guard the sites and ensure that refuse are not dumped into the drains as this will undermine the work already carried out.”

She further said, “having successfully completed work on the six sites, it is therefore imperative for the project to handover the sites to the relevant communities leaders and end users for maintenance and sustainability.”

Responding on behalf of the community leaders, the Chairman of Ikot Ekpo Development Association, Dr. Victor Odo expressed appreciation to the almighty for ensuring the completion of the projects.

He recalled with nostalgia the state of the gullies before the advent of NEWMAP, saying “it was a pitiful sight to behold in the years past when you see how people lived in fear especially during the rains. But, we thank God for NEWMAP, the World Bank and the state government; we have a new hope. We have a well tarred road with drainage system.”

He assured of the commitment to set up measures that would discourage residents from dumping refuse into the drains.

Sand Mining

Earlier, the Cross River NEWMAP Communication officer, Mrs. Affiong Ita cautioned residents of Ikot Ekpo community against sand mining near the million naira erosion rehabilitation project.

Ita hinted that NEWMAP had on different occasions issued warnings to the community indicating the devastation, which may occur in the short and long term, if they continued mining sand around the completed project.

While noting that previous warnings were ignored, Ita stated, “we are very lucky that these sites have been completed. The people should be appreciative, but we have seen that the residents were already dumping refuse into the drains and mining sand.

“We are pleading with all you residents and the clan head to please form a vigilante that would address the sand mining problem if not these project would be undermined; it will collapse and your houses would be washed away and if care is not taken, lives may be lost,” she pleaded.

Confidence Okwuchi

Erosion Control