When Governor Chukwuma Soludo, assumed office in 2022, he inherited more than a state in need of development. He inherited an ecological emergency.
With over one thousand active erosion sites, flooding that displaced entire communities, a broken waste system and air quality so poor that Onitsha was once ranked the most polluted city in the world.
Governor Soludo’s environmental agenda is at the very core of his vision for a clean, green, livable Anambra.
One of Governor Soludo’s first acts in office was to declare a State of Emergency on the Environment, and with boots on the ground, he and his deputy personally supervised the clearance of mountains of garbage.
Residents now walk with dignity in streets that were once overrun with filth.
The previous centralised waste collection system was slow, inefficient and grossly ineffective. Today, waste management is decentralised to the local governments, allowing for quicker turnarounds, local enforcement, and more responsive clean-up efforts.
The results speak volumes: In 2024, Anambra was ranked among Nigeria’s ten cleanest states by the Clean Up Nigeria environmental performance index.
In the battle against climate change, Governor Soludo’s administration has embraced a simple but powerful weapon of planting of trees. Over the past three years, the state has committed to planting over one million trees annually, targeting erosion-prone areas and depleted forest zones.
In partnership with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, federal agencies, and global partners, this reforestation drive is beautifying the landscape as well as rebalancing the ecosystem.
The environmental agenda goes beyond trees. It is also a solar-powered revolution. Over twenty-six thousand diesel streetlights have been converted to solar. Government buildings, hospitals and courts now rely on clean, renewable energy sources.
With over forty per cent of Anambra’s land area degraded by erosion, the scale of the challenge is staggering. Yet, Governor Soludo’s administration has responded with equal urgency and precision.
Through the newly established Anambra State Erosion, Watershed and Climate Change Agency, numerous high-risk sites have received life-saving interventions. These include Nkpor-Ideani erosion site, Ozubulu road-cut, Ezioko-Oko site, Milatel site in Awka, Agulu-Awka/Paul University erosion corridor, Awgbu-Amokpala gully, Cosmetics Market flood basin in Nkpor, and the heavily flooded Ekwulobia zone.
Governor Soludo’s environmental blueprint thus combines engineering expertise with ecological wisdom. In flood-prone areas, the administration has conducted statewide desilting of drainage systems. These efforts have significantly mitigated flash floods, particularly during the long and intense rainy seasons.
In 2024, Anambra passed the Anambra State Environmental Management, Protection, and Administrative Law which enshrines key reforms, including: Prohibiting unauthorized soil excavation; Mandatory environmental and social safety assessments for major projects; Regulated waste disposal standards for urban and rural areas; Minimum environmental benchmarks for markets, abattoirs, estates, and parks; Mandatory tree-planting obligations for new developments; and Penalties for erosion promoting practices and deforestation.
Governor Soludo’s vision of a “livable homeland” rests heavily on environmental sustainability. The state is also cultivating a new generation of eco-conscious citizens through school-based environmental education, community engagement, and public sensitization.
With every cleaned street, every planted tree, every tamed flood and every solar panel installed, Governor Soludo is doing something exceptional in Nigerian governance: he is healing the land.
