Climate change: Minister Advocates for speedy passage of bill
Zeniat Abubakar, Abuja
The Nigeria’s Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ekeazor has appealed to the National Assembly to speed up action on the passing into law, of the Bill on Climate Change, which she said has already passed second reading on the floor of the House.
Ikeazor, who disclosed this while declaring open 3-day National Council on Environment in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, said it has become necessary so as to have a legal instrument that would address the myriads of Climate Change actions and challenges in the country.
The Minister also applauded the resilience of the critical stakeholders during the period of COVID-19 pandemic.
“Your participation in this event is a testimony to your unwavering faith in our collective resolve to reverse all adversities in the sector and sustainably manage our Environment in the face of the multiple concerns exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic”.
She explained that the theme of the meeting “Managing Emerging Environmental challenges: Need for Strategic Approach to Sustainable Development in Covid 19 era and beyond” was strategically chosen to underscore the realities of global health challenges occasioned by the pandemic and the need to tackle the attendant issues to ameliorate the environmental and developmental consequences.
“This, therefore, underscores the crucial nature of this meeting. As a sector, the need for us to deliberate on the increasing concerns with a view to generating actionable policy framework and measures to guide our actions towards addressing these emerging concerns is uppermost.”
She therefore charged the participants to engage their various experiences, expertise and ingenuity during the 3-day event towards finding lasting solutions to the multifaceted environmental challenges confronting the country.
In a goodwill message on behalf of the Senate Committee on Environment, Senator Micheal Nnachi called for the involvement of more Non-Governmental Organizations in the Ministry’s activities as most of its activities are grassroots oriented that require a lot of mobilization and enlightenment.
He assured that positive reviews are being made by the Senate to facilitate and boost the Ministry in its funding.
On his part, the Director General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Professor Mansur Bako Matazu appealed to the Minister and the Council to push for the support of the ratification of the National Framework for the Application of Climate Service, NFACS, as this will ensure a seamless access to climate service information for the benefit of all.
