Lagos – The Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Samuel Adejare, on Friday called for continued collaboration between the state and stakeholders in the informal sector on matters affecting the environment.
Adejare told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the appeal became necessary following the April 18 seminar, with the theme: ‘Impact of Tree Planting on Human Existence’.
“The informal sector’s total support for the tree-planting programmes is not without recognition, as it has played a significant role in championing the exercise in the state.
“I just want stakeholders in the sector to see themselves as partners in progress with the state government, on matters affecting the environment.
“The stakeholders should encourage one another to plant trees and discourage others from open space defecation.
“They should also avoid indiscriminate felling of trees and waste disposal, using drainage channels as receptacle for waste,” he said.
Adejare said that as stakeholders, the informal sector should be the government’s vanguard for positive change.
He said that they should also champion sustainable tree-management project in Lagos.
The commissioner said that trees contributed to the environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water preserving soil, and supporting wide life.
He lauded the efforts of the Lagos State Parks and Gardens, saying that the agency needed the continued support of the informal sector to sustain its activities.
Adejare said that the state government would not relent in its efforts at encouraging more participation in tree-planting and other environmental programmes. (NAN)
