* Professor Mohammed Sani Adam Calls For A More Proactive Approach By Government Towards Addressing Environmental Degradation In Nigeria

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor Admin of the University of Abuja, Professor Mohammed Sani Adam, has called for a more proactive approach by government towards addressing environmental degradation in Nigeria. Professor Sani Adam made this call whilst welcoming attendees to the interactive session on Environmental Governance in Abuja, organised by the Environmental Law class of the faculty with the theme, “ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN NIGERIA: THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE,” which was made available to TheNigerialawyer (TNL).

Speaking as the Chief host of the event, Professor Mohammed Sani Adam expressed the need for better synergies between the academia and stakeholders in government and the private sector in building sustainable partnership especially in areas of environmental research and development and consultancy services. He stressed the need for government to strengthen its political will by ensuring that the Honourable Minister of Environment is made a member of the National Economic Council in Nigeria especially at this critical juncture, as they journey towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs. He went on to express his worries over the massive proliferation of bore holes in the cities which is a consequence of the inability of government to provide portable water for the populace.

The Chairman of the occasion, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, on the other hand, voiced his appreciation to the organizers, and emphasized the need to tackle poverty which has a grave effect on sanitation and management of municipal waste. He buttressed his point by citing the recent ranking of Nigeria as the country with the second largest incidents of open defecation. Concluding, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, stressed the need for an improved school curriculum at all school levels to capture environmental management.

Barrister Bola Braimoh-Tokura, who represented the Director General of NESREA, Professor Aliyu Jauro, presented a paper in which steps successive of administrations that have been made in putting in place legal and institutional frameworks to tackle environmental problems were highlighted The paper revealed that all these efforts led to an Act establishing the agency in 2007.

Bola Braimoh-Tokura emphasized that the agency is empowered to formulate regulations and enforce laws and international treaties which Nigeria is signatory to. He also stated that the NESREA Amended Act 2018 empowers the agency to impose stiffer penalties against offenders and those lapses and inefficiencies that characterized the previous Act have been addressed to enable the realization of its mandate. The Director General also seized the opportunity to highlight certain programmes that will soon be rolled out to curb environmental degradation such as the Extended Producer Responsibility, EPR; a programme which makes manufacturers take responsibility of their product cycle, from manufacturing to waste stages and also the National Vehicular Emissions Programme, NVEP.

Participants at the Interactive Session. Sitting 2nd From L-R Mr Olugbenga Adeyemi (DD AEPB), Prof Clement Alawa (DVC academic Uni Abuja), Prof M Sani Adam (DVC Admin uni Abuja), Barr Bola Tokura-Braimoh( Legal Adviser NESREA), Chief Olusola Oke SAN, Mr Ope Ojo (DD AEPB)

Others who spoke, such as the representatives of the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Mr Olugbenga Adeyemi, engaged participants on the moves taken in the Federal Capital for sustainable urbanization and provision of waste management infrastructure and an effective value chain, with a view to creating jobs and other  incentives for informal waste managers. They also explained areas of collaboration with the Municipal Councils in the FCT.

Rounding up the event, Prof Clement Alawa gave the vote of thanks in which he emphasized the need for such interactive sessions to be sustained for improved synergy between stakeholders and the academia.

The event was graced with some special guests who include the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Alhaji Muhammad Bello, who was represented by Mr Olugbenga Adeyemi, a Deputy Director of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, the DG/CEO National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA, represented by the agency’s Legal Adviser, Barrister Bola Braimoh-Tokurah, the vice chancellor of the university of Abuja, Professor Michael Adikwu represented by  Professor Clement Alawa, the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics of the university and Professor Mohammed Sani Adam, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Admin also of the university who was the Chief Host.

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