Federal Government delegates from the Ecological Project Office, under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), have carried out an on-the-spot- assessment of some of the erosion sites in Anambra State, Southern Nigeria.
The team were taken round the major erosion sites by the Commissioner for Environment, Engineer Felix Odimegwu and members of Anambra State Erosion, Watershed and Climate Change Agency, (ANSWECCA).
Speaking to journalists after the inspection, the leader of the team who is an Assistant Chief Civil Engineer, Ecological Project Office, Engineer Lawal Mohammed, said the visit was to ascertain the level of damage already caused by erosion and to know how the federal government can intervene to end the menace.
Engineer Mohammed assured that his report will get to the appropriate authority and assured of quick intervention from the federal government.
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During his contribution, the Commissioner for Environment, Engineer Odimegwu, regretted that Anambra State has the highest number of erosion sites in the country and called for urgent intervention of the federal government in order to save the roads, houses, farmlands and industries that are threatened by the erosion.
Engineer Odimegwu equally called on well-to-do Anambra citizens to join hands with the state government in restoring its lands from erosion even as he commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for his quick interventions in some of the erosion sites in the state.
Some of the erosion sites visited were, Royal Estate Ububa Village behind College of Nursing, Nkpor, Oba gully erosion site, Nza Ozubulu-Ekwusigo-Umudike Ukpor, Ukpor-Nnewi road, Awo-Ezimuzor Ezinifite, Nnewi South, Ogbedi Amichi gully erosion site, among others.
However, it noteworthy that the Ecological Fund Office is an Office under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) headed by a Permanent Secretary. The Fund constitutes 1% of the Federation Account and it is known as Derivation and Ecology Fund.
The Prime objective of the initiative was to have a pool of fund that would be solely devoted to the funding of ecological projects to mitigate serious ecological problems.
It should be noted that the States and Local Governments receive their share of the Derivation and Ecology Fund as part of their monthly allocation at the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) monthly meetings.
