Abuja — Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State yesterday faulted moves by the House of Representatives to site headquarters of the proposed Erosion and Flood Commission in Abuja insisting that it must be located within the southeast zone where the problem is rampant.

Obi, who made his position known during a public hearing organised by Joint Committee on Environment and Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, also implored the House to ensure that the chairman and officers of the commission are drawn from South-East states in rotation as it was done in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

"One wonders therefore why this flood and erosion commission is set up to operate from Abuja and why the members of the commission are drawn from all over the Country. It is a fact that erosion and flood menace is concentrated in the South-East region of Nigeria. It is a fact that while the Northern States suffer from desertification, the South-East states are devastated by flood and erosion," he said.

Speaking on behalf of the governor, Commissioner of Environment in Anambra State , Michael Egbebike said he believed that the major reason behind the bill is to establish a commission that will tackle problems of flood and erosion menace that is rampant in south eastern states of the country.

He advised the lawmakers not to bring everybody from everywhere in the country to serve in the proposed commission because it will water down their efforts to solve these problems and make the commission ineffective, adding that funds of the commission should be distributed according to need.

Speaking earlier, House Committee Chairman on Environment, Hon. Duro Faseyi expressed dismay over absence of some stakeholders at the hearing adding that the hearing is avenue for the stakeholders in the environmental management to ventilate their opinions on the proposed bill.

Declaring the public hearing open, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Usman Nafada urged the stakeholders in environmental management to make appropriate contributions that will assist the committee so that it will designs appropriate legislative interventions to tackle environmental challenges in the country.

Nafada who expressed concern over effects of erosion and menace of flood in the country said that environmental problems exert tremendous impact, not only on the material progress of the country but also on the survival of the people in the country as a biological being.