By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Calabar
Leaders of Obutong community in Calabar Municipality Local Government Area of Cross River State have appealed to residents to remain calm and refrain from staging any protest over the devastating landslide that has destroyed homes, roads and critical infrastructure in the area.
The community leaders instead called on the Federal Government, development partners and humanitarian organisations to urgently intervene in addressing the environmental disaster, which they described as beyond the state’s capacity to manage alone.
The landslide, triggered by days of persistent rainfall in Calabar, has wreaked havoc around the Anansa Junction corridor between WAPI Junction and the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Victory, cutting off sections of roads, submerging residential buildings and damaging public infrastructure.
The extent of the destruction prompted officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to visit the community on Tuesday for an on-the-spot assessment of the affected areas.
Reacting to reports that some persons were mobilising residents for a protest against the state government, the Acting Chairman of the Obutong Traditional Council, His Royal Highness Iso Archibong, distanced the community from the planned action, insisting that the disaster was a natural occurrence and not a result of government neglect.
Speaking during a meeting at the community hall, Archibong said the traditional leadership had advised residents against embarking on any protest, maintaining that such action would not help efforts to secure assistance for victims.
He declared that the Obutong people would rather pursue constructive engagement with relevant authorities than resort to demonstrations, stressing that anyone attempting to stage a protest was not acting on behalf of the community.
Also speaking, the Supervisor for Environment in Calabar Municipality, Mr. Eso Eso Archibong, acknowledged reports of a planned protest but questioned the justification for blaming the government over a natural disaster. He appealed to the Federal Government, donor agencies and humanitarian organisations to provide immediate support to affected residents.
Meanwhile, the Acting Commissioner of Police in Cross River State, DCP Godwin Etim Effiong, urged residents to remain peaceful and cooperate with emergency responders. He visited the affected community alongside the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Hon. Pius Edet; the Commissioner for Environment, Barr. Mensah Bassey Offiong; and other government officials, assuring residents that measures were being taken to mitigate the impact of the disaster while advising them to stay away from the affected areas for their safety.
Earlier, the Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Dr. Peter Odey, described the landslide as a clear indication of the state’s increasing environmental vulnerability. He said the magnitude of the disaster had overwhelmed the state’s response capacity and called for urgent Federal Government intervention through the deployment of technical expertise and ecological resources to prevent further destruction.
