and all kinds of pollution. While some of the growing crisis of development are being tackled through policies, others have overwhelmed the authorities. The Property & Environment Editor, CHINEDUM UWAEGBULAM appraises the highs and lows of the Buhari administration in the environment sector.
And so when the President announced that the Nigerian government will develop a more robust sectorial action plan, and expand the scope of the Sovereign Green Bonds in line with the intended upward review of the NDC’s towards the inclusion of the water and waste sectors by 2020. It was reassuring. The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, however, provided the answers. He said the green bond is part of the government’s recovery growth plan initiative, and a vehicle to drive the economy in terms of environmental projects funding that would be managed by Debt Management Office .
“It is noteworthy that the relationship between environment and public health are very closely related and inseparable in the attainment of sustainable development goals commitment by Nigeria. Furthermore, the Nigerian Government has commenced implementation of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Programme in Ogoniland, to recover the carbon sink potential of the mangrove ecosystem of the one thousand square kilometers of polluted sites in the affected area.
Many stakeholders have opined that operationalising the clean-up/remediation process on the ground locally has been slowly implemented. In terms of broader environmental issues, ERA flays the Buhari administration saying, “the government has failed woefully.” He continues: “It has focused on a small area in Ogoni leaving the rest of the polluted Niger Delta unaddressed. This shows that environmental degradation, frequent oil pollution and persistent gas flaring remain the norm.”
According to him, the Federal Government will need to ensure that the polluted Niger Delta is cleaned up without delay, compensation paid to victims of pollution and the destruction of their livelihoods. “Finally, permit me to add that the 40 million citizens in the Lake Chad area expect this summit to take into consideration their concerns. They anticipate that the outcomes of this meeting would include solutions to address the Climate Change impact in the Lake Chad area.”
& a high level of poverty too. Thanks to the government. We're very happy to have them rule.