Federal Government has allocated a total of N39.62 billion of ecological fund to 36 states of from June 2023 to June 2024.
According to The PUNCH, this was revealed in data released by the Federation Account Allocation Committee and published by the National Bureau of Statistics.
This fund, established in 1981, is crucial for addressing various environmental challenges such as erosion, desertification, flooding, oil spills, and drought.
It is sourced from the Federation Account at a rate of two percent and is managed by the Ecological Fund Office under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
During this period, Kano State received the highest allocation of N2.1 billion, averaging N175 million per month.
Borno State followed with N1.68 billion, averaging N140 million per month, reflecting the severe environmental damage caused by the ongoing insurgency.
Recent reports indicates that heavy rainfall has made parts of the Kano-Maiduguri highway impassable, significantly disrupting traffic.
Consequently, the Federal Government has terminated the contract for Section 1 of the Kano-Maiduguri road project due to delays, as announced by Minister of Works Senator David Umahi.
A report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs highlights that severe weather from April to July 2024 affected 124,275 people across 56 internally displaced persons sites in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.
The report documented 46 windstorms, 66 flooding events, and 115 occurrences of simultaneous windstorms and flooding, impacting 26,493 households.
Despite these challenges, only five percent of the affected population had received shelter or non-food assistance by July, with Borno State being the most severely impacted.
Other significant allocations from the ecological fund include Lagos with N1.81 billion, averaging N150.83 million per month, Kaduna with N1.4 billion, averaging N124.17 million per month, and Sokoto with N1.49 billion, averaging N124.17 million per month.
On the other end of the spectrum, Kwara received the lowest allocation of N602.3 million, averaging N50.20 million per month, followed by Bayelsa with N598.79 million, averaging N49.90 million per month, and Ondo with N629.42 million, averaging N52.45 million per month.
Other allocations included Adamawa with N1.24 billion, Anambra with N1.35 billion, Benue with N758.97 million, Cross River with N680 million, and Enugu with N1.36 billion.
These funds are used to manage various ecological issues, including desertification, erosion, and deforestation.
Experts have stressed the ecological fund’s critical role in addressing environmental issues and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
However, there are concerns about the transparency and effectiveness of the fund’s management.
An accountability advocate at the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Accountability, Victor Agi, criticized the lack of transparency, stating, “We don’t even get to know how the funds are used.” He questioned the fund’s effectiveness in addressing recurring flooding issues, suggesting that the Federal Government should take direct control of the fund for better accountability.
Environmental economist Tobi Awolope from the Centre for Agricultural Development and Sustainable Environment emphasized that ineffective intervention and misdirection of resources have hindered the fund’s success.
“The government has been intervening, but the right people and target population are not being adequately reached,” Awolope noted.
She advocated for setting clear objectives and closely monitoring fund allocation to ensure that ecological restoration and disaster prevention efforts are effective.
