The Anambra State Government is considering a Public-Private-Community Partnership (PPCP) to confront the Odu Ukpaka land gully erosion site at Akabor Obiofia Nnewichi, Nnewi.
The proposal emerged during an inspection of the site by the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Clem Aguiyi, who assessed ongoing intervention work by Solid Cephars Ltd, an indigenous real estate company and developer.
The company has already begun major erosion control efforts at the site.
Commending its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Dozie Nwizu, Dr Aguiyi praised the company’s investment in Anambra and its commitment to slowing the advance of the devastating gully.
He said the purpose of the visit was to examine how the state government, Solid Cephars Ltd and the host community could combine efforts to extend the intervention to Mmili Agu, a stretch covering more than three kilometres.
Dr Aguiyi described PPCP arrangements as essential to addressing Anambra’s erosion crisis, noting that the state has nearly 1,200 active erosion sites.
With government resources unable to meet the scale of the challenge, he said, stronger collaboration with private investors and communities remains the most practical way forward.
Speaking to journalists, Mr Nwizu disclosed that Solid Cephars Ltd acquired the property less than four months ago and had already invested more than ₦500 million in sand filling and soil stabilisation.
He estimated that completing the project would require over ₦1.5 billion because of the difficult terrain and the scale of the erosion.
Mr Nwizu warned that the work completed so far represents only about 10 per cent of the affected area and explained that stopping at that point could allow the erosion to return and expand within a few years.
According to him, a partnership involving the Anambra State Government and the community would make it possible to extend the control measures to Mmili Agu River and permanently halt the erosion’s advance.
