Abuja – The Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, on Wednesday assumed duty with a call for cooperation from stakeholders to reposition the ministry.
The minister made the call at a reception in her honour at the ministry in Abuja, barely three hours after the inauguration of ministers by President Muhammadu Buhari.
She, however, promised to leverage resources both in and outside the country to make a considerable impact in the sector.
According to her, there are environmental issues in all parts of the country that required urgent attention.
“The change agenda has come to stay and we are ready to make all the difference.
“One commitment that we can make is to build on the successes of this ministry and ensure that the teams that we will work with will take the ministry to another level and that level is what the country is waiting for.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
“It cannot be business as usual and I hope that the ministry will give us the support that we need.
“The country has got environmental issues everywhere.
“There is no one part of this country that is devoid of these challenges and what we need to do is to find the resources both in and outside the country, try to leverage it to make the considerable impact.
“What I hope the ministry will continue to tell us is how we can get over these challenges,’’ she said.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Jibril, explained that there was a time line given to them by President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver the needed change in the sector.
“If you know the importance of the environment, we will make sure that it is properly managed. Our coming here is a significant milestone.
“We intend to work here as a team because only with the concerted effort, can we move the ministry and nation forward.
“There is much work to be done and it must be done at the right time.
“There is a time line and there should be sanctions appropriately,’’ Jibril said.
In a welcome speech, the newly appointed Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Bukar Hassan, expressed their readiness to work and corporate with the ministers to achieve their mandate.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Amina Mohammed was until her appointment, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Hassan was formerly the Director, Drought and Desertification Amelioration in the ministry before his appointment as the permanent secretary. (NAN)