At a weekly State Executive Council meeting in Awka, the Anambra State Government announced that it will now target erosion control projects toward communities that demonstrate environmental responsibility. The decision follows a growing number of erosion incidents that have left more than 1,000 sites across the state in danger of collapse.
Communities that engage in practices that worsen erosion—such as sand excavation, indiscriminate tree felling, deforestation, dumping refuse in drainage channels and channeling stormwater onto roads—will no longer receive priority attention. The State Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr Law Mefor, said that offenders would also be prosecuted to deter future violations.
Experts say that tackling the scale of the problem will require federal and international intervention. In the meantime, the EXCO ordered that the gully‑cut Ogbodi area of the Amichi community in Nnewi South Local Government be reconnected within two weeks through palliative measures, as the erosion had severed residents from the rest of the community.
“The process of identifying a permanent solution to the erosion problem will commence immediately,” Mefor said after the meeting.
In addition to the erosion strategy, the council approved the “Soludozie Anambra Framework,” an inclusive platform designed to promote development through a Public‑Private‑Community Partnership (PPCP) model. The initiative will allow Anambra indigenes at home and abroad, as well as other well‑meaning individuals, to partner with the state government to drive development.
Under the framework, the government will mainly provide documentation, recognition and support where requested, while donors and partners will manage their own funds and projects directly. Mefor said the programme aims to position Anambra as a model of collective governance and inclusive development, accelerating the state’s overall progress.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
