Axa Mansard partners Lagos State on tree planting

AXA Mansard, a member of AXA, aglobal leader in insurance and asset management, has announced its partnership with the Lagos State Government as it prepares to conduct the 2019 tree planting exercise.

The exercise will be anchored by the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK).

LASPARK, in statement, disclosed that the 2019 Tree Planting exercise would hold on Sunday, July 14, 2019 with the theme: “Clean and Green is our Perfect Dream.”

The event will hold across all the 20 local government areas and the 37 the local council development areas (LCDAs) in Lagos.

Speaking about the event at a parley organised by LASPARK at its head office in Ikeja, the Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at AXA Mansard Insurance Plc, Mr Kola Oni, said “Insurance companies are in a privileged position to enhance knowledge on climate risks in order to better understand and tackle climate change.”

He added that, “AXA Mansard is also aware of the role it can play in promoting environmental protection awareness amongst its stakeholders, contributing to improving the understanding of global and local environmental risks, and committing to addressing climate change.”

The Lagos State Government had, in 2012, committed itself to an internationally recognised tree planting programme, to plant 10 million trees by 2020 aimed at improving environmental sustainability in Nigeria.

This commitment is based on the fact that tree planting remains one of the most effective ways of absorbing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane that are harmful to the environment from the atmosphere.

Oni concluded that, “As both a responsible insurer and as an environmentally responsible corporation, AXA Mansard has a responsibility to leverage its expertise and take action to reduce climate risks; supporting this initiative will enable us perform this responsibility successfully.”

In her remarks, the General Manager of LASPARK, Mrs Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, noted that it is a universally progressive idea to integrate private bodies to government policies and programmes in order to achieve a broadband and enduring legacy, adding that tree is a significant accessory of mental and physical comfort.

She emphasized that through such continuous contributions and support towards a Greener Lagos Initiative, AXA MANSARD Insurance has proved itself as a trusted partner in the greening project of the state government.

“The state government is always excited with lovers of the environment particularly those advocating for its sustenance as AXA MANSARD is exemplifying today. It is our utmost desire in building a society that is environmentally responsible has been enliven with this laudable support by this company”, she posited.

Adebiyi-Abiola, described the intention of the company as a reflection of the creative passion and the profound stride towards assisting the State in promoting stability in health and social wellbeing of the citizenry, stating that this would further reassures both domestic and foreign investors that Lagos State is an environmental compliance city in line with international standard and best practices.