The people of Nawfia community in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State have lamented food shortage due to a collapsed bridge abandoned for fifteen years in the town.
They said the bridge, known as “Ezu Nawfia Bridge,” is the only access point to their farmland and the neighbouring Abagana community within the council area.
They lamented that the incident has turned many farmers in the community into beggars.
They also expressed concern that some residents have relocated from the community due to the inconvenience and risks associated with walking across the remnants of the bridge to reach their farms.
The people shared their ordeals when officials from the State Ministry of Environment paid an inspection visit to the site of the collapsed bridge on Friday, during which they assured the people of the government’s prompt intervention.
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According to the President General of the town, Chief Daniel Okoye, who also spoke, the affected bridge, constructed immediately after the Civil War, collapsed fifteen years ago. Since then, the bridge has remained abandoned, and all efforts to draw the attention of the federal and state governments have proved abortive, despite a recent visit by NEWMAP to the site.
“My people are seriously hungry and suffering because of lack of access road to their farmland.
“Well-to-do individuals in the community have been spending millions of naira working around the bridge that have emasse into gully erosion to prevent the menace from destroying housing and other valuable properties in the community.
“We are urging the state governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo to extend his solution agenda to Nawfia community to enable us bounce back to our farming status, we are ancestrally know for,” the PG stated.
Responding on behalf of the State Government, the leader of the inspection team, Lady Okpala Chidinma, assured the people that the government of Prof. Soludo will do everything possible to address the challenge.
She also assured the people that their message would get to the table of the governor through the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Felix Odumegwu.
She equally urged the people to exercise patience with the government.
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