1st Anniversary: Environment Stakeholders Score Tinubu High
Some stakeholders in the environment sector say President Bola Tinubu have performed creditably in his first year in office.
The stakeholders spoke in separate interviews on Monday in Abuja in commemoration of Tinubu’s first anniversary.
Dr Yusuf Maina-Bukar, Director-General of the National Agency for Green Great Wall (NAGGW), said that 3,102 units of solar streetlights were procured and installed in rural markets, as well as boreholes and plant nursery sites.
He said that the feats were recorded in the first year of Tinubu’s administration.
Bukar said that the agency also distributed 10.8 million seedlings to farmers for planting as trees on farms to promote agroforestry.
He said that the agency, in addition, rehabilitated 14,118 degraded landscapes in different parts of the country.
Bukar said that about 4,455 units of solar home lighting systems were procured and distributed across the country.
On her part, Dr Agnes Asagbra, the Director-General, of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), said that notable achievements were recorded by the agency since the assumption of office by Tinubu.
He said that any Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) developed or introduced passed a comprehensive safety assessment before it was approved for use in Nigeria, under the NBMA Act.
“The Federal Republic of Nigeria is party to the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (UNCBD) having ratified the Convention in 1992, and further ratified the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in 2003.
“This process involves scientific evaluations conducted by experts in various relevant fields, including but not limited to public health molecular biology, ecology and toxicology,” she said.
According to her, the agency ensures that the regulatory oversight of GMOs by the agency meets strict safety standards and poses no adverse risks to health or the environment.
She added that in discharging its mandate, NBMA recognised the importance of transparency and public engagement.
On his part, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), an NGO, harped on the importance of biodiversity.
He urged all stakeholders to move beyond promises and take concrete actions to halt biodiversity loss.
Bassey stressed the need to preserve biodiversity and reconnect with nature.
“We are the losers when we continually cheat on nature through extractive activities and intentional destruction of biodiversity.
“We must all consider ourselves as part of the plan to build a livable future where all beings coexist harmoniously.
“The continuous genetic alterations of crops, livestock, and pollution of our environment have direct implications on biodiversity and our quality of life.
“These continuously destroy what we once called the good life,” he said.
NAN/Oyenike Oyeniyi
