Nnobi Residents Cry Out Over Flooding, Property Damage from Controversial Road Dualization

 

Erosion Threat Deepens in Nnobi Amid Controversial Road Project; Community Seeks Urgent Government Action

The Nnobi community in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State has raised the alarm over a growing environmental and humanitarian crisis allegedly triggered by the ongoing dualization of the Nwagu Agulu-Nnobi-Nnewi-Okija Road.

Residents, community leaders, and stakeholders have voiced deep concerns over what they describe as avoidable destruction caused by erosion and persistent flooding following the commencement of the infrastructure project. They have now called on the state government to halt the project immediately and undertake a comprehensive review to avert further disaster.

According to a statement issued by Ebubechukwu Etudo, a respected community leader and the official spokesperson for the Nnobi community, the scale of property loss is already monumental, and the looming threat to lives and livelihoods is escalating by the day. Etudo, an Estate Surveyor and Valuer by profession, stated that the project’s execution has bypassed several mandatory legal procedures, leading to an environmental and social catastrophe that could displace hundreds.

Afor-Nnobi market, one of the community’s oldest and most economically significant landmarks, now sits at the brink of destruction. The surrounding residential areas, once safe and vibrant, are rapidly being swallowed by landslides and stormwater runoff, worsened by inadequate drainage infrastructure and land mismanagement during the construction process.

Etudo recalled issuing a formal warning to the Anambra State Government about six months earlier, shortly after agents of the state had marked several properties along the Nnobi axis for demolition. The markings, he said, came without clear notification, official communication, or dialogue with property owners, leaving many residents confused and vulnerable.

He lamented that despite that early warning, no effective response came from the authorities. “We are not against development, but development must be lawful and considerate of the people,” Etudo emphasized. “What is happening now is a clear failure to comply with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations and the Land Use Act. Residents were not engaged. No public notice was issued. No enumeration or valuation of affected properties was done.”

The absence of a prior survey of the road corridor, Etudo noted, contravenes the Federal Highway Act and renders the process legally questionable. Many landowners, he said, have no alternative homes or land to relocate to, even if compensation were to be offered—an eventuality that still remains uncertain.

He warned that continuing the project under its current framework would result in the mass displacement of residents, the destruction of personal and communal property, and possibly, the collapse of social and economic structures in Nnobi. The Afor-Nnobi market, he stressed, is not just a trading hub but a historical center of commerce for people from within and beyond the state.

Beyond legal noncompliance, the community’s anguish is further compounded by the lack of a resettlement plan, which Etudo says should have been prepared before construction began. “The people of Nnobi deserve better. We deserve respect, protection, and justice,” he said. “A project of this magnitude requires deliberate planning and consideration for those it will affect.”

Etudo called on the Anambra State Government to suspend the road dualization effort pending a thorough evaluation of its compliance with environmental and legal frameworks. He also urged the administration to revisit the abandoned Nnobi Ring Road project, which he believes, if completed, could help decongest traffic and offer a sustainable alternative to the current development strategy.

The outcry from Nnobi comes at a time when erosion and environmental degradation continue to plague communities across Anambra State. Experts have long warned that without strategic planning and enforcement of environmental regulations, road construction projects could become catalysts for broader ecological crises in vulnerable areas.

As the rainy season intensifies, the urgency of Nnobi’s appeal grows. Residents say the government’s next steps will determine whether the area can be salvaged or left to suffer irreversible loss.

For now, the people of Nnobi wait—anxiously, and in growing numbers—hoping their voices will be heard before the waters rise higher, and the ground beneath them gives way entirely.