It has grown significantly in the last 25 years. But one major challenge threatens Anambra State’s existence: erosion menace. It needs the assistance of the Federal Government and international development partners to deal decisively with it, reports OLUKOREDE YISHAU
Its landmass is not massive. And to make matters worse, erosion has eaten deep into it. Anambra State’s erosion crisis threatens to swallow it up. At the last count, there are no less than 972 gully erosion sites in a land mass of 4,844 square kilometers. One fifth of its land has been washed away by erosion. No other state in the country faces the sort of erosion challenge Anambra is confronted with. It deserves to be declared an Ecologically Endangered State.
No wonder the erosion challenge was a major talking point in an address given by Governor Willie Obiano to mark the state’s 25th anniversary. The state was created on August 27, 1991, and last Saturday marked the 25th year of its creation, which is now under serious threat from erosion.
Obiano lamented that his state was the worst hit with 972 active erosion sites. Imo State, he said, has 27, and less in some other states. He said his administration has been able to attract attention from NEWMAP to 12 sites.
In one of his several attempts to draw attention to the challenge, Obiano said: “In truth, no other state in Nigeria has been ravaged by erosion on the same scale as Anambra. If the images that we generated from our aerial photography are anything to go by, then the world must come to our rescue before it is too late. Indeed, we are raising this alarm in the hope that the attentive world will give Anambra State a chance to survive as a geopolitical entity that deserves its continuous membership of the human race.
”The tragedy of gully erosion is that its impact is usually so colossal that it is almost impossible for any state, no matter how rich, to tackle it alone. We are emboldened by the fact that many nations who were faced with the threat of extinction of this nature or worse in the past were not left to their fate by a caring world. We have no doubt that our case will not be different.
The rate at which this menace is progressing is so frightening that if nothing is done very quickly, it will overwhelm our collective capacity to slow it down.”
The World Bank is committed to resolving the erosion challenge in Ugamuma-Obosi, Ikenga-Ogidi, EnugwuUkwu and Abidi-Umoji. But the state needs much more.
Speaking as part of the activities to mark the anniversary, Obiano said because of its land mass coupled with the erosion that has further reduced its land, it would not embark on land-consuming projects, such as grazing reserves and ranches. Instead, he said the state was in a discussion with an international partner to commence the animal husbandry indigenous to the area.
On herdsmen attack of communities in the southeast, Obiano said: “On this issue, I am like the guy who saw tomorrow. Early in my administration, I constituted a committee known as Cattle Menace Committee, which is headed by the commissioner of police, with five traditional rulers and leaders of the Fulani community in the state. We agreed in the committee that if the cattle belonging to the Fulani people destroy our crops, they will pay us; and if our people kill their cattle, we will pay them.
“In May 2015, I set up a security committee to ensure that farmers and herdsmen keep the law. They (herdsmen) agreed that if they destroyed any farm in Anambra they will pay compensation. And they have paid 11 times…. If our people kill their cow we will pay compensation as well. And we have paid five times that happened.”
He added that it was agreed that herdsmen would not be allowed to come into the state wielding AK47 rifles and other dangerous weapons.
“You are not allowed to carry around dangerous weapons, illegal possession of arms is totally prohibited, anyone who goes against these directives will have himself to be blamed for any action taken against him,” Obiano said.
He noted that the arrangement had guided the parties in their actions and conducts.
The governor also spoke on the effort of his government to make the state an agricultural hub.
He said: “Anambra State will be the food basket of Africa in the next 25 years. In the next 25 years Anambra will not depend on federal allocation. It will be known as a state that transited to become the Taiwan of Africa.
“We are number one among states that were created 25 years ago. We pay salaries as and when due. We are the safest state, and we have attracted billions of dollars in investment to the state.”
Obiano said Igbariam in Anambra East has the highest untapped deposit of gas in Africa based on empirical records. Obiano praised previous governments for its contribution to the development of the state and assured his team would leave Anambra better than it met it. He added that Anambra would be an investment destination and the Taiwan of Africa in the next 25 years when the oil-producing status of the state would no longer be in doubt.
He also spoke about the export of vegetables from the state to the United Kingdom championed by Captain John Okakpu, who trained farmers in 7 communities. He said the state would as part of 25 years anniversary name some streets after some individuals in the state for their contributions to the state.
A dinner was held on Saturday as part of activities to celebrate the silver jubilee of the state. Three iconic fly-over bridges were also lit up to mark the anniversary. There was also a special anniversary broadcast.
The governor gave an insight into what next to expect: “25 years is a milestone in the history of individuals, groups and societies. It calls for deep introspection, stocktaking and projections. It is a veritable crossroads in Time where we usually pause to hatch new dreams. For any responsible administration, events like the Silver Jubilee Anniversary usually come in handy for the renewal of the social contract between the government and the people. This Anniversary has offered my Team and I a chance to renew our pact with Ndi Anambra and strengthen our commitment to the emergence of a more prosperous state. Gentlemen of the Press, some of you were old enough when Anambra State came into existence 25 years ago. Some of you must have witnessed the sudden rise in our people’s hopes; some of you must have heard the liberation songs on the lips our mothers who saw the new state as the fulfilment of their aspirations. Gentlemen of the press, 25 years after, Anambra has travelled through a hard road paved with agony and pain to the promise of a new day. A realistic appraisal of the economic situation of our country has forced us to be more creative in our approach to identifying what should matter to our people.
”As a result, this anniversary celebration will be more symbolic and less showy of what our dear state stands for.
“We shall flag off the one million-Tree Planting Campaign. Then, we shall lay the foundation for the Oxygen Project Plant of the Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital. We shall flag off the N20m project per community initiative. The celebration continues till December this year. We have an Anniversary Lecture/Dinner planned for October 1, 2016 to coincide with Nigeria’s Independence Anniversary. We also Special Gala Nights mapped out for Lagos and Port Harcourt in October and another one in Abuja in November. We plan to host a Special Anniversary Award Ceremony on December 16. It will be a great day to honour Anambra’s galaxy of pre-eminent achievers. A cultural carnival has also been scheduled to take place in the three Senatorial Districts during this period with a grand finale of the Festival billed for December. There will be a Special Lighting of the Christmas tree on November 25 and an Interdenominational Service on November 26. We shall visit spectacular Tourist Sites on December 22nd and host a colourful Christmas Carol on the same day.”
The tree planting is part of plans to tackle the erosion menace. The Chairman, State Steering Committee of Tree Planting Campaign and the Managing Director, Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), Michael Okonkwo, said his committee had visited Lagos State to understudy their greenery project programme.
Okonkwo said Anambra would soon replicate some greenery projects to checkmate the menace of erosion and degradation of the soil.
He said the government had kick started the exercise by planting over four thousand trees within Enugu-Onitsha Expressway as pilot project.
He said the government was embarking on a state-wide campaign for individuals, religious bodies and other organisations to compliment the efforts of the government in tackling the problems of environment.
He regretted that individuals and communities living in erosion-prone areas had not done enough to checkmate it..
