Oyo State has been listed among the 23 beneficiaries of the European Investment Bank’s intervention in addressing the challenges of erosion and land degradation control in Nigeria.
The intervention project was under the auspices of the European Investment Bank-assisted Nigeria Climate Adaptation Erosion and Watershed Project (NEWMAP-EIB).
The national project coordinator of NEWMAP-EIB, Anda Ayuba Yalaks, disclosed this in Ibadan when he led the Federal Project Management Unit delegation on a courtesy visit to Governor Seyi Makinde in his office.
osed that the courtesy visit was part of the Federal Project Management Unit team to Oyo State scoping mission to evaluate the state’s readiness as a crucial step towards disbursement and project implementation take off.
According to him, the federal government has initiated the Climate Adaptation: Erosion and Watershed project, succeeding the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (Newmap), to address land degradation in a targeted sub-watershed, improve livelihood, and promote environmental resilience for sustainable development.
He added that the project was supported by the European Union and overseen by the Federal Project Management Unit (FPMU), with implementation by the twenty-three (23) participating states, including Oyo State.
Briefing the governor on the prerequisite requirements, Yalaks commended the Governor Makinde-led administration for its approval and release of N500 million as a counterpart fund and other critical prerequisite requirements, which secured the State as one of the 23 States for the EIB intervention.
“I’m happy to announce to you that Oyo State has met 100% per cent legitimate criteria to attract the funding”, he said.
He confirmed that after assessing the prioritised sites, which threaten lives and infrastructural development, they are, therefore, considered candidate sites in line with the EIB’s conditions precedence.
Welcoming the FPMU delegation on behalf of the governor, the deputy governor, Barrister Bayo Lawal, highlighted some of Makinde’s achievements in demonstrating the highest level of political will to tackle environmental challenges in the state.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola, commended Makinde for his leadership in choosing the prioritised sites in Eruwa, Igbeti, and Ibadan, most especially the gully erosion site within the Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso, which was currently a threat to infrastructural development. He added that the state is ready for the full implementation of the project to take off.
