WARRI/Nigeria: Renowned Niger Delta environmental and development advocate, Comrade Mulade Sheriff, has accused governors in the region of turning ecological funds into a looting spree while failing to tackle the perennial flooding and erosion ravaging their states. Mulade stressed the urgent need for judicious application of ecological funds to address the growing environmental crisis.
Mulade, in a statement, lamented that despite over ₦600 billion reportedly disbursed by the Federal Government to states for ecological interventions, the Niger Delta governors, who received a significant share, have made no meaningful impact in the past decade. He commended the Federal Government for its efforts but decried the failure of the states to translate the support into tangible results.
“For the Niger Delta states, there has been no improvement in 10 years. Despite the huge amount received, the region still suffers flooding, loss of lives, destruction of livelihoods, food shortages, and rising unemployment due to farmlands being washed away,” he said.
The activist accused governors of using so-called Flood Management Committees as a cover to siphon funds meant for genuine flood control measures. He described these committees as political tools designed to mask mismanagement while enriching a few individuals through substandard temporary IDP camps lacking basic facilities such as potable water, sanitation, and hygienic measures.
Mulade attributed the recurring disasters to government failure at all levels, political interference, and rampant corruption. He blamed the blocking of natural waterways, absence of proper drainage systems, and unchecked deforestation for worsening the region’s environmental woes.
He called on the Niger Delta states to set up dedicated agencies with clear mandates to manage ecological funds responsibly, construct stormwater dams, open drainage systems, and restore natural waterways to stem the tide of destruction.
