MY EROSION CONTROL AND PREVENTION COMMISSION ESTABLISHMENT BILL PASSES FIRST READING.*

*……..100 FOOT ROAD NNEWI EROSION SITE, EKWULOBIA-OKO-UMUNZE-IBINTA ROAD, ICHI-ORAIFITE, AGULU-NANKA GULLY EROSION SITE, NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY (AWKA AND NNEWI CAMPUSES) AND UMUEZE EROSION SITE UGA-AGUATA AND OTHERS SET TO BE TACKLED.*


To God be the glory, Today, I sponsored a bill to establish an Erosion Control and Prevention Commission which will be constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of prevention, control,management and redress of erosion and other related matters.

The Ecological Fund Office is constitutionally domiciled within the Presidency. As a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who is saddled with the duty of lawmaking and appropriation, the aim of this bill is to establish a structure that will make this fund more accessible to Nigerians who are in dire need of it when due and necessary.

Erosion is a serious environmental menace destroying the property and means of livelihood of my constituents in Anambra South as well as other parts of the nation.

With full participation and involvement in taking preventive and remedial actions to stabilize the gullies and forestall loss of lives and properties, the commission upon establishment will formulate policies, guidelines and play an advisory role to the Federal Government on erosion prevention, management and control, while mobilizing funding, technical assistance and expertise to tackle this menace. The commission will also be saddled with the task of carrying out comprehensive and periodic surveys of erosion stricken areas and potential areas that are vulnerable to threat.

The general public would recall, that on Thursday, July 18 2019, I called the attention of the Senate, Ecological Fund Office and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to the fact that the biggest motorcycle and auto parts market in West Africa; Nkwo Nnewi market which is situated along 100 Foot Road Nnewi is currently threatened by the same erosion menace, thereby forcing traders to offload their containers far away from their warehouses/shops, leaving them with no other option than to use wheelbarrows to convey their goods to the market as a result of the erosion stricken road.

Communities within my Senatorial District such as; Ekwulobia- Oko-Umunze- Ibinta Road, Ichi-Oraifite, Agulu-Nanka gully erosion site, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Awka and Nnewi campuses) as well as Umueze erosion site Uga-Aguata and many others have been severely ravaged and thrown into untold suffering as a result of the pervasive erosion menace.

Every year, hundreds of people are directly/indirectly affected and large areas of agricultural lands are becoming unsuitable for cultivation as erosion destroys farmlands and lowers productivity. Unless immediate measures are taken to control the widening erosion gullies, the residents of the communities will continue to be exposed to greater risk of loss of life and properties.

It is my earnest belief and expectation that having passed the first reading, the bill will be read the second time and recommended to the relevant committee for further legislative action.

*Senator (Dr.) Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah.*
*Anambra South Senatorial District.* EROSION CONTROL AND PREVENTION COMMISSION ESTABLISHMENT BILL PASSES FIRST READING.*

*……..100 FOOT ROAD NNEWI EROSION SITE, EKWULOBIA-OKO-UMUNZE-IBINTA ROAD, ICHI-ORAIFITE, AGULU-NANKA GULLY EROSION SITE, NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY (AWKA AND NNEWI CAMPUSES) AND UMUEZE EROSION SITE UGA-AGUATA AND OTHERS SET TO BE TACKLED.*


To God be the glory, Today, I sponsored a bill to establish an Erosion Control and Prevention Commission which will be constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of prevention, control,management and redress of erosion and other related matters.

The Ecological Fund Office is constitutionally domiciled within the Presidency. As a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who is saddled with the duty of lawmaking and appropriation, the aim of this bill is to establish a structure that will make this fund more accessible to Nigerians who are in dire need of it when due and necessary.

Erosion is a serious environmental menace destroying the property and means of livelihood of my constituents in Anambra South as well as other parts of the nation.

With full participation and involvement in taking preventive and remedial actions to stabilize the gullies and forestall loss of lives and properties, the commission upon establishment will formulate policies, guidelines and play an advisory role to the Federal Government on erosion prevention, management and control, while mobilizing funding, technical assistance and expertise to tackle this menace. The commission will also be saddled with the task of carrying out comprehensive and periodic surveys of erosion stricken areas and potential areas that are vulnerable to threat.

The general public would recall, that on Thursday, July 18 2019, I called the attention of the Senate, Ecological Fund Office and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to the fact that the biggest motorcycle and auto parts market in West Africa; Nkwo Nnewi market which is situated along 100 Foot Road Nnewi is currently threatened by the same erosion menace, thereby forcing traders to offload their containers far away from their warehouses/shops, leaving them with no other option than to use wheelbarrows to convey their goods to the market as a result of the erosion stricken road.

Communities within my Senatorial District such as; Ekwulobia- Oko-Umunze- Ibinta Road, Ichi-Oraifite, Agulu-Nanka gully erosion site, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Awka and Nnewi campuses) as well as Umueze erosion site Uga-Aguata and many others have been severely ravaged and thrown into untold suffering as a result of the pervasive erosion menace.

Every year, hundreds of people are directly/indirectly affected and large areas of agricultural lands are becoming unsuitable for cultivation as erosion destroys farmlands and lowers productivity. Unless immediate measures are taken to control the widening erosion gullies, the residents of the communities will continue to be exposed to greater risk of loss of life and properties.

It is my earnest belief and expectation that having passed the first reading, the bill will be read the second time and recommended to the relevant committee for further legislative action.

*Senator (Dr.) Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah.*
*Anambra South Senatorial District.*

We pray it comes to fruition