Abdulwahab Abdulah
9 January 2009
Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Agagu yesterday warned that unless something urgent was done to check environmental degradation in the country, Nigeria would be facing enormous environmental hazard and imminent degradation.
He therefore called for articulated efforts by the three tiers of government in the formulation of policies, enforcement of regulations and education of Nigerians on the dangers inherent in unbridled destruction of the environment.
Governor Agagu who presented a paper on: "Threats to the Nigerian Environment; A call for Positive Action" at the 7th Chief S.L. Edu Memorial Lecture in Lagos said Nigeria's environmental challenges are enormous and that the country from the North to the South are vulnerable to environmental risks and lack institutional capacity to respond quickly to the threats in a sustainable manner.
The lecture was at the instance of the Nigerian Conservative Foundation and the family of the late S.L. Edu.
The Governor who illustrated all his points and arguments with graphs and pictures said there was high-level environmental degradation in Nigeria which has drastically affected the country's socio-economic development.
The Governor said apart from the natural physical setting that has posed threats to the environment, some man made factors such as population growth, farming practice, exploitation for firewood, uncontrolled logging, impact of fire, petroleum exploration activities, open cast mining and others have been responsible for the unfriendly treatments of the environment.
Agagu said, "In addition to environmental threats posed by Nigeria's natural physical setting, there are numbers of threats that are related to human activities which have further amplified the country's vulnerability to environmental degradation."
He suggested that there must be an "urgent need for a reviewing, updating, re-enacting and vigorous enforcement of enabling laws on environmental compliance, and a need for a conscious and increased level of complementary among the three tiers of government in the formulation of policies, enforcement of regulations and education of all and sundry on the dangers inherent in unbridled destruction of the environment."
He said there is no clear definition and functions among the tree tiers of government and departments involved in environmental protection and management thereby making it difficult for an enduring plans for the control and management of the environmental degradation in Nigeria.
He called for "a conscious and increased level of complementary among the tiers of government in the formulation and implementation of polices on the inherent dangers on the environment."
The Governor said there should be concrete evidence of sound commitment at all levels of governance as well as the people to minimize the numerous threats that face the environment.
Dignitaries who graced the occasion include Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, who complimented the speaker's position that stakeholders must regard the environmental issues as fundamental for Nigerians to live in peace.
The occasion was chaired by a former adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Philip Asiodu, supported by Ambassador Hamza Ahmadu, Chairman, National Conservation Foundation (NCF) executive council.
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