Filmmaker Pascal Atuma Writes Open Letter To Gov. Otti Over Iyalu-Iberenta erosion project

Nigerian-Canadian filmmaker, Pascal Atuma has written an open letter to the Abia State governor, Dr Alex Otti over the Iyalu-Iberenta erosion project.

The open letter by Atuma was tagged, ‘Appreciation, deep concern, and a call for an independent assessment of the iyalu-iberenta erosion project.’

Writing on behalf of the good people of Oro Autonomous Community, Atuma expressed gratitude for Otti’s leadership and prompt decision to intervene in the devastating Iyalu-Iberenta erosion crisis.

The Canada-based filmmaker, who also doubles as a sports businessman, reached out to the Governor following the seeming abandonment of the erosion project which is being brandished as being completed by some politicians.

In the words of Atuma, “The team entrusted with this critical project —led by the Deputy Mayor of Ikwuano, Mr. Lucky Awuwa, in collaboration with officials from the Ministry of Environment— has failed the community and misrepresented the truth to your office. Contrary to their claims that the project has been successfully completed, the work was left undone, structurally unsound, and grossly substandard.”

Continuing, Atuma noted that the community is facing severe degradation and greater danger with the abandoned project.

“With the onset of the heavy rains, the ineptitude of this handling has been laid bare. The botched intervention has exacerbated the ecological damage, causing further severe degradation and placing our community in far greater danger than before the project commenced,” he wrote.

Read his open letter in full below

RE: APPRECIATION, DEEP CONCERN, AND A CALL FOR AN INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF THE IYALU-IBERENTA EROSION PROJECT

His Excellency,

On behalf of the good people of Oro Autonomous Community, I write to express our profound gratitude for your visionary leadership and your prompt decision to intervene in the devastating Iyalu-Iberenta erosion crisis. Your initial directive to address this site demonstrated the empathy and proactive governance that have earned you the deep admiration of Abians at home and in the diaspora.

However, it is with heavy hearts and profound dissatisfaction that we must bring the reality on the ground to your urgent attention. The team entrusted with this critical project—led by the Deputy Mayor of Ikwuano, Mr. Lucky Awuwa, in collaboration with officials from the Ministry of Environment—has failed the community and misrepresented the truth to your office. Contrary to their claims that the project has been successfully completed, the work was left undone, structurally unsound, and grossly substandard.

With the onset of the heavy rains, the ineptitude of this handling has been laid bare. The botched intervention has exacerbated the ecological damage, causing further severe degradation and placing our community in far greater danger than before the project commenced.

This situation represents a painful waste of public resources. Had these funds been funnelled to capable, qualified engineering professionals, they would have permanently resolved this menace—sparing our people immense suffering and lifting a significant burden off your administration. Regrettably, even when the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) sought to step in and offer a lasting solution, this team refused to vacate the site, repeatedly requesting extensions only to deliver no meaningful result.

We are fully aware that significant energy and deliberate efforts are being expended by certain individuals to shield the truth from your office and protect private interests at the expense of public safety.

The report previously submitted by the Mayor of Ikwuano, Dr. Anthony Nwaubani, reflected the true, unvarnished state of the site, and we stand by his accurate assessment.

We respectfully urge Your Excellency to take the following immediate actions:

1. Dispatch an Independent Assessment Team: Send an uncompromised, technical team of independent engineers to inspect the Iyalu-Iberenta site and report their findings directly to you.

2. Audit and Accountability: Direct a thorough investigation into the management and utilization of the funds allocated for this project to ensure complete financial and professional accountability.

3. Emergency Remediation: Re-assign this critical ecological intervention to competent experts capable of securing our land and safeguarding lives before the erosion claims further territory.

We remain steadfast in our support of your administration’s progressive agenda and trust in your unyielding commitment to justice, transparency, and the well-being of the people of Abia State.