Environmental Challenges: FG Seeks UN’s Help

By Michael Olugbode

The Federal Government has pleaded with the United Nations and its agencies to support the country with her numerous environmental challenges.

The Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar made the plea on Tuesday during a courtesy call on the Ministry by the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed.

The Minister, while extolling the contributions of the UN Deputy Secretary General during her time as Nigeria’s Minister of Environment and in her new appointment, said the nation had a worthy support in Amina in New York at the UN Headquarters.

He recalled tha her contributions as Minister included issuance of 1st and 2nd Sovereign Green Bonds, kickstarting the Ogoni Clean Up, Afforestation Nationwide and Great Green Wall Activities, Climate Action and Fight against Desertification.

Abubakar said as UN Deputy Secretary General, Mohammed had positioned Nigeria as champion of Energy Transition, supported Nigeria’s aspiration to assume the leadership of Pan African Agency of the Great Green Wall and towards hosting UNESCO Man and Biosphere Conference with the scheduled hosting of the 33rd Session of the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB-ICC) in Abuja this year, which will be the first of its kind in Africa.

The Minister asked for more support through UN agencies for the developmental efforts in the Ministry and environmental programmes of the country.

He said these include the assistance of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Ogoni Clean Up Projects, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria activities, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Fight against Desertification and Great Green Wall (GGW) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Pollution Control and Environmental Health and also Climate Action efforts.

Earlier, the UN Deputy Secretary General said environmental issues were very important to the UN, stating the willingness of the world body to assist Nigerian government in this area.

She noted that her visit to the Ministry was informed by the need to know which areas the UN could be of help to the Nigerian government.