Governor Godwin Obaseki says the Edo government spent $150 million on flood control and erosion management in different locations.
Mr Obaseki disclosed this at the official launch of the Edo State Flood, Erosion, and Watershed Management Agency (Edo FEWMA) in Benin at the weekend.
Edo FEWMA is a new agency established by the government to sustain the gains recorded in erosion control and flood management started under the World Bank-assisted Edo State Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (Edo NEWMAP).
In a statement issued on Monday by his spokesman, Crusoe Osagie, Mr Obaseki reassured that the government would sustain efforts at protecting the environment and ensure improved livelihoods for the Edo people.
The governor decried that most of the environmental challenges faced by the state were man-made.
He noted that the government was taking critical steps at building a progressive and prosperous Edo that was resilient to climate change and anchored on sustainable environmental development and a circular economy.
Mr Obaseki, therefore, warned that any agency intending to build roads in the state, including the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), must first register its design with the Edo FEWMA to ensure proper engineering design and erosion control mechanisms.
“Over the last 10 years, we have spent over $150 million trying to repair what we have damaged by ourselves. We should ask ourselves if this is the way we should continue to go,” the governor added. “Can we not prevent some of these things that are leading to the environmental challenges we are faced with?”
(NAN)