Residents protest as erosion threatens Ekwueme’s home

Seven months after former Vice President Alex Ekwueme was laid to rest in his hometown, Oko in Orumba North Council of Anambra State, the town is at the edge of yawning erosion.

Five families in Ezioko, the deceased elder statesman’s village, have lost their homes to the rampaging natural disaster, following series of torrential rainfall in the area recently.

The royal Ekwueme family may be the next victim, except something drastic was done before another rainfall in the town.

Residents of the town went on demonstration yesterday to express their agony to the authorities.

The placard-carrying residents lamented that all peaceful methods adopted earlier to get the attention of the authorities yielded no result, hence the demonstration.

They blamed the disaster in the community and environs on the daily excavation of sand from Ihengwu village within the community.

The operators had reportedly flouted orders of the state government, Oko People’s Union, (OPU) and the monarch, HRM (Prof.) Laz Ekwueme, against excavation in any part of the community.

According to the OPU president-general, Cyprian Nwanmuo, the daily round-the-clock excavation and sale of more than 500 tipper loads of sand by the tipper drivers association, beach owners, and the excavators as well as other citizens is alarming.