Soludo urges Anambra residents to help tackle flooding and erosion

Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has urged residents to take personal responsibility for reducing flooding and gully erosion, warning that government spending alone has not been enough to address the threats. Soludo spoke on Sunday at an interdenominational thanksgiving service marking Nigeria’s 66th independence anniversary at the Cathedral Church of St Faith in Awka, the state capital. The governor expressed condolences over the death of Success Ezenwafor, a six-year-old pupil who died during a recent flooding incident.

He said the tragedy showed that the consequences of environmental problems could affect anyone. Soludo said the state government had spent tens of billions of naira on the problems without significantly resolving them. He called on residents to contain water running off their properties, avoid blocking drains, plant trees and clean drainage systems.

He urged citizens to replace what he described as a culture of lamentation with daily personal responsibility, saying flooding and erosion required collective action. He also said his administration would continue working to fulfil its obligations to residents. The governor described Nigeria as a glass half-full and cited the growth in the number of universities in Anambra as evidence of progress, while acknowledging that much remained to be done.

During the service, Archbishop Alexander Ibezim said independence should involve allowing people to determine their future and insisted that leaders must be accountable. He praised the state government’s work in infrastructure, healthcare, security and human-capital development.