Buhari lays out plans to combat the threat to the ecosystem

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday outlined some of the efforts his administration is making across the country to combat  threats and preserve biodiversity resources.

Buhari said Nigeria is known for its environmental resources such as forestry, wildlife, and wetlands resources spread across all geo-political zones of the country, speaking at the 33rd session of the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB-ICC) program at the State House in Abuja.

The president, who was represented by the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF) Boss Mustapha, stated that Nigeria has more than 5,000 documented plant species and 22,090 animal and other species.

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“A good number of the problems we face today can be traced to our destructive use of the environment, particularly its biodiverse resources, and we are regrettably living with the consequences of our actions,” he added.

“Nigeria has taken certain measures to ensure that it manages its environment,” he said, citing the development of environmental policies, solid waste management, plastic waste management, biosafety policy, gender, and climate change as examples.

“The following mitigation efforts are being carefully implemented through the aforementioned policies and programs, such as the accelerated implementation of the Ogoni cleanup for the restoration of polluted and degraded land, effective implementation of the Great Green Wall (GGW), and promotion of set tree planting targets, among others.”

Chief Sharon Ikeazor, Minister of State for Environment, stated that the world is facing a planetary crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss in her remarks.

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She did say, however, that if conservation efforts were scaled up and protected areas were expanded, it was not too late to reverse current trends.

She reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to take bold measures to reverse biodiversity loss and mitigate climate change.