Posted by The Federal Government has committed to taking the required action to stop the country’s disaster-driven poverty.
The government likewise committed to establishing a legal system that would both reward and penalize people for their environmental use.
The Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Ishaq Salako, spoke to members of the Ogun State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) who paid him a courtesy visit over the weekend in Abuja. He said that Nigeria is currently dealing with a number of environmental challenges, including desertification, desert encroachment, land degradation, and gully erosion, and that something needs to be done to address the decline.
“I read in the paper that if we don’t take the right steps in the country, Nigeria will become one of the top ten countries in disaster-driven poverty in about seven years,” he remarked.
He claimed that the NIPR has a responsibility to educate the public about waste disposal and the necessity of paying for waste disposal.
People don’t think you pay for rubbish disposal, he said. We need to educate the public about how improper trash disposal eventually burdens society if people do not pay for it.
“We also feel that a sustainable environment has a component that must become a civic obligation, just as paying taxes is a civic obligation. A sustainable environment also includes how you use the environment.
“It’s not like you’d go to jail, but if you don’t act morally, you could get punished. In addition, if you use the surroundings wisely, you can benefit.
“Our vision is to carve out this kind of encouragement using laws, using regulations to ensure that people take the environmental issue very seriously and to let them know that it is their civic duty that the environment is well taken care of,” he continued.
Mrs. Oluwaseun Boye, the chairman of the NIPR chapter in Ogun State, had earlier made a commitment to use the resources at the association’s disposal to project the operations of the Ministry of Environment.
“The ministry’s activities would be projected, it would be in the media,” stated Boye. We are prepared to work with you, to advance you, and to make sure your employment is fruitful.