Governor of Anambra State, on Wednesday, Charles Soludo, called on the federal government and other development partners to come to the rescue of his state, lamenting that between 30 to 40 percent of its land is being threatened by erosion and other ecological problems.
Soludo, made the disclosure while answering questions from State House Correspondents, after meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The governor, who noted that erosion had become a state of emergency in his state, and that even the state’s entire budget for 10 consecutive years would not be enough to remedy the situation, said that only an immediate intervention from the federal government and other development partners could save the situation.
Soludo, on the other hand, revealed that the state government had already begun steps to increase environmental awareness among the people, with the goal of limiting factors that exacerbate the erosion problem.
“The environment is our number one existential threat, other than security, and Anambra is the erosion capital of Nigeria. Perhaps, you might know that about 30% to 40% of our land is under threat of erosion, there’s no other state like Anambra, when it comes to erosion.
“Even last week, somewhere between Ezinifite/Osumenyin Road was cut off again and several … huge gullies everywhere; Obosi, Oko, Nanka, Aguolo, everywhere, there’s erosion menace.
“Like I said, while our landmass is shrinking massively due to erosion and so on, it’s far, far beyond the capacity of a state government to deal with. Even if you were to sink the entire budget of the state into dealing with the gully erosion in the state, even if you were to sink all of them for the next 10 years, it will still be like a drop in the ocean.
“This is an area where the state government wishes to partner effectively with the federal government and the development partners to deal with that. It is a state of emergency, with regards to erosion. And of course, we’re also promoting this concept of responsible citizenship on the part of our people, to be able to take some responsible steps.
“We are providing some regulations; people controlling the runoff water from their homes, they don’t just pipe them and get them off on the streets.
“Of course, they must go somewhere, contain it within you your place. Building controls; it will designate drain versus buildable areas, and so on and so forth.
“Then of course, trying to tackle these things with early warning signals, and we’ll begin to tackle them.
“Clean up our drainages and make sure we channel runoff waters down to rivers and so on and so forth and not let them percolate on the road or try to go to unwanted places and so on and so forth.
“We’re doing quite a whole lot. There are a few of them that have become like where the roads have been cut off, for example. We have no choice but to try to do something, but ultimately, to deal with the kind of erosion menace we have in Anambra will require quite very active, massive resource injection by the federal government”, he said.
Speaking on the security situation in his state, Soludo said Anambra ranks among the five to ten most secure states in the country, adding that most of the criminal rings in the state had been degraded as camps of kidnappers other organized criminal gangs had been uprooted.
“You’ll have the information that Anambra is quiet, it’s enjoying relative peace, and I will bet you that it’s probably, if you rank the 36 states, in terms of security of life and property, Anambra will rank in the top five, the top 10, or there about. From when we came, it’s a sea change, it’s like the difference between day and night.
“On a daily basis there used to be kidnappings, killings. and so on. There were more than 15 camps all over in the southern senatorial zone, plus Ogbaru and I think they have been uprooted from those places. Anambra is relatively peaceful.
“About a week or so ago, a senator’s convoy was attacked, we’re trying to get to the bottom of it. We are now at a position where we’re able to get to the bottom of much of those kinds of organized criminality, but in terms of the kind of force that they have, I think that has been largely degraded. About 8.5 or 9 million people going about their peaceful businesses every day in the state”, he said.
Asked for an update on the disappearance of the Labour Party’s governorship candidate in the last election in the state, Mr. Obiora Agbasimalo, Professor Soludo said security agencies are digging deeper into the case.
“The security agencies are on top of the matter, they’re investigating very seriously. Remember, the guy was a candidate like myself, we were all campaigning together. He was in Labour Party, I was in APGA. I heard of his abduction then, that was about a year ago, and I took over only about a few months ago, but even at that, it has been brought to my attention and we’ve actually had the wife visit us at the Lodge. I think the security agencies are digging deeper and deeper.
“For us, actually, the message is clear. Our government is a government that puts security, law and order as number one priority and Anambra is one place where we have zero tolerance for criminality, we will pursue every criminal, every gang, every group, that poses a threat to our determination to instill effective law and order and security in the state.
“I want to commend all the security agencies, from the Police, the Army, the DSS, the Civil Defense, the Navy, and of course, the Anambra Vigilante Service, and so on and the people of Anambra State, who themselves have risen with one accord to send the message that criminality cannot thrive in the state.
“The people have gotten very cooperative, working together with the security agencies, the federal government, and the people of Anambra, the state will continue to be peaceful and secured. Yes, occasionally you will have some spots, there’s no crime free society in the world, but we’ll want to be able to get organized criminality out, to almost zero”, he said.
On the economy of the state, the governor said “the state is moving in levels and levels and levels up and sooner or later we’ll invite you to come and dine and wine in Anambra. Last week we had the youths organizing the fashion expo, we’re not letting the past or the 0.1% of criminals to define us. We are making progress and Anambra will continue to get greater and greater”.
