Abuja – The House of Representatives Committee on Environment has assured Nigerians that it will tackle the country’s environmental challenges through extant laws.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr Obinna Chidoka, gave the assurance at the 2015 National Environmental Management Conference organised by the Environmental Management Association of Nigeria (EMAN) in Abuja on Thursday.
Chidoka said that for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved, the links between the environment and development must be examined.
“For sustainable development to be achieved, links between the environment and development must be examined.
“It is important not to lose sight of the end point of development which is human beings.
“Government might well be committed to the objectives, policies and mechanisms for achieving sustainable development, but it will take the commitment and genuine involvement of all stakeholders to make this goal a reality.
“Sustainable development requires the forging of a partnership of all stakeholders in environmental issues
“The House of Representatives Committee on Environment and Habitat under my leadership is deeply conscious of the need to stay grounded and true to the yearnings of the Nigerian people for sustainable management of our environment.
“We shall work tirelessly to address the myriad of environmental challenges facing this country.’’
The President of EMAN, Dr Emmanuel Ating, said that the annual conference, with theme: `Sustainability of Environmental Management Systems and Standards’, was aimed at articulating professional solutions to Nigeria’s environmental problems.
According to him, the non-adherence to environmental management standards is a clear invitation and birth of unsustainable programmes and processes.
He emphasised the need for the integration of an environmental management system into the strategies and programmes of government to end insurgency and agitation for a state of Biafra.
“Environmental Management System is the institutional setting responsible for stimulating, supporting and implementing the environmental management process.
“SDGs can only be achieved when the Environmental Management Systems in both the public and private sectors are put in place.’’
Also speaking, Prof. Julius Okojie, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), called for the introduction and coordination of new educational policies on environmental management in primary, secondary, and tertiary schools and institutions.
Okojie, who was represented by an official of the NUC, Mr Lawal Farouk, emphasised the need for urgent and adequate investment in environmental management education in universities.
Mr Peter Idabor, the Director General, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), said that strong environmental policies were drivers for improving the environment.
Idabor, who was also represented by an official of NOSDRA, Mr John Lahu, said that enforcement of practical laws was key to sustaining the environment.
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The conference attracted stakeholders from the environment sector as well as undergraduate students from different universities from across the country. (NAN)
