Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has congratulated the citizens as the state marks its 35th anniversary of creation.
He assured them that the state had entered a new era of sustainable growth, development and prosperity.
The governor said this in a statement issued yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon, in Asaba.
He described the anniversary as a milestone in the history of Delta State, noting the journey of the past 35 years had been defined by resilience, unity and the collective efforts of the people.
He hailed past leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil servants, private sector players and all the citizens for their contributions to the growth and development of the state since its creation on August 27, 1991.
Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has promised to translate abundant assets in the state into tangible improvements.
The governor, in a statement to mark 35th anniversary of the state’s creation, said the occasion was a celebration of unity, resilience and shared progress.
He said his administration remained committed to accelerating development through the SHINE Agenda, acknowledging contributions of past administrations, traditional institutions, the private sector and other stakeholders to the growth of the state.
Okpebholo listed achievements made by his administration to include strengthened collaboration with security agencies to tackle criminal activities, prioritising health care through the upgrading of facilities and training of health workers, particularly at primary health care centres, increased subvention to Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, and Edo State University, Uzairue.
Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, yesterday declared a state of emergency on the environment, describing environmental degradation as the state’s ‘number one existential threat’.
He said more than 30 per cent of the state’s total landmass had been eroded, warning that dedicating the entire state budget to ecological remediation would still fall short of the financial requirement.
Soludo said this during a live broadcast at the Light House, Awka, to mark the 35th anniversary of the creation of Anambra State.
The broadcast, held under the theme: ‘Our Environment, Our Future, A Call for Personal Responsibility’, also featured the launch of a renewed clean and green initiative.
The initiative is aimed at transforming the state into a clean, planned and sustainable habitat.
The governor said while progress had been made in addressing insecurity since his administration assumed office, the environmental crisis required urgent and collective action.
‘Although cities globally are grappling with climate change and flooding, the situation in Anambra is a severe existential crisis, with about 98 per cent of the degradation attributed to human activities.
‘Anambra is the gully erosion capital of Africa, if not the world. More than 30 per cent of our total landmass have already been eroded.
‘Even if we dedicate the entire state budget to ecological remediation, it will still not be enough to address the magnitude of the problem,’ he said.
Soludo listed Nanka, Oko, Amaokpala, Ozubulu, Ogidi, Nkpor, parts of Onitsha and Nnewi among communities experiencing severe erosion, resulting in the collapse of homes, roads and farms.
He said the state’s porous soil had contributed to the problem, but human activities had drastically accelerated the degradation over the years.
The governor said available data indicated that the crisis was a cumulative 60-year problem.
He said the problem was driven by blocked drains, unauthorised construction on waterways, uncontrolled run-off and reckless excavation of soil without environmental impact assessments.
He also identified farming on vulnerable slopes as contributing 20 per cent to the crisis, deforestation 13 per cent and indiscriminate sand mining nine per cent.
Soludo acknowledged the efforts of previous administrations in tackling the environmental challenges, saying his administration had introduced structural measures to address the situation.