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By Tracy Moses
The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministries of Works and Environment, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), the Ecological Fund Office and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to swiftly mobilise contractors for emergency rehabilitation of the collapsed Umuma Isiaku–Nkwerre Road in Imo State.
Lawmakers further called on the Ecological Fund Office to immediately release funds for comprehensive erosion control works in erosion-affected communities within the Ideato area, with emphasis on Umuma Isiaku, Uruala, Obodoukwu, Isiokpe, Umuaghobe, Umueshi and Amanato.
The House also appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to urgently provide relief materials and humanitarian assistance to residents and communities displaced or isolated by the road collapse and worsening erosion.
These resolutions followed the adoption of a motion moved at plenary on Tuesday by the member representing Ideato North and South Federal Constituency, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere.
In moving the motion, Ugochinyere referenced Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates government to prioritise the security and welfare of the people.
He told lawmakers that the Umuma Isiaku–Nkwerre Road, a vital link connecting Ideato South Local Government Area to Nkwerre LGA and other parts of Imo State, recently gave way near St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Umuma Isiaku, instantly cutting off thousands of residents and commuters.
According to him, the collapse has split communities, disrupted access to schools, markets and farmlands, and compelled residents to take longer and unsafe alternative routes through Owerri or Okigwe to reach Ideato.
Ugochinyere warned that the incident forms part of a wider and intensifying ecological crisis in the Ideato axis, where severe erosion has already devastated communities including Uruala, Obodoukwu, Isiokpe, Umuaghobe, Umueshi and Amanato.
He lamented that vast farmlands, residential buildings and public infrastructure have been destroyed, while persistent rainfall continues to aggravate the situation, leaving more homes unsafe and placing the lives and livelihoods of residents at serious risk.
The lawmaker also decried what he described as the continued delay by relevant federal agencies in responding to the worsening ecological challenges, despite repeated warnings and legislative interventions.
He cautioned that unless urgent steps are taken, Ideato could become completely cut off, with grave humanitarian, economic and security consequences.
Upon adopting the motion, the House mandated its Committees on Works, Environment, NDDC, and Emergency and Disaster Preparedness to monitor implementation of the resolutions and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.