Environment
CIVIL rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), on Monday, asked the President Bola Tinubu administration to promptly release Ecological Fund to the Anambra State Government to manage existential threats caused especially by flooding in the South-East state.
HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, also urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe the Federal Government over the dispensing of the Ecological Fund, saying it is shrouded in secrecy and devoid of transparency.
The group said the 2022 flooding which displaced millions and killed thousands across the Federation, with Anambra as one of the most hit should not be allowed to recur. Hence, urgent attention should be concentrated now that the rainy season is upon Nigerians.
The Ecological Fund Office, which is under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), was created in 1985 following the approval of the Federation Account Act of 1981. The Ecological Fund is meant to reduce ecological problems nationwide through mitigation.
The Fund which was originally constituted one percent (1%) of the Federation account was reviewed to 2% in 1992, and later 1% of the derivation allocation was added, thus bringing the total percentage to three percent (3%).
In July 2021, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) claimed it approved N16.04 billion ecological fund projects across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for soil erosion and flood and pollution control interventions.
Also, according to reports, the 36 states of the Federation shared N300bn allocation from the Ecology Fund from 2017 to 2022.
“Yet, the evidence of the so-called money disbursed has not been seen in the country, hence, a pointer to the mismanagement of the fund by corrupt managers at both state and federal levels,” HURIWA’s Onwubiko stated.
Today, the Onitsha-Owerri Road, located by Oba in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State is a dilapidated ghost of its former self.
Before now, the federal road facilitated the movement of goods and services, linking cities and villages, fostering economic growth, and enhancing social cohesion. But this lifeline has been crippled by erosion.
“The problem in Anambra require an urgent comprehensive solution, one that can only be spearheaded by the Federal Government.
“The Federal Government should release funds for the remedial interventions of the Federal Ministry of Works and Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to revive the critical infrastructure of Onitsha-Owerri Road.
“HURIWA also asked President Bola Tinubu to increase the Ecological Fund to Anambra and other erosion-prone areas as Governor Chukwuma Soludo had last October described the Ecological Fund paid to Anambra by the Federal Government as a “peanut” that can’t even cover a single bridge swept away by floods.”
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– July 19, 2023 @ 07:12 GMT |
Tags: Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko Governor Chukwuma Soludo HURIWA President Bola Tinubu
