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From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
While flood incidents continue to wreak havoc on communities across states in Nigeria, the National Environmental Standard and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has commended the government of Gombe state for prompt action in initiating policies and programs targeting climate change, flooding and other environmental challenges in the state.
According to the agency, afforestation and soil erosion were poses serious threats to the environment, however, he explained that with the introduction of the Gombe Goes Green (3G) as well as the construction and desilting of storm drains among other environmental protection the menace have been declining in the past two years.
This was stated by the Northeast zonal Director of the NESREA Mr. Charles Joshua Sharah during a courtesy visit to the Gombe state office of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project.
He commended the state governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya for providing the needed counterpart funds and enlisting Gombe in the ACReSAL project. He urged the Project Coordinator (PC) to leverage the related regulations of the ACReSAL activities for effective implementation and project sustainability.
The Director added that NESREA will provide the needed technical support that will add value to the implementation of the ACReSAL project in Gombe State, stressing the need for environmental impact assessment before embarking on control and management activities.
In his remarks, the Gombe State ACReSAL Project Coordinator, Sani Adamu Jauro stated that the Governor Yahaya led-administration had under the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) addressed and controlled the gully erosion challenges in the Gombe State University (GSU), established woodlot stations, planted nurseries, roadside plantations and shelter belts across the state.
Hence, he called on NESREA to enforce environmental regulations that would protect and sustain the huge investment made by the state government. He said the investments were aimed at protecting the environment and human lives.
The PC revealed that the ACReSAL project has plans for further plantation activities to cover 1,500 hectares of land across the state as well as the control of gully erosion around the Federal College Of Education l Technical (FCET) and Railway Line in the Gombe metropolis.
Jauro added that the six years project will be focusing on three key areas of agriculture, water, and the environment while also providing empowerment and remuneration packages to support small-scale businesses in affected and host communities.
