By Ismaila Chafe
President Muhammadu Buhari says a total of 266 ecological projects have
been completed across the country in the last seven years (2015-2022).
The president disclosed this at the inauguration of a compendium of ecological projects undertaken by
his administration shortly before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting
on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said 332 ecological projects were approved during the period under review, out of which, 266 were
accomplished, while 66 are at different stages of completion.
He commended the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Management Team of the Ecological
Project Office (EPO) for judicious use of available resources to implement approved projects, as well as the initiative for the publication.
He also directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to showcase their performance and achievements to
the public by leveraging on the benefits accruable to government from the commendable efforts of the EPO.
He said “the enormity of Nigeria’s ecological problems and inherited infrastructural deficit in general has the tendency, like
the proverbial drop in the ocean, to always drown our achievements in addressing ecological challenges and infrastructure deficit at large.
“It is against this background that publications like the one being launched today, becomes important and a useful tool in correcting
the negative public perception that government has not done anything in addressing these challenges.
“The documentation and publication of these achievements in our modest effort to tackle ecological problems is therefore
predicated on our quest to improve communication in governance, as a tool for keeping citizens well-informed and
helping them to hold government accountable.
“This is the most significant implication of the Ecological Project Office’s initiative in publishing this compendium.’’
He expressed the hope that the compendium would bridge the information and communication gap between Nigerians
and the real-time performance of this administration by portraying the specific locations of ecological projects,
with pictorial evidence and proofs of handing over the projects to the beneficiaries.
The president urged state and local governments to judiciously use their shares of the ecological fund strictly for ecological
projects.
Earlier in his remarks, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, told the President that the 554-page
publication was supervised by the Permanent Secretary, EPO, Habiba Lawal.
According to him, the publication is aimed at keeping the public abreast of efforts of the administration in addressing verified
ecological problems in every nook and cranny of the country.
He thanked the president for promoting the culture of accountability and for approving the change of name of Ecological Fund Office
to EPO, for its mandate not to be misconstrued by the public.
Mustapha said “the office was established through the Federation Account Act in 1981 primarily to carry out intervention
projects nationwide with the Federal Government share of the ecological funds to address critical ecological problems and
supplement states’ and local government shares of the fund.’’
On the Federal Government share of the Ecological Fund, the SGF explained that the latest sharing formula of the Ecological and
Derivation Fund (EDF) as modified allocates one per cent to Federal Government, 0.72 per cent to states, while local governments
get 0.60 per cent.
He added that out of the monthly one per cent of the Federal Government’s share, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
gets 20 per cent, National Agency for Great Green Wall (NAGGW) get five per cent, North East Development Commission (NEDC) gets
10 per cent, while the National Agricultural Development Agency (NALDA) receives 10 per cent. (NAN)
