The Federal Government has unveiled plans to revise the National Policy on Environment in furtherance of its sustained efforts to address various environmental challenges in the country.
The proposed policy measure would enable the government to extend its activities to cover the menace of flooding, the Ogoniland clean up and other lingering environmental issues hitherto not properly covered by the existing policy on environment.
The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Usman Jibril, gave this hint at a news conference on the forthcoming National Council on Environment summit scheduled to hold in Akure, Ondo State.
The minister, who was represented by the Director, Planning Research and Statistics in the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr. Auwal Maidabino, explained that the obsoleteness of the existing policy on environment had made the proposed review imperative.
For instance, the minister pointed out that the existing policy did not take care of flooding and Ogoni clean-up both of which constituted major environmental issues requiring more remedial attention by the government in the country.
According to him, the objectives of the National Council on Environment for convening the forum, were to create synergy in the policies and actions at federal and state government levels in addressing environmental issues and to adopt the Council’s report and communiqué for implementation.
In his remarks during the media chat, the Chief of Staff to the Ondo State Governor, Mr Olugbenga Ale, said that the state would need the assistance of the Federal Government to enable it address environmental challenges facing some communities, especially the riverine ones, in the state.
He noted that the riverine areas of the state, especially the coastal Ayetoro town in Ilaje Local Government Area of the state, had been contending with seasonal oceanic surges that remain huge threat to lives and property in the coastal region.
Ale, who is the chairman of the Local Organising Committee of the programme, noted that the environmental challenges in the country required collaborative approach by all stakeholders, adding this will be a focal issue for discussion during the event.
He explained: “Most of these environmental challenges which include, security challenges, food security, housing security, health, and human life security determined and traceable to the way and manner through which people manage their life.
“If we are to, as a nation, effectively address these problems, there is the need for us to take a critical look at the existing environmental laws, policies, regulations, standards, programmers and institutions that are wide spread for proper consolidation and coordination as may be appropriate.
“The meeting would afford the state the opportunity to look into the degradation of the Ayetoro coastal community in this state while stakeholders and professionals would prefer solutions to the challenges confronting the people of the area.
“The Ayetoro community is almost wiped off and this will draw attention to the area and save the community from going into extinction. We need the assistance of the federal government and we are sure relevant agencies and stakeholders will proffer solutions to address the challenges confronting the people of the area”, Ale added.
