Anambra has mechanism to contain ecological issues — NEWMAP coordinator


Anambra state has many ecological challenges demanding attention. In this interview with OKECHUKWU ONUEGBU, the state project coordinator of Nigerian Erosion and Watershed Project (NEWMAP) Mr Michael Ivenso, speaks on how the agency has been able to tackle the menace.


What has been some impact of erosion in Anambra state lately?


We are talking about fatalities, loss of lives, critical infrastructures, livelihoods, impact on roads, impact on farmlands, power lines, schools and churches. So for us, it became a matter of life and death. The state government thought it wise to escalate the intervention request to the federal government and Anambra was one of the pioneer states that kicked off this project as far back as 2013, and over time, several other states joined. We were basically ravished by erosion and other forms of land degradation. The state thought it wise to seek assistance of the federal government and other development partners to support this programme.

Would you say the state has achieved their objectives of joining NEWMAP?


We have achieved it, and exceeded the target that was set under this programme. A minimum target of five intervention sites were set as part of our international benchmark. Right now, our  intervention is in 13 sites. Therefore, from that perspective alone, we have met and exceeded our expectations. More importantly, NEWMAP is basically about the human aspect of this programme. Therefore, having the right  components to support that aspect is very critical. Not only are we reclaiming landscapes and restoring lives, we are also empowering people at the grassroots as women and children are affected by every form of devastation, in this case erosion and flooding. So, besides the civil works and the physical intervention that you see, hope has been restored and people are once again happy to that extent we have really exceeded the target set for ourselves.

Generally, what are the key areas the project has actually intervened?


I said earlier that the reasons  we intervene is because livelihoods, properties, farmlands are affected. The restoration aspect of it is really one of the things that are very visible to people.The other part of it is the one people don’t really see which is the human aspect. As at last count, we have approximately about 150,000 beneficiaries across the state. We have what we call direct beneficiaries and then we have other people who benefit as part of their connection with the community where we intervened. So, when you link communities together, you make it easier for school children who would have walked several kilometres to by-pass the erosion. If you look at that in itself, it is very impactful. So, we have achieved not only from the physical intervention part, but also from the changes in lives that we have impacted. Now, we also talked about the people who were given some money to re-establish their businesses and about the capacity that have been built amongst the participating MDAs and  institutions that have been developed. For example, this programme has set up what we call the Anambra State Erosion, Watershed and Climate Change Agency specifically tasked to help perpetuate and encourage what NEWMAP has done. We know the federal government and the World Bank would always be there. It’s important for the state to acquire this capacity and provide the tools and resources to continue what NEWMAP has started. Our governor, Chief Willie Obiano is in support of the project as he buys into the idea. He was quick to act when they requested him to allow the state to establish an erosion agency. The establishment of the agency was really one of the hallmarks of sustainability plan the state has. It also fell into the administration’s overall development plan for the state; hopefully, successive government would take this agency as a platform for other interventions in the future. Environment and climate change would be with us for a very long time, so also the agency.  

How would you describe the public’s understanding of the value of this project in terms of sensitisation?


Communication and grass root engagement is one of the critical aspects of this project. NEWMAP has engaged a third party institution to actually provide that service to us, we call it Focal NGOs. Their task essentially is to go into the communities to sensitise them about the causes of erosion, what impacts erosion would have on them and what they do that actually aggravates the formation of gullies. Then, we advise and educate them to desist from such activities like sand mining, managing solid waste, blocking drainages, dumping refuse indiscriminately, issues concerning how we plan our cities engaging with the department of works and engaging with the physical planning board. That sensitisation is very important not just to the community our sister agencies and MDAs who participate in NEWMAP would help you to ensure that the regulations that are put in place is also maintained. 

How would you assess the impact of this awareness on their behavioural change and taking ownership for the sustainability of all these interventions?


I like the phrase their ‘ownership’ because that sensitisation also creates ownership. When people understand that this project is for them and you get them involved, then the tendency to achieve success is high. That awareness has been successful in very many ways but there are still gaps to be filled and its always an ongoing moving target. The awareness aspect of it never goes away. here would always be a need to engage with the community, leadership with their respective MDAs that are part of this government to remind them of the reason  we are doing what we are doing that the state is making a huge investment in erosion control and other forms of land reclamation for the benefit of the community such that people would always remember whenever they want to throw refuse in the drainage, build houses and pave the entire floor without leaving areas for what we call green areas for storm water to recharge the aquifer. So those aspects are critical and therefore sensitisation would always be a continuous process. It’s been largely successful to the extent that we have communities and we have created groups of individuals as ambassadors among students, community leaders who help us become the voice of reason among the people for imbibing the right/correct practices to help with erosion control.


 In terms of implementation, how have you been to tackle some issues confronting it?


NEWMAP has a very robust community management programme that really puts the responsibility on the contractor to protect and ensure that their staff and workers are not interacting with the community in an adverse manner. We also make it difficult for them by making them contractually liable with penalties when there are breaches. The other part of it is within the community where we create what is called the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM). Here, communities themselves are the ones overseeing their own grievance process because they understand themselves better. We create this community relations mechanism where we have what we call the site committee to help manage things at the site. They choose respective individuals whom they perceive to have some type of integrity and can be impartial when it comes to adjudicating issues concerning community members. It is a self-propelling mechanism that doesn’t require the intervention of the state government to always seek redress when issues occur. Concerning things like gender-based violence, luckily for us, we have never experienced one of them because we sensitise the community. We took time and created a lot of educational materials. We have town hall meetings. We have special group sessions with the women group and young girls creating this awareness of who they are, giving them a sense of self pride, warning them of the potential dangers of visitors coming into the community and that way, you provide the tools, knowledge and resources for them to act better. Issues concerning grievances about damage to crops, property or other forms of asset, GRM helps to eradicate it too. Generally, our guidelines ensure that the communities are better off with our intervention than before we came.
One of the biggest challenges we have right now is actually the seasonality of this work. What I mean is that during the rainy season, sometimes work has to stop. It tends to prolong the construction cycle more than you originally envisaged and create an impression that the project is running longer than it is supposed to be. That seasonality can be quite a problem even though you build that into the construction schedule. The intensity of rain and damage it can cause are sometimes unpredictable. 

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