By Nna Anulumadu
In response to the devastating flooding currently submerging houses and displacing residents in Ogidi, Obosi, and other communities in Anambra State, the Idemili North Local Government Council on Wednesday, August 19th, 2026, held a stakeholders’ summit on Environment, Flooding, Erosion, and Security.
At the end of the summit, the council adopted a communique on preventing further environmental disaster in the area and warned residents to stop the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in gutters and water channels.
Reading the communique, the Mayor of the council, Hon. Stanley Chigbo Nkwoka, disclosed the council’s readiness to enforce environmental laws. He stated that defaulters would henceforth pay heavy fines as punishment.
The council mandated every household, shuttle buses, and tricycles Keke to keep waste bins for proper disposal of refuse. House owners were also directed to dig catchment pits to control the outflow of erosion from their compounds. The Mayor added that a task force would be set up to monitor compliance.
The Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr. Law Mefor, who graced the summit, revealed that the Anambra State Government has issued a strong warning to communities battling erosion and flooding.
He said the government will no longer rush in with intervention projects where residents fail to take steps to protect their own environment.
According to him, communities must first demonstrate commitment by keeping their surroundings clean, clearing blocked drainages, and carrying out minor remedial works before expecting government intervention.
Dr. Mefor said the Anambra State Executive Council, at its meeting on Monday, approved a new Citizen Code of Conduct on Environment aimed at tackling environmental degradation across the state.
The new policy will be built around three major measures: full enforcement of environmental laws, mandatory catchment pits for buildings, and community action as a condition for government intervention.
“Anambra has one of the most comprehensive environmental laws in Nigeria and Governor Chukwuma Soludo has directed full enforcement.
Henceforth, all actions by individuals contributing to environmental degradation will be stopped through enforcement. The era of impunity is over,” Mefor declared.
He said the Ministry of Environment will soon begin physical inspection of buildings across the state to determine compliance. Defaulters may be given a grace period to correct violations, but the government will no longer tolerate practices that worsen flooding and erosion.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Felix Clems Aguiyi, accused residents of flooded areas of littering water channels with refuse. He insisted that communities must lead the operation to control the erosion menace.
According to him, if no action is taken immediately, Anambra State may cease to exist in the next 20 years due to erosion, given the state’s soft soil.
Identifying deforestation as a major cause of erosion, the Commissioner encouraged afforestation and urged Anambra citizens to embark on “Operation Plant a Tree” to control erosion.
Other speakers at the summit, including the APGA State Chairman, Chief Ifeatu Obiokoye; Chimezie Obi, Esq.; Dr. Nkem Okeke; and others, in their separate remarks, commended the Mayor for convening the summit.
They urged residents of the council to join hands in controlling erosion by ensuring proper disposal of refuse and digging of catchment pits.
