Nigeria urged to adopt a visible environmental blue print

Nigeria urged to adopt a visible environmental blue print
Judith Ukoh, Lagos

Nigeria has been urged to adopt a workable and visible environmental blue print.

The spokesperson of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Philip Jackpore stated this on Monday in an interview in Lagos, South west Nigeria.

Deforestation impact

Jackpore stressed that UN reports had shown that about 13 million hectares of forest had been destroyed directly or indirectly by the activities of co-operations and individuals who get involved with logging.

The ERA/FoEN said that apart from the human activities, there was also the impact of climate change, which was particularly noticed in the sub-Sahara region of Africa.

He also said that on a larger scale, what compounded the climate chaos evident today was industrial activities like gas smearing which emits dangerous toxins into the atmosphere, resulting into depletion of the Ozone layer.

Jackpore said that the theme of this year’s World Environment Day (WED); “Forest: Nature at your service” should be a wake-up call to all Nations to start promoting and creating awareness of the dangers of deforestation by educating and informing individuals and co-operations and by setting certain standards through policies, which will compel individuals and co-operations to recognizing the hazards of deforestation.

Saving the environment

The group urged the Nigerian government to employ more people to clean the streets and provide waste sites at strategic locations, out of residential areas. It also stressed that they was need to give constant orientation on the need and benefit of living in a clean, healthy environment as this will reduce the spread of diseases in communities.

Nations across the World celebrated this year’s WED on Sunday, 5 June.

This year’s theme is meant to highlight the environmental, economic and social importance played by forests around the world.

WED is a tool of the United Nations in creating awareness on environmental issues towards the sustenance of nature.

This year’s World Environmental Day was held in India with a week-long series of events.

ERA/FoEN, founded in 1993 is dedicated to the defense of human ecosystems in terms of human rights, and to the promotion of environmentally responsible governmental, commercial, community and individual practices in Nigeria through the empowerment of local people.

Williams