By John Attah
At least 30 houses have been destroyed by a ravaging gully erosion in Agor-Uwagboe community, Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, leaving residents stranded and threatening to wipe out the entire settlement if urgent intervention is not provided.
The devastating erosion has also cut off the community’s access road linking it with Ofumwengbe and Egbiri communities, worsening the hardship faced by residents who now depend on a makeshift wooden bridge to cross the affected area.
Motorcyclists carrying passengers have resorted to using the wooden structure to navigate the damaged route, raising concerns over the safety of commuters, particularly children and other vulnerable residents.
Alarmed by the worsening situation, residents of Agor-Uwagboe staged a peaceful protest yesterday to draw the attention of the Edo State Government to what they described as an unfolding environmental disaster.
Speaking during the protest, a resident, Mr Ernest Uwagboe, warned that the gully was steadily extending towards the community and could consume the entire settlement within the next three years if nothing was done to stop its advance.
He appealed to the state government to urgently intervene before more houses and properties were lost.
The community’s spokesman, Kenneth Adoni, said residents had written several letters to relevant government agencies seeking assistance, but their appeals had yet to produce any meaningful intervention.
Expressing the community’s frustration, Adoni appealed directly to Governor Monday Okpebholo to come to their rescue.
“We are begging Governor Monday Okpebholo to come and help us. For the past three years, the gully has caused lots of problems. We cannot cross to other communities. Whenever it rains, children cannot go to school,” he said.
The spokesman said the erosion had disrupted normal movement and social activities, with residents facing increasing difficulties accessing neighbouring communities, particularly during rainfall.
The destruction of the access road has also heightened concerns about the isolation of the community and the potential impact on residents’ livelihoods, education and access to essential services.
Residents are therefore calling for urgent erosion-control measures, rehabilitation of the affected road and the construction of a safe crossing to reconnect Agor-Uwagboe with neighbouring communities.
With dozens of houses already destroyed and the erosion reportedly advancing towards more residential areas, the community fears that further delay could result in additional devastation.
The residents appealed to the state government and relevant environmental agencies to visit the area, assess the scale of the damage and commence emergency intervention to prevent the community from being cut off completely.
