Environment
Environmental Body Cautions On Natural Resources’ Exploitation
As the nation transits to a New government, the Global Environmental Facility Small Grant Programme (GEF SGP), has urged Nigerian leaders to intensify efforts to pay attention to the exploitation of the nation’s natural resources.
GEF SGP National Coordinator, Mrs Ibironke Olubamise, gave the advice in an interview with the Newsmen in Abuja.
Olubamise said that it is necessary for the leadership to look critically to the issues of environment and natural resource exploitation and change current paradigm of wasteful and unconcerned exploitation.
“Nigeria is blessed with vast natural resources. There is the varied rich natural vegetation which traverse the west and east of the nation in a beautiful artistic pattern that will make any gifted arts to find great treasure of work to produce from.
“The vegetation is distributed from the freshwater swamp forest to the mangrove forest and coastal vegetation and lowland forest in the southern part of the country to the derived savannah, guinea savannah, sudan/sahel savannah, and montane ecosystems in the north.
“Also deep in our soils are earthen treasures that can make Nigeria to be envied amongst the comity of nations,” she said.
According to her, these resources play vital and diverse roles in our economy, ecology and social lives.
“There is no aspect of live that does not require these resources in varied form and quantity. Unfortunately, these resources have been unsustainably exploited to the point that they have become a curse rather than a blessing.
“Increasing population and unsustainable exploitation of these resources have put so much pressure and the carrying capacity of the resources have been stretched beyond remedy.
“Thus, if we are to continue to aspire for greater development as a nation, there is need to pay serious attention to the manner of exploitation of these resources.
“Not only are the resources becoming scarce, the environmental degradation that results from these unsustainable practices are also causing serious havoc to live and living,” Olubamise said.
The National coordinator said that Nigeria should ensure that it continues to meet its development aspiration and that generations unborn are not deprived of their own rights to meet their development needs.
“It is to this end that it is necessary for the leadership to look critically to the issues of environment and natural resource exploitation and change our current paradigm of wasteful and unconcerned exploitation.
“We are not without solutions to these challenges. Only the political will to do something worthwhile is necessary,” she said.
Olubamise recalled that Nigeria was a signatory to many of the international treaties to address the challenges of environmental degradation, scarcity and equitable distribution of resources.
According to her, efforts must be made by the government to understand the real situation and make definite efforts to make the necessary change.
“Review of negative policies and practices, which contribute to environmental degradation and development of new ones that will work from the remote communities to urban cities is urgently necessary.
“Government needs an inclusive policy to involve all stakeholders. The culprit and the victims alike.The solution may seem daunting but not insurmountable.
“The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and other related documents should not be made to sit on the shelves but to be review, harmonized and put to practical use if the country is to achieve her environmental goals,” she said.
According to her, the risks associated with environment degradation, natural resource depletion and natural disasters are getting more attention and better appreciated by some groups, especially the insurance and financial institutions.
“Yet one of the most important group of stakeholders which have not been adequately incorporated into the discussions on environment and natural resources is the organized private sector.
“Efforts must be made by the government to ensure the incorporation of environmental accounting and biodiversity finance into the traditional accounting system.
“The National Planning Commission must be adequately informed in order to initiate policies that will enhance sustainable development,” the National coordinator said.
She added that the he youth needed all the information and support to develop their dexterity to address environmental issues beyond the current noise on social media without any depth of the issues at stake.
“Much effort for qualitative technical education to address environmental problems is needed and must be officially introduced into the national school curriculum.
“As a new government is sworn in, our paradigm must change from that which assumes that resources are infinite to reflect on the scarcity that has hit us and to adjust policies accordingly.
“I can imagine what happens if the entire nation starts to think reduce, reuse, recycle for every resource we exploit to meet our needs,” Olubamise said.
Some stakeholders in Okoroagu community in the Etche Local Government Area of Rivers state have blamed the perennial erosion in the community on the poor conditions of their road.
They are therefore calling for the rehabilitation of their road.
They said this in an interview with The Tide, at okoroagu.Speaking to The Tide,the Ochimba of Okoroagu community, Eze Marcus Amadi said the poor conditions of their road has retarded the growth and development of the community.
According to Eze Amadi,”The government has neglected us, they have forgotten about us, we have been writing letters to the government, both to the NDDC to come and repair our road for us, we are on our knees pleading to them to come help us out, at least they should just dredge the road for us”
Continuing he said”If the government comes today to repair our road, nobody will say they shouldn’t.
“Nobody will obstruct them. We have been shouting and crying that our road is not good, the road is affecting the community economically and socially in the sense that, there is no way we can carry our crops out because of erosion.
“Erosion have taken over the road, making it difficult for us to access other communities especially during rainfall you see people falling down and getting injured inside the river which we call Mmiri Ehe in our language, which reaches our waist line during raining season. Our people can not go to other market to sell their products due to the bad road”he saidAlso speaking,Chairman Community Development Committee( CDC )Okoroagu , Hon. Elvis Nwaobasi decried the situation of the road, stressing that economic activities are being affected as movement of goods and services have gradually slowed down in the area.
” The road have affected our women so badly, they are no longer going to the other neighboring markets to sell their Agric produce because of the nature of the road.
“This road has also affected us in many ways, it has affected our educational system, security system, it has also affected our health system, because with the nature of that road, people cannot access our health facilities in the community, with the nature of that road, people cannot access our school, with nature of the road, people cannot come in and do business in our community, we cannot access the road because of the neglect of the road.
“People are using our road for excuses to come in and invest and do businesses. People who come to our market to buy our products are no longer coming because of the nature of the road.” I am pleading with the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayig Fubara to please come to the aid of Okoroagu and repair our road. I am pleading with the Rivers State House of Assembly, we are suffering too much because of this road. We have been neglected and abandoned for years, the government should please come to our aid” he said.Also the women leader of Okoroagu community, Mrs. Anthonia Nweke blamed some politicians from the area for abandoning the people of Okoroagu
“Our road has been abandoned, overlooked, with no attention, mostly the higher politicians of the place, we have been abandoned for years”
In furtherance to the commitment of the Federal Government through the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation (HYPREP) to the full implementation of the recommendations of the UN Environment Programme Report on Ogoni Environment, the Project has commenced processes to designating Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site.
Labaran Ahmed, National Focal Point for Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance and Assistant Director in the Federal Ministry of Environment, who is leading the process for collection of field samples, said the move will converse biodiversity, enhance livelihood, attract ecotourism and further earn global recognition for Ogoni Wetlands.The UNEP Report envisages that this would provide the Government with a roadmap for restoration and sustainable management of the Ogoni wetland, bring the site unto international among others.Project Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, represented by Director Technical Services, Professor Damien-Paul Aguiyi said the project further attests to the Federal government’s commitment through HYPREP to implementing the UNEP Report simultaneously.Nigeria is a signatory to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction(BBNJ) Agreement for how research on marine genetic resources must be conducted and documented, ensuring transparency and the equitable distribution of benefits.
Environment
Tribunal Acknowledges losses in Rare species Across the globe …urges for government Action
It was noted that the choice by the Brazilian government to host COP30 serves as a symbol of the importance of the Amazon. They denounced the current and future impacts of the expansion of the extractivist frontier, deforestation, fossil fuels and large-scale mining. It was urged that the Amazon, with its ecosystems, animal, plant species, and rich biodiversity, natural medicines and its vital and reproductive cycles, should be considered as a subject of rights together with the Indigenous Peoples, and other communities that inhabit it.
The co-president and judge of the tribunal, Nnimmo Bassey, while delivering the verdict, noted that the defence of the rights of Nature is the right way to carry out real climate action and that there is no climate justice without the rights of Nature.
The tribunal stressed the need to phase out fossil fuels and quickly move to renewable energy as a way that protects both communities and ecosystems from false solutions that merely benefit financial speculators and compound climate injustices. The Tribunal also urged the United Nations to adopt the pledge as a blueprint for international environmental law.
A copy of the declaration obtained by The Tide revealed that,Judges at the Tribunal included Ana Alfinito of Brazil, Nnimmo Bassey ( Nigeria), Enrique Viale (Argentina), Shannon Biggs (USA), Casey Camp Horinek (Ponca Nation, USA), Tom Goldtooth (USA), Princes Esmeralda (Belgium), Cormac Cullinan (South Africa), Patricia Gualings (Ecuador), Francesco Martone (Italy) Tzeporah Berman (USA), Ashish Katharine (India), Osprey Orielle Lake (USA), Pooven Moodley (South Africa) and Felicio Pontes (Brazil)
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