Politicians Urged To Do More To Save The Environment

Environmentalists and stakeholders who gathered in Lagos, Nigeria to mark this year’s World Environment Day have been speaking about the causes and impact of climate change.

The Executive Director of the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Professor Solomon Badejo, says illiteracy is a major factor, as not many know that forests help to suppress climate change.

Professor Badejo lamented that after huge sums have been spent by the government on tree planting programs, hunters in the rural areas see no big deal in burning down such forests as they search for antelopes and squirrels.

He therefore urged politicians in government in Nigeria to give more attention to the protection of the country’s environment, instead of corrupt practices.

Professor Badejo also warned that the current scarcity and high cost of kerosene would lead to more felling of trees, if the situation was not checked by the government.

Mr. Ekong Nyon, the chief operating officer of Verte Initiative, an environment- friendly NGO, simply attributed the level of environmental degradation in the oil-rich Niger Delta to lack of serious commitment to development, by the political class.

An interesting contribution came from Mr. Victor Okhai, a film maker. He advised Nigerians to simply plant a tree to celebrate, each time a child is born or a new house is built, and thereby replenish the nation’s forests and save the environment.