A severe case of gully erosion has devastated the community of Ekwulumili in Nnewi South Local Government Area, destroying at least 15 houses and cutting off major roads. Residents are sounding the alarm, pleading with the Anambra State Government and international agencies to intervene before more damage is done.
According to locals, the erosion crisis, which has steadily worsened over the past 30 years, reached a new level of urgency this rainy season. Several villages, Umudim, Urueze, and Isigwu have been hit hardest, forcing families from their ancestral homes and wrecking large tracts of farmland.
The erosion site sits dangerously close just 50 meters from the vital Oba Nnewi Uga-Okigwe expressway. If left unchecked, locals fear the collapse of the route could paralyze transport and trade in the region.
“We’ve lost homes, farmlands, and access to other communities,” said Mr. Chinedu Anyaso, a local leader and chairman of IPMAN (Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria), Enugu Depot. “Floodwaters from upland towns like Igboukwu and Oraeri feed this erosion, and human neglect is only making it worse.”
Efforts by the community to control the erosion—such as planting trees and building makeshift barriers have so far failed to stop its advance. Now, residents are calling on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to declare a state of emergency and for the federal government to provide lasting solutions.
Chief Clement Ezeifedikwa, a former President General of the town, expressed frustration over years of unfulfilled promises. “Government officials have visited. They’ve taken pictures. They’ve promised. But nothing changes.”
Without urgent intervention, the residents of Ekwulumili face the real possibility of losing what’s left of their land, their homes and their future.
