Governor Prince Bassey Edet Otu of Cross River State has declared two major environmental disasters beyond the state’s sole financial capacity, calling for urgent federal intervention.
The Governor made the declaration after personally inspecting the recent twin disaster sites, a devastating tanker fire in Odukpani and a massive landslide that swallowed parts of Anansa Street in Calabar, the State capital
Describing the deep crater left by the landslide as “very, very devastating,” Governor Otu said the sheer scale of the environmental wreckage requires a heavily coordinated response, adding that the State government is currently pivoting its response to focus on international and federal partnerships to tackle the destruction
He said aside from the state government mobilizing engineering and technical experts to assess the full magnitude of the Anansa Street collapse, local teams are already working to design a sustainable solution, while the state is also formally engaging with the Federal Government to co-fund and co-engineer a permanent fix for the problem.
A visibly worried Governor Otu told journalists during the inspection visit that “What is happening here is very, very devastating. We have made several attempts to study exactly what is happening and determine the appropriate response. We already have what I would call studies that are ongoing. The Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government has put two teams on the ground.”
However, he said the enormity of the landslide made it imperative for the State to seek wider technical and institutional support, noting that the challenge could not responsibly be treated as an ordinary erosion problem.
“Clearly, this project is just bigger than the state. It is so huge, so huge,” Otu declared, maintaining that the magnitude of the damage demanded the intervention of additional engineers and other specialists.
Otu, who disclosed that the situation had attracted the attention of Abuja, said the President had directed a team to visit the affected location and undertake an assessment, explaining that the Federal Government’s involvement would ultimately complement the measures being undertaken by the state while strengthening the search for a permanent solution.
Blaming the worsening crisis on relentless rainfall and climate change, the governor said despite severe weather disrupting critical engineering repairs, he remains optimisticm that interventions will accelerate as the rainy season ends, adding: “We are very sure that in the near future, as we look towards the end of this month, the rain should die down. Then we can get some allowance for additional engineers to come in and see what we have done here and determine the appropriate long-term solution.”
Inspecting the Odukpani tanker fire scene, the Governor, who praised local leaders, emergency stakeholders, and courageous residents for their rapid response, also acknowledged the community’s heroic mobilization and extended his deep sympathies to shop owners who lost their businesses in the unfortunate inferno.
While challenging stakeholders to transform temporary relief into lasting resilience, Governor Otu said, “At times like this, we should come together and support one another”, insisting that current emergency measures must go beyond patching up immediate damage to the point of fortifying the community against the deep-seated vulnerabilities that invited the disaster in the first place.
In a bold move to rekindle hope in the hard-hit areas, the Governor affirmed that his administration will aggressively confront emerging environmental and public-safety hazards, just as he underscored that his firsthand inspections are crucial for gathering raw, accurate data to ensure state government’s aid is guided by professional expertise instead of speculation of political conjecture.
Governor Otu directed that as the ongoing technical and institutional assessments continue, permanent interventions at Anansa Street must rely on credible engineering to withstand current environmental pressures, affirming further that the government will not renege in engaging experts and relevant agencies until a lasting solution is secured.
