Some concerned natives of Okpanku and Mpu, both in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, Monday, called on the federal government to complete the abandoned Ivo River Dam.
The project was awarded during the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan. However, successive administrations have overlooked the multi-billion naira project targeted at supplying all-year irrigation water to the agro-endowed people of Aninri.
The people of the area count their losses every month of May due to flooding, which destroys their farmlands.
My Cyprian Aja, a farmer and publisher, appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene to end the woes his people go through as a result of the abandoned project.
He said, “I’m pleading to the federal and state governments to come to our aid and complete the Ivo River Dam which has been abandoned by the past governments. The dam was an initiative of former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, through then Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.
“Despite the hardship in the country, the federal government can complete the project. The entire southeast stands to gain from the project if completed because food will be made available to all states through the dam.
“The project is fast dilapidating due to neglect from the government. It must not be allowed to go moribund.”
A youth leader in Mpu community, Samson Odinkpa, said the devastation caused by the abandoned dam was making farming occupation of the natives wasteful.
Quoting him, “The non-completion of the dam has been causing flooding every year, thereby destroying farms during rainy seasons. My people have lost their farm products worth millions of naira from the flood. If the government does not come to our aid, we may end up having food scarcity by next year.”
NewsNGR gathered that the project was initially awarded to an Israeli construction company before it was re-awarded to an indigenous firm.