The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo says he will soon sign an executive bill, banning mining in Erosion-Prone Areas in the state.
Governor Soludo disclosed this during a stakeholders’ meeting with five communities in the state, badly ravaged by erosion.
The five communities include Nanka, Awgbu, Oko, Amaokpala, and Ekwulobia.
Professor Soludo observed that the greatest moment to act was decades ago, saying that the second-best time to act is now, emphasizing the need to define the individual and collective responsibilities.
According to the Governor who revealed that erosion is ravaging one hundred and forty-six communities, constituting eighty one percent of the Anambra Communities, an action plan on sand mining law, regulation, and enforcement, community sensitization, revenue collection, statewide awareness campaign, designing roads for proper water channelization, and building catchment pits, as well as many other measures will be established.
He further disclosed that a draft environmental law that will help to punish offenders, is also underway, lamenting that the state does not have a good plan and design for water channelisation.
The Governor also announced that, pending the full adoption of the law, he will sign an executive order prohibiting sand mining near erosion-prone areas, emphasizing that marching funds will be provided for the five communities who will provide designated places where the government can begin tree planting to combat erosion.
He noted that channel openings in Onitsha have already begun, stressing that it is the revolution that would be extended to other areas and tasked individuals and communities on attitudinal change towards the environment as his administration has identified the environment as Anambra’s number one existential threat.
In his speech the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Felix Odimegwu, thanked the Governor for working with the villages affected by erosion, revealing that a new law will be enacted to encourage tree planting, which is a preventive measure to curb erosion.
He stated that the law would also ensure that new houses built will have drainages to channel water properly.
Speaking earlier, the Transition Committee Chairman for Orumba North Council area, Mr. Ogochukwu Ekwueme asked the Governor to provide a legal framework that will stop sand mining in the area which is a major cause of erosion.
Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Ernest Ezeajughi, Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Barrister Anthony Ifeanya, his Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters counterpart, Mr. Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne, Managing Director, Anambra Erosion, Watershed and Climate Change, Professor Phil Eze, President-General of Oko Community, Mr. Luke Nweke, among others, attended the meeting.
The town hall meeting tagged, “Delivering the Solution Mandate in Erosion Control” was held at Oko Civic Centre.
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