The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Rosemary Osikoya

  • Kogi , Isanlu monarch to immortalise Pius Akinsanmi

    The Kogi government says the state will ensure that Prof. Pius Akinsanmi is immortalised by ensuring that all his books are made available in its school libraries.

    Mrs. Rosemary Osikoya, the Kogi Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology disclosed this during a tribute organised in honour of the deceased in Abuja.

    She said his death came at a time when the state ministry was reaching out to Kogi scholars like Akinsanmi, who could help put the educational standard of the state on high pedestal.

    The commissioner said that Akinsanmi represented what Kogi indigenes were known for as very talented people, which an average Kogi stood for, adding that the scholar exemplified all the virtues “you would like to see in Nigeria’’.

    She however said that the idea of naming the state library after him had not been mooted, adding that where such proposition was made, it would be good to encourage and support it.

    Also, His Royal Highness (HRH), Oba Moses Babatunde, the traditional ruler of Isanlu, where Akinsanmi hailed from, promised to immortalise the scholar by organising an annual lecture in his honour.

    “We will bring everybody from all walks of life to the lecture and that will encourage our youths to be able to write about the society and how the country can develop from where it is.”

    According to him, we are going to immortalise Akinsanmi, he will be remembered in the community that generations to come will be asking who is Pius Akinsanmi.

    The monarch said that he would discuss with his traditional council to see if the secondary school he finished from could be named after him.

    He, however, added that if such a proposal was not possible, the community would build an institution to be named after him.

    He lauded the impact made by the deceased in the community, especially the secondary school he attended and by contributing to the development of Isanlu.

    According to him, Akinsanmi touched so many lives and was always consistent with the truth, “sometimes you like him and sometimes you may not like him for the truth, but he will always tell the truth.’’

    Akinsanmi died on March 10 aboard an ill-fated Ethiopian airline, flight 302 which took off from Addis Ababa and was headed to Nairobi, but crashed barely six minutes after take-off.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that journalists, friends and others gathered to eulogise the virtue of the deceased with each paying glowing tribute to the late scholar.

  • Kogi solicits media support on environmental law

    Kogi solicits media support on environmental law

    Kogi Government has solicited the co-operation of media organisations in the state to help in sensitising the people on the need to obey environmental sanitation laws.

    The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs Rosemary Osikoya, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lokoja.

    According to Osikoya, the call is necessary because the media remains a critical stakeholder to the society and the ministry, adding that it also touches the life of everybody and affects people in several ways.

    “We want the media to help educate and sensitise the people to know that all laws are to be respected and obeyed, and that environmental laws are important.

    “If human activities are the reasons we are facing a lot of challenges, then we need to talk to human beings and not ghosts on the need to change their attitudes to life.

    “One major way to achieve this is through the support of the media. That is why the media is very critical to us as a ministry,” she said

    She said while the state government had of responsibility to provide facilities for the well being of the people, the people must obey the law.

    The commissioner expressed the commitment of the state government to ensure the well being of the people through various environmental health programmes.

    “Gov. Yahaya Bello inaugurated the monthly sanitation in May 2016, and it has been consistent.

    “The location of Kogi is strategic, so by keeping Kogi clean, we are actually protecting the entire Nigeria. We thank everybody who has been cooperating with us.”

    According to her, the campaign and sensitisation have increased the consciousness of the people to the responsibility of keeping their environment clean for healthy living.

  • Kogi trains forestry officers in afforestation, mapping

    The Kogi Government has embarked on a four-day training programme for its forestry officers on afforestation and forestry mapping techniques.

    The Commissioner for the Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs. Rosemary Osikoya, disclosed this to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja on Thursday.

    She said that the training, which started on Monday, April 10, would end with the launch of a Forestry Tariff Plan, which was approved by the State Executive Council on Wednesday.

    According to her, plan will itemize forest reserves management procedures and the obligations of timber contractors.

    Osikoya said that the training was designed to expose the officers to the techniques of preparing and planting tree seedlings and how to measure the volume of trees for prospective buyers.

    Mr. Julius Abu, Assistant Director, Extension, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) told NAN that his team was in Kogi to conduct a refresher course for the state’s forest officers on afforestation procedures.

    “We are not unaware that the state is going into real afforestation as from this year, and for the state to effectively plant trees and manage forests, they must have competent forestry managers.

    “The training involves the cultivation of trees from seeds into seedlings, managing them in nurseries and planting them in forest plantations.

    “The participants are taught on how to manage trees effectively by ensuring that they are not destroyed by fire or pests,” he said.

    Abu said that the Kogi Government had taken a right step in the right direction by giving priority attention to environmental issues in the state.

    He, therefore, urged the citizens to support the implementation of the government’s environmental programmes, saying that they would be of immense benefit to the populace.

     

  • CP to kidnappers: I wont allow you to use Kogi forests

    Kogi Commissioner of Police, Mr Wilson Inalegwu, has advised kidnappers intending to use Kogi’s forests for their activities to perish the thought.

    “We shall not allow any criminal to use the forests; we shall consistently patrol the forests against such elements and shall not rest until we rid Kogi of every bandit,” he said on Wednesday.

    Inalegwu spoke at a joint news conference with the State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs. Rosemary Osikoya, on the sidelines of this year’s International Day of Forests in Lokoja.

    Inalegwu commended the Kogi government over the recruitment of forest guards, and described it as a critical step that would control the forest reserves, which hitherto had been a safe haven for kidnappers and other criminals.

    “Now that we have a joint collaboration between the police force and the ministry of environment, we will work closely with the forest guards to deny these criminals their sanctuary.

    “Once this is done, if they kidnapped, they will not be able to hold their victims in the bush, neither will they be able to organise to plan their attacks.

    “Let us join hands and deny kidnappers and other criminals the use of our forests to carry out their nefarious activities and launch attacks against innocent travelers,” he said.

    The Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs. Rosemary Osikoya, on her part, told newsmen that the government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello was committed to effective utilisation of forestry resources for the benefit of all.

    She said that efforts to diversify the economy should focus on afforestation much more than subsistence farming, noting that timber was the third highest foreign exchange earner for Nigeria.

    “In addition to increasing vegetation, people can make money for themselves by planting quality fruit trees like cashew plantation.

    “In Kogi, a lot of our indigenous trees like Iroko and others are dead. Today, we are encouraging everybody to go back and rebuild our forest,”  she said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the International Day of Forests is marked every March 21. This year’s theme is “Forests and Energy”.

     

  • Monarch tasks government on environmental protection

    The Attah of Igala in Kogi, Dr Idakwo Ameh-Oboni II, has urged government at all levels to embark on continuous afforestation programme to protect the environment.

    The monarch made the call in Idah on Tuesday when the State’s Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Mrs. Rosemary Osikoya, visited the palace.

    He advised the government to develop tree nurseries in all the local government areas across the state to make afforestation a continuous process as being done in advanced countries.

    “The numerous benefits of afforestation include addressing environmental degradation, more especially desertification, deforestation, erosion and flooding as well as reducing the effects of climate change

    “Most trees of our forest reserves have been turned into desert through deforestation thereby exposing the soil nutrients to sunlight and causing erosion.

    “We are calling on government and the people to quickly embark on afforestation to enrich our environment; if neglected, the price of the negative effects would be too high to pay.

    “Let us try and revive our natural environment for our benefit because we met them and we should not destroy them,” the monarch said.

    Ameh-Oboni, who is also the President of Kogi Traditional Council, however, commended the efforts of the State Government for making the issues of environmental concerns a priority.

    The traditional ruler urged the people to maintain clean environment, saying that they should adhere strictly to environmental laws, and avoid roadside trading for their safety and that of others.

    In her remarks, the commissioner said that the government was committed to providing quality tree seedlings to farmers that have interest in establishing private plantations.

    “Timber is the state`s third highest foreign currency earner, every house that does not have a tree should be ready to plant one as the planting season starts between May and June.

    “By extant laws, nobody is allowed to cut down any tree without government`s approval; this will bring transparency and accountability to the process of benefit that is derived from the forest.

    “Our target is to have 24 per cent afforestation of the state’s land mass; a little below the 25 per cent vegetation standard.

    “So, this administration, led Gov. Yahaya Bello, is committed to sustainable utilisation of forestry, sanitation and waste management,” Osikoya said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the commissioner`s visit was part of government’s sensitisation and consultation campaign on environmental issues.