By: Odeh Favour Adiya
The Abia State Government has expressed deep concern over the increasing rate at which public infrastructure, particularly power assets, are being vandalised across the state.
Addressing newsmen on Tuesday on the outcome of the week’s State Executive Council meeting held on Monday, the State Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, stated that the development is disrupting electricity supply and placing extra financial stress on the state.
Decrying the trend, Kanu noted that “Such unwholesome acts disrupt the flow of electricity, while creating additional financial burden for the state government in terms of cost of replacement of stolen or vandalised power assets”.
To address the situation, the commissioner called on community leaders and security agencies to step up monitoring and adopt new measures to safeguard critical infrastructure.
“President-Generals of our town unions, our traditional rulers, and security agencies are advised to devise new strategies to curb this growing menace in our communities”, he urged.
He further appealed to community members to protect public facilities within their domain, saying, “All relevant stakeholders are advised to take ownership of government projects in their communities, particularly those that relate to power”.
Speaking on other state projects, Kanu disclosed that the water initiatives under the Abia Integrated Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme are progressing smoothly.
He added that “Rehabilitation of five water schemes, including pipeline recirculation, is ongoing in three sanitary zones of the state, and these projects are at different levels or stages of completion”.
Also addressing the issue of flooding in the state, the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Engr. Ikechukwu Monday, explained that global climate change remains a key driver of flood disasters nationwide.
“Of course, you know that in the period we are in, climate change has caused a lot of disasters.
That is the truth. We are experiencing serious flooding across the Federation”, he said.
Monday emphasized that the administration had proactively cleared drainages state-wide prior to the onset of the rains.
He stated, “There have been serious efforts on the part of both ASEPA and the Ministry of Environment to clear most of the drains in the state. They did all this before, even before the rainy season. Naturally, you know, the rains, floods will happen. We are finding their way through the community. So, the state government is working very hard to ensure that these things, their occurrences, are brought down to the barest minimum”.
The Power Commissioner explained that various urban development bodies and ministries are adopting a joint, holistic strategy to manage emergency flooding incidents as they arise.
“So, UCDA (Umuahia Capital Development Authority) is doing its own; the Ministry of Works is doing its own. If you go to Aba, GADA (Greater Aba Development Authority) has laid out comprehensive plans of what government wants to do”, he stated.
He maintained that response teams are actively deployed across trouble spots, adding that “it is very holistic. And whenever a new problem occurs anywhere, all the agencies that are in charge move in swiftly to ensure that the solution is provided. Some of them come unannounced”.
Clarifying relief efforts for affected victims, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, pointed out that the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) remains the designated body overseeing disaster relief.
“When it comes to relief materials, SEMA (State Emergency Management Agency) is handling that responsibility”, Ekeoma said, reassuring that government would monitor the agency closely to guarantee victims receive all needed assistance.
