FACT-CHECK: Tinubu Criticizes Obi over Anambra Erosion, but Records show His Role in Advancing NEWMAP
BY: Mustapha Lawal
Claim:
A post by StatiSense claims that former Minister of Environment, John Odey, credited former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi with playing an instrumental role in the creation of the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) in 2014.
The post describes NEWMAP as a project established to address severe soil erosion, land degradation and related environmental challenges across Nigeria.
Verdict:
TRUE! StatiSense accurately reported John Odey’s 2014 remarks about Peter Obi’s role in advancing NEWMAP. The claim is supported by contemporaneous reporting, although the broader question of the effectiveness of erosion-control interventions in Anambra requires a separate assessment.
Full Text:
On 7 November 2026, Nigerian data and research platform StatiSense published a post on X recalling Peter Obi’s involvement in the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP). The post stated that former Minister of Environment John Odey credited Obi with playing an instrumental role in the project’s creation during its official launch in Abuja in 2014.
SatiSense’s post was a repost to a video post by Imran Muhammad @Imranmuhdz, who posted a video of President Tinubu with captions of his remark at a rally.
The post followed remarks by President Bola Tinubu at an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on 6 November 2026. Tinubu criticised Obi, the former Anambra governor and presidential candidate of the New Democratic Congress (NDC), over his administration’s response to erosion in the state.
Tinubu said Obi had “run away from erosion” and “could not confront erosion” in Anambra. He contrasted Obi’s record with his own efforts to confront the Atlantic Ocean in Lagos and with erosion-control interventions by Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno.
The remarks prompted a response from Obi’s supporters and the NDC, who cited his involvement in NEWMAP as evidence that his administration had taken steps to address erosion.
FactCheckAfrica examined the original report containing Odey’s remarks, World Bank records and available implementation reports to establish what Obi contributed to the project and what was achieved in Anambra.
Verification:
FactCheckAfrica traced the attribution to a report published by The Nation on 5 September 2014, titled “‘Obi instrumental to erosion control'”.
The report quoted former Environment Minister John Odey as saying Obi was instrumental to NEWMAP’s creation. Odey recalled that Obi had “almost single-handedly pushed for the project, even when his colleagues were lukewarm”.
The same report quoted Marie-Françoise Marie-Nelly, the World Bank’s then Country Director, commending Obi for his commitment to the programme. She said Obi was the first governor to pay his state’s ₦500 million counterpart contribution.
A separate Vanguard report published on 5 March 2012, titled “Erosion: Obi appeals to World Bank”, also documented Obi’s appeal to the World Bank to fast-track erosion-control interventions in the South-East. This shows that he was advocating for intervention before NEWMAP received formal approval.
These reports support StatiSense’s central claim that Obi played an important role in advancing the project and securing Anambra’s participation.
NEWMAP was a federal initiative, not a project originated by Obi
World Bank records identify the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the borrower for NEWMAP, with the Federal Ministry of Environment serving as the implementing agency.
The project received World Bank Board approval on 8 May 2012 and became effective on 16 September 2013, before its official public launch in September 2014. It was a federal government programme supported by the World Bank and other development partners, with implementation involving federal and state institutions.
Anambra was among seven states included in the initial phase. The records therefore distinguish Obi’s role in advocating for and advancing the programme from originating the national project itself. Obi’s documented role is (a) first-mover counterpart payment, and (b) advocacy/lobbying.
What happened to NEWMAP projects in Anambra?
Available records show that NEWMAP interventions were undertaken at several erosion sites in Anambra. Site-specific environmental and resettlement documents were prepared for locations including Nkpor Flyover, Ugamuma-Obosi, Amachalla, Nnewichi, Nerose Plaza/St Thomas Aquinas, Ire-Obosi and Ojoto.
However, evidence of project planning does not necessarily establish successful completion.
An investigation by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), published on 15 December 2021, examined the implementation of erosion-control projects in Anambra. Citing an internal Anambra State NEWMAP monitoring and tracking tool, which is not publicly available, the investigation reported significant gaps between the targeted and actual physical progress at some sites.
For example, Nkpor Flyover had a reclamation target of 9.5 hectares, but only 0.5 hectares had reportedly been reclaimed by April 2020, with work completion recorded at 17 per cent. At Ire-Obosi, 8.15 hectares had reportedly been reclaimed against a target of 24.28 hectares, with 58 per cent work completion. Abidi-Umuoji recorded 1.94 hectares reclaimed against a target of 3.87 hectares.
The investigation also raised concerns about the quality of work, contractor performance and the concentration of contracts among a small number of companies. Its second instalment, published by Radio Nigeria on 19 December 2021, examined additional sites, including Nnewichi, Ire-Obosi, Abidi-Umuoji and Ikenga Ogidi. NEWMAP’s media officer, Emeka Achebe, told the reporters that contractors had received varying levels of payments, including contractual advances and payments against certificates raised.
There were also reports of completed interventions. In 2019, NEWMAP’s Anambra communications officer, Emeka Achebe, listed several sites as having completed interventions. However, subsequent reporting showed that completion claims and actual implementation progress were not uniform across the sites.
In 2025, the Nigerian Tribune reported that Anambra State Project Coordinator Professor Philip Ogbonnaya Phil-Eze said 13 sites had been completed under the World Bank-funded NEWMAP, while acknowledging that this represented a very low proportion of the state’s erosion challenges. An EIB team subsequently assessed five sites, including Nkpor Flyover, Ugamuma-Obosi and Abagana, for possible continuation under a new intervention.
Further reports by EnviroNews in 2023 and The Gazette in 2026 put the number of sites worked on at approximately 13, with about eight fully delivered and others at different stages of completion.
These accounts indicate that NEWMAP interventions took place and some sites were reportedly completed, but implementation was uneven and several locations continued to require attention.
The World Bank’s July 2023 Implementation Completion and Results Report recorded 86 of 103 civil works sites as completed across the national programme and rated its overall outcome satisfactory. However, these are project-wide figures and do not provide a state-by-state breakdown that would establish Anambra’s specific contribution to the results.
Conclusion:
StatiSense’s claim is supported by the original Nation report published on 5 September 2014. Former Environment Minister John Odey did credit Peter Obi with playing an instrumental role in advancing NEWMAP, while the World Bank’s then Country Director commended Anambra for its early counterpart-funding contribution.
Further evidence, including Obi’s 2012 appeal to the World Bank, supports his involvement in efforts to secure erosion-control intervention for the South-East.
However, NEWMAP was a federal government programme approved in 2012 and effective from 2013, before its public launch in 2014. Obi’s contribution is therefore more accurately described as advocacy and helping secure Anambra’s participation, rather than originating the national programme.
Implementation records also show that erosion-control work was undertaken at several sites in Anambra.
The evidence challenges any suggestion that Obi’s administration took no steps to address erosion. However, it does not establish that the interventions were sufficient to resolve Anambra’s erosion challenges or that all the projects achieved their intended outcomes.
