Ohuhu Community cries out as erosion threatens to swallow market

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*Holds Unity New Yam celebration
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
President-General of Okaiuga Nkwoegwu Improvement Union, Sir Uzomba Ekwuribe, has appealed to governments and interventionist agencies to urgently intervene to arrest the rampaging gully erosion threatening to swallow the Okaiuga Nkwoegwu Central Market, amongst other important structures.
Sir Uzomba Ekwuribe made the appeal during the celebration of the 2024 Unity New Yam celebration by the four autonomous communities that originally made up Okaiuga Nkwoegwu, a foremost community of Ohuhu Clan in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State.
The Oracle Today gathered that the erosion menace has spanned over three decades, and has, over the years, swallowed over 20 market shops and five-decked lock-up shops and still posses frightening capacity to wreak greater havoc, if not checked.
Sources said the Okaiuga Nkwoegwu gully erosion started deepening in the 1980s, developing into four phases with three of them ferocious targetting to cut off the Nkwoegwu Central Market and surrounding villages.
The fourth phase almost cut off the St. Michael’s Anglican Church, Okaiuga Nkwoegwu and washed away the road leading to Umuakam Community about eight years ago.
However, the Okaiuga Nkwoegwu Improvement Union under the then leadership of Hon. Obi Aguocha, the current Member, representing Ikwuano, Umuahia North and Umuahia South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, as President General, with Sir Uzomba Ekwuribe, as Secretary General, intervened and sank about N100 million to combat the menace by constructing a bridge across the road leading to Umuakam village and St. Michael’s Anglican Church.
Sir Uzomba who is also the Traditional Prime Minister of Okaiuga Nkwoegwu Autonomous Community, lamented that the community’s market was still in the throes of the gully and appealed to federal and state governments, NEWMAP and other World Bank Agencies to come to the rescue of the community which has four traditional rulers, about a million population, including traders and workers who do their business in the state capital, Umuahia, which is less than 10 minutes drive through the old Dr. M.I. Okpara Ring Road and less than five minutes drive to Umuahia through the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.
He however commended the Mayor of Umuahia North Local Government Area, High Chief Victor Ikeji, for identifying with the community by doing some projects in the area.
He charged communities in Ohuhu and Abia State in general to embrace peace and strive to develop their communities in tandem with the mantra of the state government under the watch of Governor Dr. Alex Otti, who he described as “a development-driven” leader.
He was full of praises for the four traditional rulers in the community: HRH Eze Nzenwata Mbakwe, HRH Eze Bobby Aguocha, HRH Eze Benson Ugochukwu Akabuike and HRH Eze Ben Uzuegbu; the executives of Ndi Okaiuga and the entire people of the community for making the Unity New Yam celebration a success, noting that such a festivity was last held 20 years ago.
The 2024 Okaiuga Nkwoegwu Improvement Union New Yam celebration featured projects launch, distribution of 1, 000 yam tubers to women and indigents of the area, as well as novelty competitions.

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