Renowned Niger-Delta born environmental and development advocate, Comrade Mulade Sheriff, has re-emphasized the need for the state government to judiciously apply the ecological funds to address and tackle the perennial flooding and erosion in the region.
According to the environmental advocate, while the federal government has spent over N600 billion to various States in the country for ecological funding and erosion control, he lamented that though the Niger Delta governors received a larger chunk of the funds, no significant impact has been made over the last 10 years.
“We commend the federal government for the support towards reducing ecological impact in the various flood prone states with erosion issues.
“For the Niger Delta States, there has been no improvement in the past 10 years. Despite the huge amount received, the Niger Delta States still experience perennial flooding, loss of lives, destruction of livelihood, and shortage of food as well as increase in unemployment due to washing away of farmland and crops,” he lamented.
The development advocate took a swipe at the Niger Delta governors for turning the ecological fund into a looting jamboree through the setting up of what he described as “political Flood Management Committee” that are used to siphon away funds meant to address the perennial flood issue.
“It is imperative to State that failure of government at all levels is one of the greatest reason for the occurrence of the continuous flooding, loss of lives and destruction of properties in the Niger Delta States. Despite the huge investment of ecological funds in the region, the funds are diverted and swallowed up by political elites or gladiators of the region
“Political overbearing coupled with corruption have made the Niger Delta governors not to properly put in place measures to tackle and address this critical issues.
“Rather, in order to cover their failure and mismanagement of the funds, they set up a political Flood Management Committee in some state to oversee the impact of the flood with the means to siphon millions of naira at the erection of temporal IDP Camps without regard for modern facilities, portable water, sanitation and hygienic environmental measures. There is no proper drainage system, natural waterways were blocked by building houses on water courses and deforestation by community members,” he added.
Mulade therefore called on the Niger Delta States to instead establish an agency that will tasked with oversight functions on the issue of perennial flooding in the region.
“The Niger Delta States need to create agencies saddled with specific responsibility to manage the funds, and respond to the construction of storm water dam systems, open existing drainage systems, and natural waterways,” he proffered.
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