AWKA— The Anambra Government is considering a Public-Private-Community Partnership (PPCP) to tackle the Odu Ukpaka gully erosion site at Akabor Obiofia Nnewichi, Nnewi.
The Commissioner for Environment, Dr Clem Aguiyi, disclosed this during an inspection of the site to assess erosion control works being undertaken by Solid Cephars Ltd, an indigenous real estate company and developer.
Aguiyi commended the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Dozie Nwizu, for its investment in the state and efforts to slow the advance of the erosion.
He said the inspection was aimed at examining how the state government, the company and the host community could collaborate to extend the intervention to Mmili Agu, a stretch covering more than three kilometres.
According to him, PPCP has become necessary in addressing the state’s erosion crisis, particularly given the scale of the challenge and the resources required to tackle it.
Aguiyi said Anambra had nearly 1,200 active erosion sites, adding that government resources alone could not adequately address the problem.
He said stronger collaboration among government, private investors and affected communities remained a practical approach to tackling the menace.
Nwizu told the Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) that Solid Cephars Ltd acquired the property less than four months ago and had already invested more than ₦500 million in sand filling and soil stabilisation.
He estimated that more than ₦1.5 billion would be required to complete the project because of the difficult terrain and scale of the erosion.
Nwizu said the work undertaken so far represented only about 10 per cent of the affected area, warning that stopping at that point could allow the erosion to return and expand within a few years.
He said a partnership involving the state government and the host community would enable the intervention to be extended towards the Mmili Agu River and help halt the erosion’s advance.
The Odu Ukpaka intervention comes against the backdrop of the longstanding erosion challenge in Obiofia Nnewichi. A UN-Habitat structure plan for Nnewi and its satellite towns identified the Obiofia Nnewichi–Mmili Agu corridor among erosion sites in the area.
Earlier reports also documented severe flooding and gully erosion in parts of Obiofia Nnewichi, with residents reporting damage to houses and other property as the erosion advanced.
