Daily Independent (Lagos)
Stella Odueme
1 December 2008
Lagos — Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, and former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, have called for the protection of the environment to guard against the effects of global warming currently threatening the earth.
Both men made the call at the weekend, at the Annual Dinner and Award Night of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), held at Muson Centre, Lagos.
Jonathan, who commended NCF for championing the course of environmental protection in its 26 years of existence, noted that the time has come for all to collectively work in the defence of nature.
"Government and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs), individuals and corporate bodies, communities and constituencies, must come together and work in common. The danger posed by climate change and the consequential global warming, ravaging erosion, soil depletion, desertification and rise in sea level is a matter of national concern," he said.
He emphasised that if the nation is serious about engendering a low carbon economy, the lifestyle of the citizenry must urgently respond to the sustainability impulse.
"The time has come for us to collectively insist that nature must be defended within the limits of sustainability. The struggle to protect and defend nature, while at the same time ensuring that we advance our people' aspirations, is an enterprise that will continue to challenge this generation and many that will follow," he stated.
The Vice President, who also received an award for spearheading and stimulating national focus and discourse on the solution to environmental problems in the Niger Delta, also called on traditional rulers to ensure the protection of playgrounds and other communal forests, which are currently under threat.
"The time has come for a new value system that draws inspiration from the lifestyles of our ancestors who believe in protecting the environment through cultural policies such as sacred groove protection, playground sanctity and selective harvesting among others. We are today besieged by an acquisitive mentality, which clearly undermines our capacity to regenerate our livelihood needs," he noted.
Jonathan, who equally launched a book entitled "For Nature and For People: A Story of The Nigerian Conservation Foundation", also expressed interest in joining the NCF.
Duke, who received an award for effective utilisation of governance structures to demonstrate the trade value of biodiversity and advance environmental conservation measures, also canvassed for tree planting and re-orientation of the people toward engaging in environment friendly acts, to make the earth much more habitable and preserve it for generations to come.
President of NCF, Phillips Asiodu, in his remarks called for collaboration in the quest for sustainable development of the environment.
Other awardees included Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, Chevron Nigeria Limited and former Central Bank Governor, Ola Vincent.
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