Two communities in Kogi, Okudigbo and Odochala in Ibaji
Local Government have been submerged by flood which also destroyed
property.
The increasing menace of flood has forced the Kogi
government to declare a state of emergency on environment and decided to
give priority to environmental issues.
The state Deputy Governor, Mr Simon Achuba, unveiled the
plan when he received a officials of Ecological Fund Office in the
office of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation.
The officials arrived in Lokoja for the assessment of the flood and erosion sites in Kogi.
He said the government has also set aside the last Saturday
of every month as environmental sanitation day to mobilise the citizens
to clean their surroundings.
“We are also very lucky to have someone in charge of the
ministry of environment who is very effective and proactive in carrying
out her duties.
“We are very grateful to the Federal Government for taking
up these issues and for giving us the needed support which the state
deserves,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Abdullazeez Umar, who spoke on behalf of the
team, said that the exercise was approved by the Federal Executive
Council, as part of efforts to tackle the ecological problems facing the
country via the effective management, co-ordination, monitoring and
implementation of programmes.
The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs
Rosemary Osikoya, said that the ministry had earlier presented the
ecological reports on 19 local government areas in the state to the
team.
She said the ministry had met with the team and catalogued
194 flood and erosion sites in the 19 local government areas with the
help of some experts, which represented 50 per cent of the total areas
that were supposed to be covered.
She noted the state government last week organised a
workshop on climate change and afforestation, which was attended by many
stakeholders.
Besides, Osikoya said that the government had reopened the
state’s forest reserves, and launched tree planting for the 2017
afforestation campaign.
She complained that aside the increase in traffic due to
proximity of Kogi to Abuja, a river in Orokere-Amuro, has also changed
its natural course, using the federal road as its flowing path and
flooding some communities along its new route
.
“We are very excited that the state governor is paying
adequate attention to those special environmental issues, which have
drawn the attention of the Ecological Fund Office,’’ she said.
NAN
