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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Officials of the Imo State Ministry of Environment and the Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority (AIRBA) have visited Obollo Dioka Nzerem in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State to carry out preliminary assessments of the encroachment of the Imo River on the community’s farmland.
The Obollo Progressive Union (OPU) made the disclosure in a statement by its National Secretary, Okoro Chinedum Benedict, which described the October 21 visit as a step toward addressing the community’s long-standing infrastructure and environmental challenges.
The union said the visit followed formal appeals it made to federal agencies, including the Federal Ministry of Environment.
The delegations, guided by local youths, inspected Okpuke land and sections of the Imo River where erosion and encroachment have reportedly affected cultivable land.
The Imo State Ministry’s team was led by Mrs. Ijeoma Okwulonu, while Engr. Obinna Ojukwu led AIRBA’s technical delegation. The union said AIRBA’s Managing Director, Emeka Nduka, approved the deployment.
The community is seeking an investigation into a possible dam or other irrigation infrastructure, environmental remediation of affected areas, and the establishment of an Obollo Farm Settlement to boost agricultural production and rural employment.
OPU said its requests also cover boreholes, access roads, schools, electricity, and a functional primary healthcare centre, which it said the community, with about 50,000 residents across five kindreds, has long lacked. The kindreds are Umuehie, Umuduru, Umuehineme, Umualum and Umuopara-Ofor.
The union said possible interventions, depending on further studies, include riverbank stabilisation, erosion control, improved drainage, and watershed management.
OPU stressed that the assessment does not amount to project approval, budgetary allocation or the start of construction. It said any dam would require hydrological, geological, engineering, environmental and socioeconomic studies to determine feasibility.
The union said it will seek documentation of the findings and push for eligible projects to be considered in the 2027 budget, while acknowledging that public projects must pass through established planning, appraisal, and appropriation processes.
“The real achievement will not be that government officials came to Obollo,” the statement said. It added that what matters is whether the visit leads to decisions that change residents’ living conditions.
The union thanked the Imo State Commissioner for Environment, the visiting delegations, its National President, Dr. Canice Anyachukwu, Village Chairman Mr. Emeka Okereke, traditional rulers, and the youths who guided the officials. It also appealed to the kindreds to remain united.
The statement gives no findings from the assessment and no timeline for further studies. Neither the Imo State Ministry of Environment nor AIRBA has commented.
