WTC News Blog

The increasing frequency of landslides and other ecological disasters across Cross River State has become a matter of profound public concern. The recent landslide at Anansa, Calabar, is yet another painful reminder of the growing environmental challenges confronting our State. Sadly, this is not an isolated occurrence. Across many parts of Cross River State, communities continue to experience erosion, flooding, landslides, poor drainage, and other forms of environmental degradation that threaten lives, destroy homes and public infrastructure, and undermine sustainable development. What makes this situation particularly disturbing is that Ecological Funds are disbursed every month through the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to the Federal Government, State Governments, and Local Government Councils specifically to address ecological problems and mitigate environmental risks. These funds are intended to finance interventions such as erosion control, flood prev...

Cross River State stands as Nigeria's last great bastion of tropical rainforest — a natural heritage of immeasurable value, not only to Nigerians but to humanity itself. Yet this treasure faces an existential threat. What was once an unbroken expanse of biodiversity-rich forest, contiguous with Cameroon's woodlands and home to critically endangered species like the Cross River gorilla, Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, forest elephants, and countless endemic flora and fauna, is now fragmenting at an alarming rate. The data is stark: over 60% of the original forest cover has disappeared. Satellite imagery confirms the loss of more than 134,000 hectares between 2001 and 2023 alone. Illegal logging, agricultural encroachment, mining, weak law enforcement, and infrastructure pressures continue to degrade these vital ecosystems — transforming dense rainforests into grasslands, eroding carbon sinks, disrupting climate regulation, and undermining the livelihoods of indi...