Senate urges Nigerian govt to release ecological fund for Cross River erosion crisis

The resolution followed a motion of urgent national importance moved by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South) on the ecological emergency affecting Calabar metropolis and adjoining communities.

Ekpenyong listed the affected communities as Atakpa, Edim Otop, Ikot Effangha Mkpa, Nyaghasang, Ikot Anwatim, Nasarawa/Bacoco, Akai Effa, Bayside and Summit Hills, adding that landslides were threatening Anansa.

He said the disasters had caused deaths, displacement and property destruction, leaving families traumatised and survivors struggling to rebuild their lives.

The lawmaker recalled that a landslide at Ikot Anwatim in July 2026 killed five people, including four siblings from one family, destroyed two houses and injured two residents.

He added that another landslide at Edim Otop claimed the life of an eight-year-old girl.

Ekpenyong lamented that some parents had buried their children, while survivors had lost their homes and livelihoods, with unstable slopes continuing to threaten other communities.

He attributed the disasters to poorly designed drainage systems, rapid urbanisation, blocked drains, indiscriminate waste disposal, unregulated sand mining, vegetation removal and poor land-use practices.

The senator warned that isolated remedial projects without coordinated watershed planning could transfer erosion risks to neighbouring areas.

“Further delay risks additional deaths, deeper displacement and greater destruction. This emergency demands immediate mobilisation of federal resources, including the Ecological Fund,” he said.

He called for temporary shelter, food, medical and psychosocial support for victims, as well as the safe evacuation of residents facing imminent danger.

Contributing to the debate, Senator Sampson Ekong (Akwa Ibom South) sympathised with the people of Cross River South and supported calls for urgent intervention.

The Senate urged the Federal Government to approve, allocate and release adequate funds for emergency stabilisation and comprehensive remediation.

It also called on the Federal Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Cross River State Government and relevant agencies, to assess dangerous sites and begin emergency protective works.

The upper chamber directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the State Emergency Management Agency and local councils to provide immediate assistance to bereaved and displaced families.

It further called for early-warning systems and continuous monitoring of unstable sites to enable timely evacuations. It also urged the ministries of Environment and Works to prioritise erosion-control projects in Cross River State, supported by proper geotechnical and hydrological assessments.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio mandated the Senate Committee on Environment to assess affected locations and existing interventions, engage relevant agencies on funding and implementation, and report back to the Senate for further legislative action.