Environment Day: NGOs call for concerted efforts to protect ecosystem

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By our reporter, Lafia

Young Men’s Christian Christian Association (YMCA) and Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), NGOs, have called for concerted efforts of relevant stakeholders to restore and protect already threatened ecosystem.

Mr Ango Adamu, Executive Secretary, YMCA Mada Hills made the call on Wednesday in Lafia to commemorate 2024 World Environment Day.

According to him, it is an established fact that humanly-induced environmental damages are escalating, with serious consequences such as climate change, ecosystem loss, and land desertification.

Adamu said record from UN Convention to Combat Desertification has shown that up to 40% of the world’s land degraded, impacting around 3.2 billion people globally due to desertification.

He said further that, projections by UN suggests that by 2050, over three-quarters of the world’s population will be affected by drought, hence the need for all hands to be deck to restore the land.

Adamu said the theme: “Our Land Our Future, We are Generation Restoration” emphasised on the importance of nations, corporations, multi-laterals, NGOs, communities and individuals to make effort to restore land, combat desertification, and enhance resilience to drought.

Adamu said,” The World Environment Day is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment.

“It is widely believed that the world ecosystems are threatened, from forests and drylands to farmlands and lakes, natural spaces on which humanity’s existence depends are reaching a tipping point.

“Everybody alive now is part of a generation that is the first to witness the devastating effects of environmental degradation and the last to take measures to counter it and be on track to achieving global goals on climate and biodiversity,”.

He explained that YMCA and ASSAPIN in partnership with Oxfam in Nigeria is implementing the African Activist for Climate Justice AACJ Project, with support from Dutch Ministry of External Affairs, Netherlands, in Nasarawa state in the last three years.

Adamu said YMCA Mada Hills and ASSAPIN, supported by Oxfam in Nigeria in 2023 had encouraged communities restore land by supporting the establishment of Community Oil palm nurseries in 9 communities in 5 Local Government Areas of the state.

“This year 2024, a total of 13,500 improved oil palm seedlings from
Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) will be transplanted by these communities as part of effort to fight climate change and restore degraded lands.

“Also, between June and July 2024, we shall be scaling up Community Nursery establishment in Wamba, Doma, Karu, Nasarawa and Keana LGAs for 2025 planting season respectively.

“We are calling on Nasarawa state government through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to support NGOs, relevant Climate Change Stakeholders to restore land, desertification and enhance resilience to drought,”he said.

Also speaking, Mr Joshua Jonathan, National President, ASSAPIN, said the 40 percent degraded lands threatened the world food security, hence called for actions to reclaim the land to enhance human activities and livelihoods.

On his part, Emmanuel Okolo, Coordinator, Nasarawa State Network on Environment and Climate Justice (NASNECJ) said the Network would continue to press on to prevail on government and other relevant stakeholders to be responsible toward environment in their actions and policies.

The World Environment Day celebration featured road walk, cleaning, awareness creation with placards in various inscriptions, plant a tree save our future, only one earth let’s take care of it, go green use more renewable energy among others.(NAN)

Environment Day: NGOs call for concerted efforts to protect ecosystem

By Our Reporter, Lafia

Young Men’s Christian Christian Association (YMCA) and Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), NGOs, have called for concerted efforts of relevant stakeholders to restore and protect already threatened ecosystem.

Mr Ango Adamu, Executive Secretary, YMCA Mada Hills made the call on Wednesday in Lafia to commemorate 2024 World Environment Day.

According to him, it is an established fact that humanly-induced environmental damages are escalating, with serious consequences such as climate change, ecosystem loss, and land desertification.

Adamu said record from UN Convention to Combat Desertification has shown that up to 40% of the world’s land degraded, impacting around 3.2 billion people globally due to desertification.

He said further that, projections by UN suggests that by 2050, over three-quarters of the world’s population will be affected by drought, hence the need for all hands to be deck to restore the land.

Adamu said the theme: “Our Land Our Future, We are Generation Restoration” emphasised on the importance of nations, corporations, multi-laterals, NGOs, communities and individuals to make effort to restore land, combat desertification, and enhance resilience to drought.

Adamu said,” The World Environment Day is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment.

“It is widely believed that the world ecosystems are threatened, from forests and drylands to farmlands and lakes, natural spaces on which humanity’s existence depends are reaching a tipping point.

“Everybody alive now is part of a generation that is the first to witness the devastating effects of environmental degradation and the last to take measures to counter it and be on track to achieving global goals on climate and biodiversity,”.

He explained that YMCA and ASSAPIN in partnership with Oxfam in Nigeria is implementing the African Activist for Climate Justice AACJ Project, with support from Dutch Ministry of External Affairs, Netherlands, in Nasarawa state in the last three years.

Adamu said YMCA Mada Hills and ASSAPIN, supported by Oxfam in Nigeria in 2023 had encouraged communities restore land by supporting the establishment of Community Oil palm nurseries in 9 communities in 5 Local Government Areas of the state.

“This year 2024, a total of 13,500 improved oil palm seedlings from
Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) will be transplanted by these communities as part of effort to fight climate change and restore degraded lands.

“Also, between June and July 2024, we shall be scaling up Community Nursery establishment in Wamba, Doma, Karu, Nasarawa and Keana LGAs for 2025 planting season respectively.

“We are calling on Nasarawa state government through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to support NGOs, relevant Climate Change Stakeholders to restore land, desertification and enhance resilience to drought,”he said.

Also speaking, Mr Joshua Jonathan, National President, ASSAPIN, said the 40 percent degraded lands threatened the world food security, hence called for actions to reclaim the land to enhance human activities and livelihoods.

On his part, Emmanuel Okolo, Coordinator, Nasarawa State Network on Environment and Climate Justice (NASNECJ) said the Network would continue to press on to prevail on government and other relevant stakeholders to be responsible toward environment in their actions and policies.

The World Environment Day celebration featured road walk, cleaning, awareness creation with placards in various inscriptions, plant a tree save our future, only one earth let’s take care of it, go green use more renewable energy among others.