Residents of Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State have continued to call for urgent intervention over a worsening gully erosion that has threatened homes, roads, schools and other public infrastructure in the community.
Amid the concerns, businessman and engineer Eric Nnamdi Anyamene, who is also the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for the Idemili North and South Federal Constituency, has personally funded emergency measures aimed at slowing the spread of the erosion.
Reports from the area said the erosion at Ugamuma, Obosi, had expanded significantly following heavy rainfall, threatening residential buildings and roads leading towards the Anambra State School of Health Technology and Union Secondary School, Obosi.
Anyamene said he and other concerned individuals had earlier raised about ₦40 million to address the erosion problem, with the NDC candidate personally contributing ₦10 million.
He said the intervention was motivated partly by the danger posed to his own property, which is located close to the affected area, but stressed that the wider safety of residents was his major concern.
Reports also said Anyamene mobilised engineers to the site to undertake immediate remedial work, including measures aimed at redirecting water and slowing the erosion's advancement.
The intervention has attracted attention because the erosion had been described by residents and public officials as a threat requiring intervention beyond the capacity of individuals.
The scale of the problem has prompted concerns over several buildings and public facilities in the area.
A report in August said the erosion was threatening more than 50 houses in Ugama village, while another report in September cited Senator Victor Umeh as saying about 300 buildings were at risk from the wider erosion menace in the area.
The erosion has also affected roads connecting communities and institutions in the area. Reports have specifically identified the road linking the affected gully to the School of Health Technology and Union Secondary School as being at risk.
Senator Umeh has called for Federal Government intervention and urged authorities to consider declaring the Idemili Basin an environmental disaster zone because of the scale of the erosion problem.
Some Obosi residents and social media commentators have criticised Governor Chukwuma Soludo over the response to the erosion crisis.
A claim circulating alongside the political discussion alleges that residents repeatedly appealed to Soludo for assistance but were told that there was no money available for the erosion and were instead advised to dig water-collection pits.
That specific account could not be independently verified from the sources reviewed for this report.
The Anambra State Government, however, has publicly acknowledged the severity of the state's erosion problem. In August, the government said more than 30 per cent of Anambra's landmass had been affected by erosion and described environmental protection as requiring both government intervention and community participation.
A state government explanation of Soludo's environmental policy also said households were being encouraged to provide catch pits, traditionally known as “Omi,” to collect runoff and reduce the volume of water flowing into vulnerable areas.
The government has also reported that officials inspected the Obosi erosion site. The Commissioner for Environment, Clem Aguiyi, visited the area in August and said the erosion had affected buildings, roads, drainage channels and farmlands.
The intervention has also taken on a political dimension because Anyamene is contesting for the House of Representatives under the NDC.
His supporters have used the emergency work to argue that his intervention demonstrates a willingness to respond directly to problems affecting residents.
However, calls for Obosi residents to support his candidacy are political appeals and should be distinguished from the documented facts surrounding the erosion intervention.
The erosion itself remains a significant environmental challenge requiring a long-term solution. The state government has said Anambra has more than 1,000 active erosion sites, while public officials and community stakeholders have repeatedly called for federal, state and community action.
For residents of Obosi, the immediate concern remains protecting homes, roads, schools and livelihoods before further rainfall worsens the situation.
The political contest may continue ahead of the 2027 National Assembly elections, but the erosion crisis has already demonstrated that the community requires sustained intervention beyond temporary emergency measures.
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