By Olasunkanmi Akoni
Lagos—A renowned environmentalist, Chief Philip Asiodu, has stressed the need for citizens in the country to pay serious attention to measures geared towards mitigating potential threats of climate change, especially in a coastal city like Lagos State.
According to Asiodu, the whole planet is under stress due to global warming.
This came as Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State urged individuals, corporate organizations as well as stakeholders to further collaborate with government to promote healthy living among residents in the state and the country at large.
The duo gave the charge weekend, while addressing participants at the 2014 annual “walk for nature”, held in Lagos State House, Marina, organized by the state government, in collaboration with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, NCF, for the fifth consecutive year.
The walk, according to the organizers, aims at raising the level of awareness of residents to what may be done to reduce the inevitable exposure of climate change, among others.
Asiodu, who is the President of NCF, stressed that small island states were more prone to the damaging effects of a warming planet than those in the interland.
He said: “The impact of a rising sea level means loss of lives and properties for many people living on small islands.
“The importance of Lagos as a coastal city and as the economic nerve centre of the most populous country in Africa makes it imperative to pay serious attention to any potential threat to the economy of the state.
“All actions aimed at sensitizing the populace to the dangers of climate change and what they can do to reduce their exposure to its effects is part of the strategy for mitigating the damaging consequences.”
He added that agenda 21 of the Rio Convention recognized the plight of the earth’s coastal areas and the need for the areas to be developed in sustainable fashion.
Fashola, who was represented by the Special Adviser on the Environment, Dr. Taofeek Folami, said: “Lagos as a coastal city is beset with myriad of challenges such as illegal dredging, illegal land reclamation and sand mining activities which has threatened sustainability of the coastlines, resulting in surges, flooding and general negative environmental consequences, including physical alterations and destruction of coastal habitats, flooding, erosion, pollution and continued threats from rising sea levels.”
He, however, reiterated his administration’s commitment to sustainable coastal area management, through effective implementation of various strategies and techniques to control flooding, ocean surge, illegal dredging, among others.
Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, who was represented by Engr. Hakeem Ogunbambi, Permanent Secretary Office of the Environmental Services in the ministry, said: “It is high time we had a rethink and review our strategies towards the management of coastal and marine issues, realign our implementation plans and partnership as well as redirect our efforts towards new set of goals.”
He urged residents to support government to preserve nature by embracing the message of the walk for nature programme to encourage walking to safeguard the environment.
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