The 36 states of the federation shared N300bn allocation from the Ecology Fund from 2017 to 2022, according to findings by The PUNCH.
Managed by the Ecological Project Office, the Ecological Fund is meant to reduce ecological problems nationwide through mitigation.
But despite the huge allocation, several states have abandoned the erosion and other disaster zones in their jurisdictions, leaving the inhabitants of the affected communities in Delta, Anambra, Enugu, Ogun, Sokoto, Kwara, Osun and others to their fate.
The precarious situation of the communities was further worsened by the high volume of rainfall being recorded across the country.
The ecology fund allocation was based on data from the distribution of ecology revenue allocation to states by the Federation Account Allocation Committee.
The data, comprising records from January to December for each year except for 2018, whose December record was not provided, was obtained from the website of the National Bureau of Statistics.
Also, except for the 2022 data and 10 months of 2021, the figure provided by the NBS covers both derivation and ecology funds.
The 13 percent derivation fund comes from the federation revenue to oil-producing communities through the state governments as enshrined in section 162, sub-section 2 of the Nigerian constitution.
The ecology fund, also referred to as the Ecological Fund, is an intervention fund by the Federal Government to address the multifarious ecological challenges in various communities across the country.
Also, the breakdown for the allocation for each state for 2017 to 2021 was not provided while only 2022 data had a complete set of breakdowns.
An analysis of the figures for each year showed that the highest allocation was done in 2019, with about N60.97bn released to states.
It was followed by 2018 at N56.87bn despite the lack of available data for December of that year and 2020 which was N53.9bn.
The lowest allocation of N40.35 was shared in 2021, N41.8bn was disbursed in 2022 and N45.38bn in 2017.
In 2022, which had a complete set of data for monthly allocation to each state, The PUNCH observed that Kano had the highest total allocation of N1.75bn.
It was followed by Lagos with N1.48bn, Kaduna with N1.44bn, Borno with N1.37bn, and Katsina with N1.35bn.
Bayelsa had the lowest allocation of N975.2m, followed by Kwara with N981.08m, Ekiti with N985.47m, and Ebonyi with N986.03m.
It was further noted that some states like Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo, Plateau and Rivers transferred 50 per cent of their share to the Niger Delta Development Commission and Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission.
While the NDDC was established to develop the Niger Delta region, the HYPPADEC was created to manage the ecological menace to the operation of dams in the country.
Despite the monthly allocation of ecology funds to states, there appears to be poor planning for flooding and erosion, which threatens lives, farms and businesses across the country.
Meanwhile, over seven communities in Delta State are living in fear as a result of yawning gully erosion that has widened over the years.
At the moment, the residents of Alibuba community in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State are apprehensive that more than 20 houses may cave in during this year’s round of rains if the erosion issue was not tackled.
The Secretary of the community, Mr Clement Ihiale told our correspondent that the situation was worse and many houses might be impacted.
He said, “We have been crying to the government for over eight years when the gully erosion was not as big as it is, but they turned a deaf ear.
“Few days before the governorship election, they brought a caterpillar as if they wanted to commence work and deceived us to vote for them. Two days after the election, they took away the equipment; till now we have not seen them.
“We are begging the Federal Government and the state government to come to our aid. Very soon, many of us will be relocating now the rain is at its worst.’’
He said many lives had been lost to the gully erosion, including two pupils of Allibuba primary school aged 15 and 11 swept away by a flood in 2019.
Findings revealed that Ashama and Ubulu-Uku communities in Aniocha South Local Government Area of the state and Okpanam in Oshimili North Local Government Area were facing ecological challenges which had claimed lives, properties and farmlands.
The Chairman of Warri South Local Government Area, Dr Michael Tidi told The PUNCH that the council was collaborating with the relevant Delta State Government agencies to evacuate debris from cleared drainages and canals.
In Anambra, communities worst hit by flooding and erosion include Oko communities in Orumba, Ogbaru and Anambra East LGAs.
They were also among the over 300 communities badly submerged by the 2022 floods where gullies and ecological disasters had been recorded.
Speaking on the situation, a leader in the Oko community, Mazi Jerry Okeke, said, “The Oko community has been battling with floods, erosion and gullies for over 20 years now. Many lives have also been lost as a result of the menace.
“Few weeks ago, a mother of five was killed when a ravaging flood swept her away. The corpse was later found near the Oko Polytechnic gate the following day.”
The state Commissioner for Works, Ifeanyi Okoma, could not be reached for comment as he did not take several calls and he had yet to respond to a message sent to his telephone.
In Enugu State, several communities have battled with gully erosion for many decades.
However, the state government through the Enugu State Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project is carrying out remediation works at many sites.
But the remedial work has yet to commence at a 20-feet gully erosion site along the only access road to seven communities in Udi LGA of the state, including Eke, Egede, Affa and Ukehe communities.
Checks indicated that the erosion near Affa Central Primary School bordering St John Catholic, Amaozolla, Affa, was threatening to cut off the major community road.
Speaking on the development, a local, Ernest Nwafor observed that if something was not done to address the erosion, it might affect the primary and secondary schools close to the site.
The Assistant Director of Social, Amozalla Youths Association, Okafor Moses told one of our correspondents that further delays in containing the erosion might cut off the seven communities and villages of Affa in Udi council area as well as Aku in Igbo Etiti council area.
In the aftermath of the recent flooding recorded in parts of Ogun State, residents of Idi-Ori community in the Abeokuta North LGA have been stranded following the destruction of roads and bridges serving no fewer than 21 settlements.
A community leader, Chief Dauda Adegboyega, lamented that the floods damaged two bridges serving the communities, adding that the communities had been facing the flooding challenge in the last three years.
A recent downpour similarly wrecked havoc on Surulere, Abiola Way, leaving residents and commuters in a dilemma.
Alagada in Obafemi-Owode LGA was equally affected by the flooding.
At Labaiwa, Oke-Odo, Kugba, Abeokuta, a motorist escaped by the whiskers when the flood swept away his car.
The Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, Waidi Adesina had yet to respond to a message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
The situation is not different in Kwara State where several roads, including Ero Omo-Kilanko-Biada community road in Ilorin South LGA had been washed away by the floods.
According to the Secretary of Ero Omo Community development Association, Alhaji Fatai Akorede, the road which was rehabilitated as part of the constituency project of a former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, was not properly executed as it was washed away by the rains three months after it was inaugurated.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, had yet to respond to an inquiry on the issue as of press time.
The Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media Project, Crusoe Osagie said the drainages in Benin metropolis and other areas were being desilted to ensure free flow of flood water.
In Sokoto State, no fewer than 23 local government areas had been reportedly affected by flooding in the last 12 months in more than 18 LGAs.
The media aide to the governor, Abubakar Bawa, promised to call our correspondent later. But as of the time of filing this report, the spokesman had yet to call back.
