FG to accelerate implementation of Ogoni clean-up

The Federal Government, on Friday, announced its decision to accelerate the implementation of Ogoni clean-up.

Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, who also announced the government’s readiness to accelerate the implementation of the Great Green Wall (GGW) Programme, stated this at the 14th National Council on Environment (NCE) meeting, held in Abuja.

He said steady and modest progress is being made in accomplishing relevant goals related to the development of the sector, in alignment with the resolutions of the past Council meetings.

Dr Abubakar further said the government would promote and set targets for tree planting towards meeting President Muhammadu Buhari’s declared commitment to planting 25 million trees in 2025.

Speaking on this year’s theme, “Managing Emerging Environmental Challenges: Need for Strategic Approach to Sustainable Development in COVID-19 Era and Beyond,” the minister availed the stakeholders of the fact that the environment is prominent amongst the sectors most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak in terms of dwindling resources for financing the ambitious programmes and projects in the sector.

He said the challenge had further amplified the sector’s concern with respect to rapid loss of biodiversity, desert encroachment, deforestation, flooding, erosion, pollution and other issues which, if not urgently checked, could put the citizenry in further jeopardy.

Earlier, the Minister of State for Environment, Dr Sharon Ekeazor, said the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the relationship between the environment and human health.

According to her, it also serves as a reminder of the need for countries to include protection of our bio-diversity as part of our interventions to effectively manage the outbreak of infectious diseases.

In his goodwill message, the Director of Mines Environmental Compliance (MEC) department in the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Engineer Jacob Udoh, who stood in for the minister, Mr Olamilekan Adegbite, said the ministry was ever willing to work with the Council, on well-presented ideas that would fall in line with the ministry’s mandate and may help where necessary.

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FG to accelerate implementation of Ogoni clean-up

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