|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
DG BASEPA, Dr Ibrahim Kabir (left) with the NUJ Chairman, Bauchi State Council, Comrade Umar Sa’idu during the 2022 World Environment Day
By Akanji Alowolodu, Bauchi
A call for combined actions from all environmental actors in Bauchi state in order to live sustainably and in harmony with nature has been made in order to overcome environmental challenges.
The call was part of the 2022 World Environment Day commemoration which made the Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) in collaboration with Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), OXFAM Nigeria and ASM Foundation to organize a stakeholders engagement at the Hazibal Suites, Bauchi on Monday.
Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir who was the Special Guest of Honour at the program, said that he was overwhelmed attending the special celebration which was the first of its kind in this manner and in a larger scope.
He also said that, the State Government is joining the international Community in the celebration which began decades ago with the aim of creating a platform for raising awareness on environmental issues such as marine pollution, waste management, global warming, climate change, deforestation and population among others.
The Governor who was represented by the Chief of Staff, Government House, Dr Aminu Hassan Gamawa also appreciated and commended the collaborative efforts of all the development partners and organisations for coming together towards achieving the theme of this year’s celebration, which is ‘ONLY ONE EARTH’.
He assured of the administration’s commitments in providing an enabling environment for the organisations to achieve their plans of improving the wellbeing of the people in the State .
In his speech, the Director General of the Agency Dr Ibrahim Kabir, appreciated the Governor’s support and encouragement to the Agency since his assumption of office as the Chief Executive of the Agency.
He also informed the Governor the idea of organizing the interaction to commemorate the World Environment Day, which is the first of its kind, was to provide a platform for discussing and brainstorming all the environmental issues of the state in order to come up with laws, policies and initiatives to solved the identified challenges.
The Director General further informed the gathering that the event was made possible by the support of Members of the Academia, MEDA, Oxfam Nigeria, ASM Foundation and other partners as well as stakeholders in the environmental Sector.
He stressed that it was with the aim of achieving some goals, one of which is, sustainable development and to also create a forum that will be discussing environmental issues in the state and call on the legislative arm of the government to make a law on that regard.
Ibrahim Kabir also discussed the two activities of the Day, one of which was the stakeholders engagement that will provide avenue for all the participants to discus, brainstorm on all the environmental issues in the state and the outdoor activities of urban tree planting exercise at the Sulaiman Adamu community.
He also appreciated and thanked all the development partners such as MEDA, OXFAM, SISDEV, the Federal Ministry of Environment, state MDAs, NAGGW, NESREA, EHORECON, Uniform Voluntary organisations, Environment Based Groups CBOs, FBOs the traditional institutions as well as members of the press among others.
While making their speeches, Commissioner in charge of Ministry of Housing and Environment and the Chairman house committee on environment, Hon Hamisu Muazu Shira and Hon Musa Wakili Nakwada respectively, all commended the Director General for coming up with the stakeholders engagement and commended the donor partners for their supports towards achieving sustainable environment in the state
The country Directors of MEDA, OXFAM and SISDEV, the Chief Executive of other organisations who spoke during the technical session commended the Director General for initiating the stakeholders engagement and pledged to continue supporting the Agency and the State Government to achieve sustainable environment.
They also used the occasion to highlight some of the activities of their organisations in the state, which are all targeted towards the protection of the environment and the Improvement of the livelihood of the people in the State.
At the end of the indoor session, the gathering moved to Sulaiman Adamu community, behind BSADP Bauchi for the conduct of a special tree planting exercise where the stakeholders also discussed on the new approach and modalities of the exercise and its importance in the Improvement of livelihood and the achievement of sustainable development.
The community leader, Mallam Abdulbari Limanci, appreciated BASEPA and the partners for choosing his community for the important activity and assured them hat the trees will be taking care of up to maturity level and become useful to humanity.
He called for the Agency to intensify the activities of the Environmental Health Officers (Duba Gari) in order to address numerous environmental nuisance in the community.
World environment Day was set aside by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with the aim of raising awareness about degrading environmental conditions and to encourage people globally to take positive environmental actions, to help create a better future.
The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Only One Earth.’ This was also the slogan for the 1972 conference in Stockholm, where the annual global event was first instituted as contained in a statement by Isyaka Laminu Badamasi, SA Media to DG BASEPA.
