Tag: Ministry of Environment

In line with one of the core focus of the Lagos state government for a cleaner and safer environment, the leadership of the Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA) is wasting no time in keying and tackling issues of environmental cleanliness.

Barely two weeks after the inauguration of the Executive Chairman of the LCDA and his administrative wonks, Hon. Rasak Olusola Ajala has swung into action with a sense of fierce urgency to sensitize and sanitise his constituency and rid it of the humongous heaps of waste that has been indiscriminately littered on the road sides by the people of the community.

The event which took place around the Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye axis on Saturday had a significant number of staff from the LCDA turnout to sensitise and sanitise the environment.

According to Hon. Rasak, the “Keep Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye Clean” initiative is one out of the many unfolding programmes he has for his council area; to see that unmanaged and undisposed wastes and cesspits are properly evacuated and extricated from the community.

“Lately, there has been a relative surge in the volume of refuse in most parts of Lagos as a result of the new policy of the state government to bring on-board a new strategy that will lead to an effective, efficient and cost-saving waste management system.

“The programme is supposed to kick-start for September; therefore, we are in a transition period at the moment. We are sure that when the system is fully implemented, issues of improper waste management will be a thing of the past.

“Our initiative is therefore one that aims to complement and support the genuine and ingenuous overall strategy of the government and its agencies like Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) and the Ministry of Environment”, he said.

He further advised the community to support the government by patronising licensed bodies and agencies like LAWMA and PSP operators rather than the cart-pushers who would in turn add to the environmental nuisance value to the environment.

Talking about enforcement and disciplinary measures to be taken against defaulters of proper waste management system, Hon. Rasak said, “we have made a representation to the Lagos State House of Assembly to give our Customary court the criminal jurisdiction so that we can try erring residents that are not willing and ready to key into the new vision of the government. Once that is done, it will change the overall aesthetics of enforcement and advocacy for a cleaner environment.”

Mrs Akinwunmi Safiat a resident of the community lauded the initiative by the LCDA as being very timely and apt because the frontage of their place of worship (RCCG, Fountain of Love Parish) have literally been transformed into a dumping field for all manner of waste, which makes it difficult for their members to come and worship because of the unbearable stench emanating from the heap. She further urged the LCDA to ensure continuity of the initiative to avoid the outbreak of disease in the community.

Mrs Akingbeyin Veronica, the Chief Environmental Health Officer and Head of department of environmental services of Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye LCDA assured the community that when the clean Lagos Initiative by the state starts in September, there will be a more robust and efficient waste disposal mechanism and everyone will be responsible for the disposal of the waste because the Vision Escape company will be responsible for waste collection, and will permeate the streets and residencies to collect waste; they have come to replace the PSP.

The Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Mohammed, has restated Federal Government’s commitment to empowering Nigerians and take actions to protect the environment to achieve sustainable development.

Mohammed said this in Abuja on Friday at an event to mark her one year in office.

She said “empowering people, taking climate action and protecting the environment are at the heart of changing the new narrative and putting Federal Ministry of Environment firmly on the path to sustainable development.’’

She recalled that after Nigeria signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the
ministry embarked on nationwide tour to assess the gravity of environmental challenges and interact with the concerned communities.

“At the end of the tour, we were gaining a first-hand experience of the ecological challenges facing Nigeria.

“The tour took us to states such as Lagos South West on issues of coastal erosion and urban slums, Imo and Anambra States on erosion watershed.

“We also visit Rivers State on Niger Delta Clean up,  Kano/Jigawa in North West on industrial pollution and  Yobe and Borno states in North East on issues of desertification.”

The minister said that the touring team investigated issues on recharging of lake chad and insecurity caused by environmental degradation in North East.

According to her, these critical national environmental issues formed the main focus of government’s efforts.

She noted that the ministry was working toward framing a new narrative and redefining environmental governance.

She said “having been empowered and inspired by the outcome of the nationwide tour of environmentally impacted sites, the Federal Ministry of Environment set out to redefine Nigeria’s environmental governance.

“It is also creating a new narrative that sees the interconnection within the ministry dedicated to laying a solid foundation for environmental protection in a modern era of change.’’

She said the new narrative put ministry on a path of creating opportunities that grow a prosperous nation through an empowered people, capable of taking action and contributing to the protection of our planet.

According to her, this is at the core of the administration of President Mohammadu Buhari’s Change Agenda.

“Environment as one of the six core Pillar is reflective of the Government’s new understanding of the Environment as a basis for Sustainable Development.

“In line with the President’s Change Agenda, the environment has become an entry point for addressing issues of Security, inclusive and green economy and improved governance through accountability and transparency.’’

The minister identified environmental degradation as the root cause of insecurity and conflicts such as BokoHaram insurgency, militancy and the conflict between our herdsmen and farmers where people, mostly women are caught at the centre.

“Therefore, to improve security, the environment must be taken into account in the development agenda,’’ she said.