Environment
Stakeholders Seek Policies To Address Biodiversity Loss
To address biodiversity loss, restore ecosystems and protect bird species, conservationists have called for action by government to translate Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) into laws and policy.
They spoke at the 21st Chief S. L. Edu Memorial Lecture held in Lagos.
The memorial lecture is a yearly event organised by Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) in collaboration with the Edu’s family and the support of Chevron Nigeria.
Vice President, Regions and Partnership, Birdlife International, Martin Harper, said action by businesses to commit to becoming net zero, taking nature positive action and sectoral reforms must be pursued vigorously.
He said his group plans includes concrete measures to halt and reverse nature loss, including putting 30 per cent of the planet and 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030.
It also contains proposals to increase finance to developing countries ,a major sticking point during talks.
“The stakes could not be higher as the planet is experiencing a dangerous decline in nature as a result of human activity.
“It is experiencing its largest loss of life since the dinosaurs. About one million plant and animal species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades.”
Harper who spoke on ‘Humanity and the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss’ said there was need to protect ecosystem, manage working lands and restore native cover to avoid emissions and enhance carbon sinks.
He said nature solutions could save 10 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent yearly and challenged stakeholders to massively fast-track climate efforts across countries and every timeframe.
Harper added that the world needs climate action on all fronts as attested by the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. Harper said: “We need to stop the destruction, including 270 million hectares of deforestation and protect ecosystems, improve the management of 2.5 billion hectares of land and restore 678 million hectares especially of high carbon habitats like Peatlands.”
According to him, birds face a range of threats with 1,409 species globally threatened, 23 critically endangered, while one in five species of birds are of conservation concerns. According to him, bird’s populations are in decline and the extinction risk is escalating as about 436 species of birds moved to higher threat category due to deterioration in status.
He called for action by government to translate Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) into laws and policies backed up by funding, adding that action by business to commit to becoming net zero and nature positive, take action and call for sector reform.
The Chairman, National Executive Council, Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Chief Ede Dafinone, said the theme offers opportunity to discuss urgent environmental conservation matters and mobilise urgent actions towards saving ‘our world by all and sundry’.
Stories by John Bibor
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.
Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.
The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.
According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.
Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.
She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.
Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.
She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.
“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.
She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.
She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.
Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.
In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation
The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.
Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.
Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.
Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities
Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.
She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”
Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.
The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.
“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.
Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”
Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.