The Abia State Government has raised concerns over the increasing vandalism of government projects, particularly electricity infrastructure, across the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing journalists on the decisions reached at the state Executive Council meeting held on Monday.
Kanu said the destruction and theft of power assets were affecting electricity supply while increasing the financial burden on the government through the cost of replacing damaged infrastructure.
He called on traditional rulers, presidents-general of town unions and security agencies to develop effective measures to address the problem.
“Such unwholesome acts disrupt the flow of electricity, while creating additional financial burden for the state government in terms of cost of replacement of stolen or vandalised power assets,” he said.
The commissioner urged communities to take responsibility for protecting government projects located in their areas, particularly electricity infrastructure.
“President-Generals of our town unions, our traditional rulers, and security agencies are advised to devise new strategies to curb this growing menace in our communities.
“All relevant stakeholders are advised to take ownership of government projects in their communities, particularly those that relate to power,” he said.
On the recurring flooding in parts of the state, Kanu said the government had intensified efforts to clear drainage channels in various communities.
He said the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Environment had undertaken drainage clearance exercises before the rainy season.
According to him, the government was working to minimise the impact of flooding despite the challenges posed by heavy rainfall.
He added that projects under the Abia Integrated Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme were progressing, with the rehabilitation of five water schemes at different stages of completion.
“Rehabilitation of five water schemes, including pipeline recirculation, is ongoing in three sanitary zones of the state, and these projects are at different levels or stages of completion,” he said.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechukwu Monday, attributed the increasing incidence of flooding partly to the effects of climate change.
He said relevant government agencies were implementing measures to tackle flooding across the state.
“Of course, you know that in the period we are in, climate change has caused a lot of disasters. That is the truth. We are experiencing serious flooding across the Federation,” Monday said.
He said the Umuahia Capital Development Authority and the Ministry of Works were implementing interventions in their respective areas, while the Greater Aba Development Authority had developed comprehensive plans to address flooding in Aba.
The commissioner said the state's response to flooding was holistic, adding that relevant agencies were deployed whenever new challenges emerged.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, said the State Emergency Management Agency was responsible for providing relief materials to victims of disasters.
“When it comes to relief materials, SEMA is handling that responsibility,” Ekeoma said.
He added that the government would also assess the agency's ongoing efforts to ensure that victims of disasters received the necessary assistance.
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