Council on Environment seeks ban on exportation of charcoal

The 2017 National Council on Environment meeting ended a week today at Abeokuta, Ogun State, where all participating stakeholders deliberated on the emerging environmental issues, climate smart actions and the need to update all relevant environmental regulations. The forum, which is the highest decision making body on environment over the years is to provide a […]

The 2017 National Council on Environment meeting ended a week today at Abeokuta, Ogun State, where all participating stakeholders deliberated on the emerging environmental issues, climate smart actions and the need to update all relevant environmental regulations.

The forum, which is the highest decision making body on environment over the years is to provide a veritable platform for stakeholders in Environment Sector to chat and provide policy direction and focus for the sector.

However, the forum also deliberates on the level of implementation of previous decisions taken but Daily Trust check shows that many of the resolves which, includes reintroduction of compulsory monthly sanitation, installation of early warning signal and promoting of renewable programme in schools among others are yet to be achieved.

This year’s theme, “Unlocking the Investment Opportunities in the Environment Sector Towards Nigeria’s Economic Recovery, Diversification, Growth and Sustainable Development” according to the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr Shehu Ahmed is timely because of the economic and environmental challenges confronting the country. 

“These challenges therefore made it necessary for us to consider unlocking the investment opportunities available in the sector to contribute to the government’s efforts towards the nation’s economic recovery and its diversification,” he said.

The Minister of State for Environment Ibrahim Usman Jibril at the opening of the event said, against the backdrop of the country’s recent recovery from economic recession and the global initiatives towards the use of renewable energy sources; the government is more committed to finding alternative sources of revenue to sustain the recovery process.

He however urged the private sector to seize the investment opportunities existing in the environment sector, which include repositioning of the National Agency for Great Green Wall, Waste Management; Watershed Management; Renewable Energy; Eco-Tourism and Green Bond.

Meanwhile at the end of the forum, the council resolved that the current Forest Cover of Nigeria is less than 4 per cent as against the expected 25 per cent and that as a result the exportation of charcoal in Nigeria should be banned and alternative clean source of energy should be developed and promoted.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, which also noted that more awareness and sensitization should be carried out to achieve better adoption of tree planting and reforestation of degraded forest estates.

It also stated that the Federal Government should put in place policies and other measures to promote provision and utilization of Solar Energy and energy efficient cook stove. 

Another  resolve is that states that have indicated interest to key into the NEWMAP Programme should put aside minimum counterpart fund of N500 million, provide 12.90% of total cost of the project as well as provide base line data of erosion sites in their states.

While seeking for the states to put in place Waste-to-Wealth initiatives that can attract private sector participations and foreign direct investment in order to unlock investment opportunities in the waste management sub- sector, the council resolved that the Federal Ministry of Environment and states should establish reliable electronic based data bank on Pollution Control and Waste Management issues in the country.

The installation of Flood Early Warning Systems (FEWS) in flood prone areas came up this year and it was agreed that it should be installed by Federal, States and Local Governments to save lives and property during flooding.

On climate change, it was resolved that there should be synergy between the federal and state governments in the implementation of climate change programmes especially on capacity building and access to global climate finance.