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From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The Edo State Government has announced the payment of N800 million counterpart funding to the European Union Investment Bank to control erosion and flooding in the state, particularly in Benin metropolis.
The state Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Nosa Adams, announced this during the State Ministry of Information and Strategy’s bi-monthly press briefing in Benin City, yesterday.
He explained that the project is a continuation of the Benin Storm Water Project initiated by former Governor Adams Oshiomhole but discontinued by the immediate past administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Former Governor Oshiomhole had, in 2012, announced a N30 billion Benin Storm Water Project to control the perennial flooding and erosion in Benin City.
The administration commenced the project with a 13-feet deep channel construction on the New Lagos Road to link the canal on Five Junction to the canal on the Traditional Ground in order to control the erosion in the city.
The project was, however, discontinued by the Obaseki administration, which described it as a fraud.
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While addressing journalists on the state government’s plans to control erosion, he said in the next two months, all the paperwork would be done and work will commence on the project.
“And as a follow-up, you know, the major problem we are facing in this very particular period is flooding and erosion control. And we have some notorious spots. But His Excellency has also followed up with the European Union Investment Bank, and has paid the counterpart funding, which of course, Edo State is one of the states that have promptly paid the counterpart funding sources to continue the Benin Storm Water Project, which was thwarted by the last administration.
“And now that we have paid our counterpart funding, in the next two months or so, the second phase and of course, the last phase of the comprehensive storm project of Benin metropolis will have commenced. And we intend to link it up with Tomline, Siluko Road, and Ekenwan Road. I can assure you that flooding and erosion problems will be a thing of the past in those areas,” he said.
The Commissioner who announced that Benin City generates 4000 tons of waste daily, disclosed that his Ministry had served abatement notices to 93 environmental offenders, adding that 30 of the offenders had been prosecuted.
Besides, he disclosed that the State Government had trained and inaugurated 100 environmental officers, who have been deployed to the 18 local government areas of the state to enforce environmental laws, just as he announced that the state has attracted three environmental laboratories to be built in Benin, Auchi and Irrua.
Adams further told journalists that the effort of his Ministry had led to the resolution of the disagreement between Oregbemi community and Coca-Cola over the company’s discharge of effluents into Ikpoba River, adding that the effort led to Coca-Cola setting up a N1.8 billion effluent control plant.
Prince Kassim Afegbua, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, who moderated the press briefing, said the state government plans to carry out a massive reclamation of the government reservation area with drainage to deflood the area into Ogba River.
