From Ifeoma Ejiofor
The Anambra State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening grassroots governance by empowering community leadership structures to drive sustainable waste management and environmental sanitation across the state.
The commitment was reiterated during a strategic stakeholders’ engagement with Mayors and Presidents-General from Anambra North Senatorial District at the Anambra East Local Government Headquarters, Otuocha, where government officials emphasized stronger collaboration among local councils, traditional institutions and communities to advance sustainable development.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Vin Ezeaka, said the Soludo administration is deliberately repositioning the fourth tier of governance by strengthening community leadership structures to complement local government administration in delivering responsive and people-oriented services.
He noted that building a functional community leadership system remains central to promoting grassroots development, public participation and improved governance across the state.
Ezeaka urged Mayors, traditional rulers, Presidents-General, town union executives and other stakeholders to deepen collaboration with the state government by supporting policies that promote environmental responsibility, accountability and community ownership.
He added that sustained partnership and collective commitment are critical to the success of the administration’s grassroots development agenda, while assuring communities of continued government support for initiatives that enhance service delivery and institutionalize an effective community leadership system.
Also, the Commissioner for Environment, Amb. Engr. Clem Aguiyi, called on community leaders to work closely with government in advancing cleaner, healthier and more sustainable communities, stressing that environmental sanitation requires collective responsibility.
He stated that “environment is local, waste management is local, while flood and erosion are local challenges,” emphasizing that communities must take ownership of environmental protection efforts.
Aguiyi further said local government and community leadership must be organized, deliberate and intentional in tackling environmental challenges, adding that lasting behavioral change can only be achieved through a combination of enforcement and sustained public sensitisation, proposing an Anambra Emergency Trust Fund to enhance environmental resilience and support emergency response initiatives.
Speaking on behalf of the local government councils, the Mayor of Oyi Local Government Area, Hon. Emmanuel Ikechukwu Nweke (DFAI), alongside the Mayor of Ogbaru Local Government Area, Hon. Kenneth Akwuobi, and the Mayor of Anambra East Local Government Area, Sir Ifeanyi Chinweze, congratulated Hon. Vin Ezeaka on his appointment and commended his efforts at repositioning the Local Government Service Commission to consolidate existing reforms.
The Mayors also lauded Amb. Engr. Clem Aguiyi for championing policies that have strengthened environmental sanitation and sustainable waste management across the state.
They described the stakeholders’ engagement as timely and expressed confidence that stronger collaboration among the state government, local councils, traditional institutions and community leadership would deepen environmental governance, strengthen accountability in waste management and reinforce community participation in sustainable development and further expressed optimism that the initiative would further position Anambra State as a model for sustainable environmental management and improved public health.
