From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has called on the federal governments to develop a ten-year ecosystem restoration road map for Nigeria.
ERA/FoEN Executive Director Dr Godwin Uyi -Ojo made the call in Benin in a lecture titled “Environmental Emergency for Ecosystem Restoration” to mark 2021 World Environmental Day.
He said restoring the ecosystem would protect and improve the livelihood of millions of people and maintained the earth biological diversity.
He also called on government at all levels to declare a state of environmental emergency for Ecosystem Restoration.
Ojo said the road map and state of emergency have becomes so necessary in other to raise awareness and restore living in harmony with nature.
‘For decades, scientific evidence shows that the impacts and pressures of our productive activities related to our additive dependence on mining and fossil fuels extraction, extensive livestock farming, industrial agriculture, gigantic infrastructure, fisheries, forestry, hence these harmful activities require a rollback,’ he stated.
The executive director said in order to achieve this, government at all levels must have the political will and ensure that regulatory agencies are strengthened to enforce compliance with regulation and laws to support the ecosystem restoration and conservation
He said ensuring that the wetland ecosystem and the grassland ecosystem should form the key priorities of ecosystems restoration by federal, state and local governments.
‘Nigeria should commit energy transition from its addiction to fossil fuel and renewable energy sources to reduce the rate of environmental degradation and ecosystem disturbance.
He called for the implantation of a green wall project in the northern part of the country in order to stop the advancement of the Sahara desert.