Damaturu-A Non Governmental Organisation, Advocacy Partnership on Environment, Water and Sanitation, has urged Yobe Government to rescind its decision scrapping the Ministry for Environment in the state.
The NGO made the call on Wednesday in Damaturu when its officials visited the Speaker, Yobe House of Assembly, Alhaji Adamu Dala-Dogo.
Alhaji Sheriff Ibrahim, chairman of the organisation, said retaining the ministry will go a long way to effectively fight the challenges of desertification and other environmental threats.
“Although the rationalisation of government ministries was done to save cost and improve service delivery, we wish to call on government to have a rethink on the scrapping of the ministry for environment.
“Yobe is ranked as the most desertification hit state with 323 kilometres stretch of desert path, which is bedeviled with attendant consequences of drought, environmental degradation and erosion among others,” he said.
The NGO expressed fears that the absence of a coordinating ministry to tackle environmental problems in the state may result in poor management of the Great Green Wall project cutting across 11 countries including Nigeria.
It also expressed fears of collapse in environmental intervention made by donor partners, international agencies, state and Federal Government.
Responding, the speaker, Alhaji Dala-Dogo, assured the organisation that the assembly would liaise with the executive to reconsider the scrapping of the state ministry for environment.
“The ministry for environment is very crucial to fighting desertification and other environmental challenges in the state.
“A state ministry for environment will effectively coordinate the Great Green Wall project and accessing of ecological funds from the Federal Government to fight environmental problems,” he said.
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The speaker said the assembly would also legislate on the free drugs programme for pregnant women and children to cover the entire state. (NAN)
