Flooding: Soludo Carpets Critics Over Anambra Road Projects

Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has dismissed claims that the massive road construction projects being undertaken by his administration are substandard and responsible for sections of the state’s road infrastructure being washed away by flooding.

The governor, through the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Arch. Okey Ezeobi, said that the unprecedented flooding being witnessed in parts of Anambra State is primarily a consequence of extreme weather conditions and climate change, rather than poor-quality road construction.

For the past three weeks, sustained rainfall has been recorded across several parts of the state, resulting in flooding and the erosion of sections of roads and other infrastructure.

Speaking on the development, Ezeobi said the flooding had been predicted by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), which, according to him, warned of unusually heavy rainfall, flash floods and extreme precipitation across the country.

He argued that the flooding should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of poor workmanship, insisting that Anambra had experienced several rainy seasons since the Soludo administration commenced its massive road construction programme without similar levels of flooding.

“Well, initially, as we were saying, this is not the first rainy season under the administration of Prof. Charles Soludo.
“The rainy season started way back in 2022, so we have had about four rainy seasons. Why is this year’s rainy season different from the others?
“The reason is very simple. NiMet predicted that there would be a huge rainy season, flash floods and heavy flooding this year, and that no matter what infrastructure you provide, flooding could overwhelm it.
“This is as a result of climate change, and it is taking place all over the world.
“Even in America, floods have been devastating. In Ghana and other African countries, the situation is similar. Nigeria is not left out, and I don’t know why Anambra should be different at this point.
“They said there would be flooding, and that no matter what you do, the flood would come. The precipitation per minute would be far heavier than expected.”he stated.

Ezeobi said the intensity of this year’s rainfall had made the current rainy season particularly challenging, arguing that governments around the world were grappling with similar climate-related disasters.

“You can see what is happening in California in America, with floods carrying buildings away. They have enough infrastructure to fight flooding, yet they cannot do everything to prevent the impact of such extreme weather events.
“This is called force majeure, an act of nature or an act of God, and there is nothing one can do at this point.
“But at the end of the day, people blame the government for that, but it is not necessarily true. We have not experienced flooding of this magnitude in the past four years.” he said.

The commissioner, however, said the government remained committed to responding to the effects of flooding and would continue to assess infrastructure affected by the extreme weather.

He also lamented the peculiar geographical challenges facing Anambra, noting that the state is one of the smallest in Nigeria in terms of landmass.

“Anambra is the second-smallest state after Lagos in terms of landmass. While Lagos is expanding through land reclamation, Anambra is effectively losing usable land to gully erosion, which is ravaging different parts of the state,” he said.

Ezeobi also criticised the activities of some property developers and landowners who, according to him, construct buildings on floodplains and natural water channels despite repeated warnings from the government.

He maintained that such developments obstruct natural waterways and exacerbate the effects of flooding, insisting that the government should not be held solely responsible for disasters resulting from building on recognised floodplains.

“I told those building on floodplains to vacate because you cannot do that when you know that they are flood channels and that water must find its level.
“They expect the government to construct bridges for water to cross over, and that is funny. I told them that water passes through there and that the area is a valley. How can you build on a valley?
“Go and visit Inland Doors at Mkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area and see for yourself what they are doing there.
“It is a floodplain, yet people are building there. When there is flooding, they will record videos and complain that the government is doing nothing.
“The area is a floodplain and is at a low level because there is a valley on the left and another valley on the right. That is why water submerges the area.
“Indigenes sell this land during the dry season, and the majority of those buildings do not have approved plans. There is even a church building its headquarters on that floodplain. If you are coming from Inland Doors towards Obosi, you will see the church construction.
“Tomorrow, they will blame the governor for flooding in an area where people were not supposed to build in the first place,” he said.

Reacting to criticisms surrounding the Ekwulobia flyover and other major projects being executed by the administration, Ezeobi dismissed allegations that the flyover has structural defects.

He said the project had undergone evaluation and would soon be commissioned in what he described as a grand ceremony.

“The Ekwulobia flyover has no structural defects, and very soon it will be commissioned. That will be done in grand style,” he said.

Ezeobi further explained that the government had relocated the Ekwulobia bus terminal to a nearby location as part of measures to reduce congestion and improve traffic management around the flyover.

“We moved the Ekwulobia bus terminal to another nearby location, where we constructed a new facility. We also evaluated the project. Even in America, infrastructure projects are evaluated more than four times.
“We built the Solution Park about one kilometre away from Ekwulobia town because if you retain the terminal at its former location, the area will become as congested as before.
“We have also built the Police Station, which is going to accommodate not only police personnel but other security agencies. We call it a security post, and it will also accommodate personnel of the fire service,” he said.

The commissioner’s defence of the administration’s infrastructure programme comes amid growing public scrutiny of some road projects following the heavy rains and flooding across the state.

While the government has attributed the damage in some locations to extreme weather, critics have continued to demand greater transparency over road design, drainage capacity, construction standards and the maintenance of newly completed infrastructure.

The controversy has therefore shifted the political debate beyond whether flooding is solely a natural phenomenon to questions about the extent to which public infrastructure should be designed to withstand increasingly severe weather conditions, particularly in a state facing persistent erosion, flooding and rapid urban development.