Residents accuse Deputy Mayor and State Ministry of Environment of using substandard materials after taking over federal project.
Residents of Ibere community in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State are living in fear after an erosion control project, allegedly hijacked by state actors, collapsed following the first significant rainfall, raising serious questions about political interference and the quality of work delivered .
CDA News Nigeria gathered that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) had awarded the 3.3-kilometre Iyalu-Iberenta-Oro-Ibere road project in September 2025, with a mandate to include remediation works at two gully erosion sites . The flag-off ceremony was attended by community leaders and the Deputy Mayor of Ikwuano LGA, Hon. Lucky Awuwa .
However, community sources have alleged that the project was forcefully taken over and halted by the Deputy Mayor . They claimed the project, originally attracted by Hon. Chinedu Kanu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Prince Pascal Atuma Based at Canada. The Deputy mayor and his group politicized the project by bringing a state contractor for direct labour execution through the State Ministry of Environment .
Residents are now blaming the state contractor for using substandard materials, leading to the rapid collapse of the erosion control structures after the first rainfall . “The project was forcefully taken away from NDDC and given to a state contractor for direct labour. Now after the first rain, it has collapsed. Our people are living in fear because if the erosion continues, it will swallow our homes and farms,” a community source lamented .
CDA News Nigeria reports that community leaders are calling for an independent investigation into the project, including the circumstances surrounding its alleged takeover, the amount spent, and the quality of work delivered . The collapsed sections have left parts of the community exposed to further erosion, threatening homes, farmlands, and property .
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