Earth Day: What US ambassador told Nigerian youths

It was an occasion to mark the 48th annual Earth Day celebrated April 22, yearly. The US Ambassador to Nigeria, William Stuart Symington, was at Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan (UI), Ibadan, on April 16, where a youthful audience, alongside academics and the ambassador’s entourage had gathered to hear him deliver his “Earth Day Speech.”

“How much difference can each of you make?” was the first question that the US ambassador put forth. “What do you love most about Nigeria?” was the second.

Whereas most of the audience answered the latter question citing things that they loved about the people, Ambassador Symington had this to say: “The most important about a country is the people; but without the country (the land mass called ‘Nigeria’), there would be no ‘Nigerians’

“So, Nigerians in this room should say, ‘what can I do to make Nigeria more peaceful, stronger, more prosperous, richer tomorrow?”

Speaking of Nigeria, he said, “There a few places on the planet today that are more richly endowed, not just with you (the people), but with resources.

“I have three ideas that I want to share with you today: You, diversity and resilience.”

Making reference to the national football team which everyone knew, he then asked if anyone had seen a real Nigerian eagle. He asked how it would be if the Super Eagles won the World Cup for the next 40 years, yet in that period no one sights a real Nigerian eagle? “So, the question is what can you do to make sure there is always a wow! (like an eagle flying in the sky) in the place called Nigeria?

“How do we ensure there is awe among the people of Nigeria as they look at their land, skies, streams, beaches, lagoons, lakes, mountains and forests? That’s the great job!”

Speaking of resilience, the Ambassador Symington mentioned the Lekki Conservation Area in Lagos as an example of resilience at work. “If you go to the Lekki Conservation area, what you will see is an example of incredible resilience, because 30 years ago what is now a forest was a field and a swamp. And they simply let nature come back, and today it has a bunch of Mona monkeys that have made that place their home. And these have made the lives of everyone who visits them richer by looking at them.”

On the subject of diversity, he mentioned that the rarest gorilla in the world was found in Cross River, Nigeria. “When it comes to diversity, the treasures of Nigeria are extra ordinary, and it’s terribly important for you Nigerians to know them before they are gone.

“Because too often in life, you don’t know what you have got till it’s gone.

“A lot of times when people talk about resilience and nature, the whole conversation is what can you preserve, what can you conserve, what can you keep people from taking? The resilience of the forests, the land and water depends on you.”

He urged the audience to take action to prevent trafficking of endangered animals, and to use social media to call out those contravening environmental and conservation laws, and to “stop bad things from happening.”

He said preservation of a place cannot be possible without the people of the area finding the benefit of them so doing.

Prior to the Earth Day Speech, the UI VC, represented at the event by Professor Ambrose Aiyelari, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, said,“The university is grateful to the Consulate for its continued support,” adding that it was a delight to host the ambassador on this occasion.

The Earth Day was founded by former Wisconsin, US Senator Gaylord Nelson on April 22, 1970. The objective was to introduce environmental issues into the US National Agenda. Today, the world celebrates Earth Day to support and promote awareness on the need to protect the environment.