By Akpan Udo-Inyang
CALABAR -Gully erosion has destroyed fish and poultry farms and other investments worth over N100 million belonging to residents of Akai Effa community in Calabar Municipal Government of Cross River State.
The Village Head, HRH Henrietta Effa-Akpere, told our reporter after leading elders to inspect two critical erosion sites that “Some people that have fish and poultry farms have lost their fishes due to heavy rainfall. The rain wiped all their produce that worth over N100 millions.”
She said the disaster which began over five years ago has assumed a frightening dimension due to recent heavy downpour threatening to cut off the community.
The monarch, said “It has been there, we have been reporting, even right from when NEWMAP was there. We reported, they came here and did inspection. It has taken over four years, or five years that the gully fingers began. Unknown to us that the heavy rainfall was going to aggravate the matter.”
According to her, “Many victims now have nowhere to stay.
As I speak, a lot of the victims have nothing to eat or where to stay because erosion has threatened their homes.”
While appealing to the Federal Government and Governor Otu to join hands to save the community from extinction.
The monarch specifically called on Hon. Joseph Bassey, a House of Representative member whom she described as a son of the soil, to return home and rescue his people before more lives are lost.
“The reps member Joseph Bassey otherwise known as ‘Papa’ is my son. He is living in this community. He knows most of those problems. Please, if there is any way they can talk to him, that he should come back to the house. That the home is on fire. The lawmaker should come and help Akai Effa,” she appealed.
“My cry is that the federal government should join hands with the state government, so that they can rescue these people. Because anytime, if the rain continues like that, many lives may go,” she warned.