Anambra spends N1.58b on waste disposal, N3.8m on erosion control in 2021

As ministry generates N1.3b from January to October

Anambra State Government has disclosed that it spent N1.58b on waste disposal from January to October in an attempt to keep the state’s environment clean.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Emmanuel Okafor, who stated this during the 2021 budget assessment and 2022 budget defence before the state House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation, said the ministry also spent N3.8m on erosion control across the state.

He said of the N2.166b budgeted for the ministry in 2021, waste disposal, gulped N1.58b while N3.8m was spent on erosion control in two major projects that were executed.

Okafor said his ministry also carried out routine monitoring of the five forest reserves in the state, adding: “We could not execute all our proposed projects due to lack of funds. We only made do with the funds released to the ministry within the period.”

Meanwhile, other agencies under the ministry lamented the non-release of funds allocated to their agencies for the execution of projects.

During his defence, Managing Director, Clear Drainage and Forest Preservation Agency, Chido Obidiegwu, said of the N255m allocated to it in 2021, no funds were released to the agency.

He lamented that letters and proposals were sent to the appropriate offices for funds, but no money was released to the agency in 2021 for clearing of drains to control flood, recruitment and equipping of more forest guards to protect the forests, among others.

Also speaking, Managing Director, Anambra State Waste Management Authority, Amaechi Akaora, said the agency was able to access N64.5m of N305m allocated to it, while the Managing Director of the Leisure Parks and Street Beautification Agency, Mrs. Ify Atogu, complained that the agency got only N1.5m from its N300m allocation in 2021.

Responding, representative of Dunukofia Constituency and Chairman, House Committee on Environment, Lawrence Ezeudu, decried the ministry’s 26 per cent budget performance.

He insisted that the Ministry of Environment was one of the key ministries that should be given serious attention in terms of funding, considering that Anambra was a flood and erosion-prone state.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner, Ministry of Lands, Physical Planning and Rural Development, Bonaventure Enemali, said the ministry generated N1.3 billion between January and October this year.

Enemali said the ministry was given a revenue target of N4.8b for 2021, but that it had only achieved 28 per cent of the target.