Flood: Ngwu calls for emergency intervention, urges completion of Ivo river dam project in Enugu

The Senator representing Enugu West Senatorial District and Chairman, Senate Committee on Air Force, Sen. Osita Ngwu, has renewed his call on the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the abandoned Ivo River Dam Project in Enugu, following the devastating flooding currently affecting communities in Aninri and other Local Government Areas of the State.

Similarly, the lawmaker also called on the federal government to also intervene in the long-neglected Mgbowo Dam and Water Scheme in Awgu LGA of the state.

Ngwu said the recurring flooding has once again exposed the urgent need to complete and rehabilitate the Ivo River Dam, stressing that what was conceived as a multipurpose infrastructure for water supply, irrigation, fishery and electricity generation must no longer remain an abandoned project that places surrounding communities at risk.

The Senator called on the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other relevant government agencies to urgently respond to the situation, while also commencing the necessary processes to complete the dam under the infrastructure and development priorities of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He noted that the project, which was initiated under the previous administration and subsequently suffered prolonged delays and abandonment, has failed to deliver the benefits for which it was conceived.

He expressed hope that the current administration, under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, would give the project the priority attention required to complete it.

The Senator said his renewed appeal was prompted by the severity of the flooding witnessed since the onset of the 2026 rainy season, adding that the latest situation had demonstrated that the continued delay in addressing the dam’s structural and flood-control challenges could no longer be ignored.

He recalled that he had written to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources on several occasions since 2023, drawing attention to the abandoned Ivo Dam and requesting government intervention.

According to him, he had also engaged the Minister of Water Resources on the need to accommodate the project in the national budget and ensure that the necessary funding was made available for its completion.

“I have consistently drawn the attention of the Ministry to the Ivo Dam since 2023. I have written to the Ministry on several occasions and also personally engaged the Minister on the need to accommodate the project in the national budget. The current flooding has made the situation even more urgent. We cannot continue to wait while our people lose their homes, farmlands and means of livelihood every rainy season. This is why I am renewing my appeal for immediate intervention and the completion of the project,” the lawmaker said

The Senator lamented that the flooding has caused extensive damage across communities in Aninri Local Government Area, with Mpu, Okpanku, Oduma, Nenwe, Ndeabo and adjoining communities among those seriously affected.

According to him, reports from the affected communities indicate that more than 3,000 residents have been displaced across the five communities, with many seeking shelter in primary schools and churches in Mpu and Oduma.

Sen. Ngwu said the consequences were particularly severe because the affected communities are predominantly made up of subsistence farmers who have lost both their homes and primary means of livelihood.

The Senator therefore called on the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to immediately constitute and dispatch a technical team to the Ivo Dam for a comprehensive assessment of the project’s current structural condition, the status of its spillway and the impact of flooding on surrounding communities.

He further appealed for immediate emergency channelisation and flood-control measures to reduce the ongoing destruction and protect residents while the long-term rehabilitation and completion of the project are being pursued.

He stressed that completing the Ivo River Dam should be treated not merely as an infrastructure project but as an urgent intervention capable of protecting lives, restoring livelihoods and unlocking the agricultural and economic potential of communities in Enugu State.

“We need immediate emergency measures to protect the affected communities, but we must also address the root cause by completing and properly rehabilitating the dam. I remain hopeful that the Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will give this project the attention it deserves and ensure that the people of Enugu West can finally benefit from the infrastructure that was conceived for their development,” Ngwu added