PPDF Applauds Akwa Ibom Government over Responsiveness to Ewet Offot Gully, Calls for Effective Utilisation of Ecological Funds
Peace Point Development Foundation, a Civil Society Organisation working on environmental justice, peace building and human rights in the Niger Delta has commended the government of Akwa Ibom State over its responsiveness to the gully menace ravaging Udo Iwang Street, Ewet Offot Community in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Peace Point Development Foundation has been at the forefront of advocating for government intervention on the gully as it visited the gully site last month July and went further to take community members to radio stations to express their concerns.
In reaction, Governor Umo Eno on August 8, 2023 visited the community to inspect the gully erosion menace and ordered the immediate abolition of excavation of the borrow-pit in the area.
In a statement issued by the Coordinator of Peace Point Development Foundation, Umo Isua-ikoh, on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, the organisation thanked the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Umo Eno for responding to the several calls for urgent intervention on the menace.
He said visiting the gully for on the spot assessment shows that the Governor is listening and ready to intervene.
Isua-ikoh however urged the government to be more proactive against activities that are dangerous to the environment hence forestall gully among other environmental hazards in other places.
The statement adds ” While visiting the gully erosion at Ewet Offot Community is praiseworthy and gives hope that urgent intervention is underway, it is important that the Akwa Ibom State Government puts machinery in place to ensure activities especially extractive activities and projects are monitored. Proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) needs to be followed up always.
” Illegal dredging is very rampant in the State especially the capital city and these activities go on unabated. If the government is proactive, the huge funds that would have been spent on environmental interventions as this would have been channeled to something else.”
The Coordinator further called on the State Government to effectively utilize the ecological funds disbursed monthly from the federation account to states and local government areas for ecological challenges.
He also called on the Akwa Ibom State Governor to allow ecological funds paid to the local government areas of Akwa Ibom State in their monthly allocation go directly to the local government areas so that the local government areas can address their ecological concerns when the need arises without having to wait for the State.
” Besides the ecological funds paid to Akwa Ibom State monthly which is on an average of N40m, each local government area receives their ecological funds. For instance, Uyo local government area where the gully is affecting the community gets an average of N4m monthly as ecological funds. Imagine the ecological concerns these funds could address without waiting for the State or the extent it can go if the local government accessed their funds hence collaborates with the State government “.