The Anambra State Government has resolved to prioritise communities that demonstrate environmental responsibility in its ongoing interventions to tackle severe gully erosion across the state. ​The strategic policy decision was finalised during the weekly State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting held on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at the Government House in Awka.
​Briefing press correspondents after the executive session, the State Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Dr. Law Mefor, announced that communities engaging in environmentally harmful practices will no longer receive priority attention for state-funded erosion control projects. ​
Elaborating on the administration’s stance, Dr. Mefor explained that prohibited practices contributing directly to land degradation and gully formation include indiscriminate sand excavation, illegal mining, deforestation, unapproved tree felling without replanting, refuse dumping into drainage channels, and the improper channeling of stormwater onto public roads and neighboring properties. ​
“Communities that engage in activities that trigger or exacerbate erosion will not receive priority consideration for government interventions,” Dr. Mefor stated. He emphasized that the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo is committed to strictly enforcing environmental laws, adding that individuals responsible for prosecutable environmental offences will face immediate legal action to serve as a strong deterrent across the state. ​
With over 1,000 active gully erosion sites threatening residential areas, public infrastructure, and agricultural lands, state officials stressed that engineering interventions alone cannot solve the crisis without community-level accountability and preventive care.
Consequently, the council directed immediate temporary remedial measures for affected areas such as Ogbodi while technical plans for permanent solutions are finalised, calling on traditional leaders, town unions, and youth associations to enforce local compliance.
