Governor Umo Eno on Tuesday ordered the arrest of two excavators and a truck found at the excavation site along Idongesit Nkanga Avenue in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom State.
Eno while inspecting a 10-lane avenue in Uyo metropolis inaugurated by the immediate past administration of Udom Emmanuel last year directed closure of an illegal borrow-pit at the excavation site in the area.
At the Udo Inwang by Urua Udofia streets erosion-ravaged area of Ewet Offot Community in Uyo, the Governor prohibited excavation of the borrow-pit sites owing to the attendant environmental hazards caused by the excavation to the community.
He said this would prevent distortion of the natural topography, environmental degradation as well as loss of valuable properties of citizens to ecological disasters in the state.
Straightnews newspapers gathered that the erosion menace in the affected has swallowed properties worth billions of Naira in addition to causing loss of lives.
Eno, therefore, ordered that digging up of borrow-pits and all sorts of excavation be discontinued forthwith, except with express permission from the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources.
“I have stopped all forms of excavations of any kind in this state, what is called borrow pit, without the express permission of the Ministry. This is because most of the erosions we are having today result from illegal mining. Let us coordinate those things properly so that if there are drains, we can know where it will be terminated,” he emphasised.
Interacting with the Village Head of Ewet Offot, Eteidung Ben Bassey John and members of the community who have grossly been affected by the disaster, Governor Eno regretted the devastating condition and sued for understanding with assurances of government’s intervention on the erosion problem as soon as possible.
“I expect that with the next two weeks, the Commissioner for Works, Prof. Eno Ibanga, should be able to come up with something. And we pray and trust God that nothing will happen in two weeks. We have to follow the due process to get that job done.”
Governor Eno directed the Commissioner for Works and Fire Service to carry out an assessment of the erosion menace and come up with relevant paper works for the award of contract to reclaim the erosion site.
Eno, who also ordered stoppage of an excavated portion at Clement Isong Avenue, said putting an end to reckless digging of borrow-pit was aimed at curtailing erosion related menace that could lead to ravines resulting in destruction of lives and property.
In a related development, the governor also paid an unscheduled visit to the Akwa Ibom State Agricultural Development Programme, AKADEP, at the agency’s headquarters office, AKADEP House, Clement Isong Avenue, where he frowned at excavations by the fence of the premises and the attendant danger they pose on buildings along the line and re-emphasised the ban on such activities across the State.
At the AKADEP House, Governor Umo Eno sued for concerted efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Akwa Ibom Fadama and AKADEP, to pursue the goals of the A.R.I.S.E. Agenda for attainment of the desired agricultural revolution.
He frowned at the unkempt environment of the AKADEP House, saying that he has released imprest to Ministries, Department and Agencies to enhance the smooth operations of offices.
He directed the Accountant-General of the State to ensure immediate release of the month’s subvention approved for the agency to aid the maintenance of the facility, while sounding a warning to heads of MDAs to desist from misappropriating imprests, maintaining that imprest and subvention were meant for day to day running of offices and not for private use.
Governor Eno stressed that the AKADEP premises should accommodate demonstration farms to test- run and showcase new species of crops and proudly conduct visitors and interested farmers around them to promote State Government’s agricultural programmes.
