Restoring Ecosystem, Panacea To Curbing Natural Disaster – FG

 

The Federal Government on Saturday expressed the conviction that restoring the ecosystem is highly imperative to find lasting solutions to the challenges facing environmental sustainability in the country.

This is possible in terms of providing enabling environmental policy, strengthening institutional capacity, building partnerships and participating in global initiation among others.

The Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammad Abubakar stated this in Osogbo, capital of the State of Osun during the celebration of 2021 World Environment Day, on Saturday.

Dr Abubakar explained that issues of climate change, environmental degradation, deforestation and the varying efforts affecting the environment can be solved if human beings resettle their attitude and relation with nature.

He said: “Setting the pace, the Federal Government has made some efforts at all levels of governance to promote resilient environmental sustainability in the context of national development.

“These initiatives include, among others:
Promoting enabling policby environment;
Strengthening institutional capacity;
Building partnerships and participating in global initiation; and
Implementing special initiatives and actions.

“Restoring the ecosystem is an ample opportunity explorable by man if the current dangerous trend must be reversed. It indeed, requires resetting our attitude and relation with nature.”

The Minister noted the strategic interventions of the Federal Government in areas of Sustainable management of critical wetland ecosystems and watershed for environmental sustainability across the country, on-going afforestation programme across the ecological zones of the country, Hydrocarbon and Pollution Remediation Project which is central to effectively managing the environment nationwide.

“Recognising the importance of creating an enabling and policy environment in tackling environmental and climate change challenges, the Ministry has made tremendous efforts, through development of policies and building institutional and legislative capacity, to enhance effective and far-reaching actions to tackle deforestation, drought, desertification, climate change and other related ones and reduce their impacts on the citizenry. Some of the policies and actions include the National Forest Policy; the National Drought and Desertification Policy; the National Drought Plan; National Environment Policy; the Climate Change Policy and Response Strategy; the National REDD+ Strategy; the Establishment of National Forestry Trust Fund; etc.

“On the global front, Nigeria through the Ministry has continued to maintain partnerships, collaborations and intergovernmental coalitions on the implementation of various International Conventions, Treaties and Agreements to which Nigeria is a Signatory. Some of the most recent of these coalitions are the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People; the Global Ocean Alliance, the Blue Leaders Campaign, and the COP26 Dialogue on Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT).

“There is no better time to reset our relation with nature than now. The entire world is being confronted with such enormous challenges that can be best described as unprecedented.

“The need for urgent collective step-up action by everyone, irrespective of social status, religion and political leaning, for drastic restoration of our God-given natural ecosystem is crucial, while as Government, we will not fail to provide every necessary support required to ensure that we all live in harmony with nature,” Dr Abubakar asserted.

The 2021 World Environment Day in Nigeria with the theme, “Ecosystem Restoration-Resetting Our Relation With Nature is holding in Osogbo as hosted by the State Government of Osun.