In a bold to improve safety, comfort, and public health, the leadership of Osile Ogbunike in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State has begun the dredging of the Nkisa River, to restore the river flow,curb flooding, enhance safety during the rainy season.
Speaking on the initiative, the Vice General Chairman of Osile Ogbunike, Ogbuefi Ogochukwu Onyasi explained that the community’s challenges began when a previous government awarded a contract for the construction of the Nkisa Road, noting that the original bridge was removed to make way for the project but the road was later abandoned, leaving the area exposed to severe flooding every rainy season and called on the government to fulfil its promise by completing the Nkisa Road which links Umunya, Nkwelle, and the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway which he believes will greatly improve the safety of the area.
Also speaking, the Community Secretary, Mr. Loveday Obiesie, recalled that the Nkisa River was once a lively and wide waterway, serving as a hub for daily activities such as cassava fermentation by women and recreational play for children,lamented that the failed road construction disrupted the river, destroyed the bridge, and caused sand to gradually choke the waterway, turning it into a dangerous zone during the rainy season.
He called for urgent state government intervention to fully restore and widen the river, which he said will unlock new opportunities for development and boost economic activities within Osile Ogbunike and neighbouring communities.
