Environment
Erosion Threatens EFAB Estate Residents
Residents of EFAB Estate, located within Mbora District in
the FCT, have complained about erosion threats caused by the construction work
in the area.
Mr Chambers Okorie, the Chairman of the EFAB Landlords and
Tenants Association, laid the complaint in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the excavation
work, prior to the construction of roads and drains in the area had eaten deep
into some compounds in the estate.
NAN also reports that the the use of heavy duty machines to
uproot trees had further expanded the shallow gullies created by the
construction activities.
According to the chairman, 60 houses in the estate are
currently under the threat of erosion.
He, therefore, called for the urgent intervention of the
FCDA, stressing that further escalation of the situation could have disastrous
consequences.
“When this project was awarded two years ago, we made
inquiries and were made to understand that FCDA had awarded the project for the
construction of roads and drains within the Mbora community.
“We sent our representatives to thank the Minister, Sen.
Bala Mohammed, for responding to our plight and not neglecting our community in
the provision of infrastructure.
“Our Joy is now turning to sorrow due to the negligence of
Messrs Sammyal Construction, the contractor handling the project.
“We earlier alerted the company and they came and saw the
effect of the excavation but did nothing to control or avert the impending
danger.
“The community is now battling with both the environmental problem
and security challenges.
Mr Obed Amazu, one of victims of the erosion said that he
spent about N9 million to erect a fence which had been washed away by heavy
rains.
Amazu, who is also a legal practitioner, decried the
environmental threat to the lives of all 60 residents and called on the
relevant authorities to come to the aid of the residents.
When contacted, Mr Sammy Adigun, the Chairman of the
company, said that the location of the houses in that particular area was
wrong.
Adigun maintained that the houses were too close to both the
road and the drains under construction.
He, however, said that it was the responsibility of the
residents to control the erosion in their areas and not that of his company.
He advised the affected residents to make their plight known
to the FCDA
“The location of those buildings is very close to the road
and the big drain.
“It is also the responsibility of EFAB to protect their
environment or to take their complaint to the FCDA’’.
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.
Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.
The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.
According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.
Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.
She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.
Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.
She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.
“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.
She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.
She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.
Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.
In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation
The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.
Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.
Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.
Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities
Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.
She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”
Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.
The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.
“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.
Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”
Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.