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UN Habitat Assembly: IAWPA African Director Metchie calls for urgent global intervention on Anambra erosion menace
The African Director, International Association of World Peace Advocates IAWPA, Amb John Metchie has called for urgent global attention on the widening menace of erosion in Anambra State, Nigeria which he said has become a big threat to the lives of the people.
Metchie who is also the Prime Minister of Anambra State Association of Town Unions, ASATU, made the call at the ongoing United Nations Habitat Assembly taking place in Kenya, called on the United Nations and other international organization across the world to, as a matter of urgency, do something urgent to rescue the people and their communities against erosion.
Dr. Metchie said that although Anambra erosion menace has lasted for some years, the situation is getting worse, especially after the massive flooding of 2022 that affected many communities in Nigeria.
He said that apart from wiping out farmlands and ancient landmarks, erosion is cutting community to community roads, making it difficult for rural farmers to take their produce to the farm, a development he said is about to trigger off hunger among rural dwellers.
Metchie who doubles as the President General of Umueri community of Anambra State, drew the attention of the world, especially the UN-Habitat gathering that the erosion menace is vastly affected the environment and the entire ecosystem, including climate and others.
The IAWPA African Director who commended the state Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo for his efforts in Making Anambra a livable homeland for the people, said the challenge posed by erosion in the state cannot be handled by any state administration and therefore the need for global community to mobilize resources to rescue the people before it is too late.
He added that for the investments of the state government on housing and urbanisation to yield the much expected impact, erosion must be confronted and pushed back so that the people can reclaim their homeland.
Metchie said that Anambra was fast losing its arable land due to gully erosion which he said is currently active on about 1,000 sites.
He said Africa suffers from various climatic problems but in the case of gully erosion, the damage is comprehensive and total, adding that school classrooms, community health centres, houses, crops, farmlands, roads and electricity infrastructure, among others are not spared by the rampaging erosion, adding that everything collapses into the very deep gullies and nothing is recovered.
He said- “Anambra State suffers from flooding and is also the headquarters of gully erosion in Africa, hence there is need to prioritise or even out-rightly declare a climate change emergency in the state.”
Among the issues being discussed at the three-day UN-Habitat Assembly are, Universal access to affordable housing, urban climate action; urban crisis recovery and localisation of the SDGs as critical to the survival of communities; and general environmental crisis.
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Breaking: NHRC, LEDAP begin consultative forum on eliminating harmful traditional, religious practices
By Bonaventure Phillips Melah
A consultative forum to seek ways of eliminating harmful traditional religious practices that impact rights of women and gender equality in Nigeria is set to begin in Abuja.
Organized by the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, and the Legal Defence and Advocacy Project, LEDAP, the gathering is themed- “Empowering Traditional Rulers in Nigeria to Adopt and Implement Community Guidelines for Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Against Women.”
Among dignitaries to speak at the event are Dr. Tony Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Chino Obiagwu, SAN, National Coordinator, LEDAP and Prof. Joy Ezeilo, SAN, Executive Director, Women Aid Collective.
Details later…..
The Director General of AGRHYMET, Dr. Issoufou Baoua, led a high-level delegation to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) as part of the Joint Mission on the operationalization of the Regional Climate Centre for West Africa and the Sahel (RCC-WAS).
He was accompanied by the WMO Representative for West, Central & North Africa, Dr. Bernard Gomez, and the ECOWAS Representative, Prof. Mansur Matazu.
The mission focused on advancing regional collaboration required to fully operationalize RCC-WAS — a key initiative designed to enhance climate services, strengthen resilience, and support informed decision-making across West Africa and the Sahel.
During the engagement, the AGRHYMET DG outlined the core objectives of the mission, which include strengthening institutional partnerships, aligning regional priorities, identifying capacity-building needs, and setting actionable milestones for the effective take-off of RCC-WAS.
Receiving the delegation, the Director General/CEO of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, reaffirmed NiMet’s commitment to the successful establishment of RCC-WAS. He emphasized that NiMet will provide technical expertise and tools — including MeteoWiz — participate in joint research efforts, and contribute to the development of advanced climate monitoring and forecasting capabilities for the region.
The visit marked a significant step forward in consolidating regional cooperation. Both institutions reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening climate services, and the meeting concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the operationalization of the Regional Climate Centre for West Africa and the Sahel.
President Bola Tinubu has set up a high level committee to resolve issues on N4 trillion owed to federal contractors in the country.
According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, the President also expressed displeasure over the huge debt.
He made the disclosure while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by the President at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said the President was enraged after learning that about 2,000 contractors are owed.
Onanuga, who stood in for the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris said: “He made it very, very clear he is not happy and wants a one-stop solution.
“An important highlight in the course of the FEC meeting is that the President expressed very, very grave displeasure about the fact that contractors are being owed money.
“The DG (Director-General) of the Bureau of Public Procurement actually told the President that about 2000 contractors are being owed money and this made the President very, very upset.
“So the ministers are going to look into the problem to really find a solution, to find the money to be used in paying the contractors.”
The presidential aide explained that the committee has as members, the Ministers of Finance (and Coordinating Minister of the Economy), Wale Edun; Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Works, Dave Umahi; Education, Olatunji Alausa; Housing, Ahmed Dangiwa; and Marine & Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, along with the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Kurfi; and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji.
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