By Our Reporter
Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Mallam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, has disclosed the Ministry’s plans to launch a national awareness campaign on environmental sanitation and sustainable living.
He said the Ministry will collaborate with the media for an extensive community-based advocacy aimed at raising public awareness on the importance of environmental protection in Nigeria.
The Minister disclosed this when he received a delegation of NatureNews management, led by the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Aliu Akoshile, in his office in Abuja on Thursday.
Emphasising the need for a national awareness campaign, Minister Lawal said: “If we don’t protect the environment, the environment will not protect us.”
Minister Lawal assured the delegation that the Ministry would carefully review the “Naija Green Project” reforestation initiative aimed at planting 5 billion trees by 2030.
He expressed gratitude to the management team of NatureNews team for their visit and acknowledged their valuable contribution to environmental conservation.
The Minister, who bemoaned the violation of environmental regulations especially in urban development, said: “If we interfere with the environment, it will come after us”
Mallam Lawal expressed delight at the uniqueness of NatureNews’ contents, adding that the newspaper is making remarkable contributions to society through its credible and authoritative news coverage of all aspects of the environment.
He said the Ministry, as well as its agencies and projects, will adopt NatureNews as the media partner in disseminating information on the necessity of safeguarding the environment.
In his remarks, NatureNews Publisher, Aliu Akoshile, commended Minister Lawal for the notable strides being recorded by the Environment Ministry.
He said NatureNews, as Africa’s foremost news platform, places the environment first and that it will continue to uphold journalism ethics in the discharge of its constitutional responsibility.
Justifying the basis of NatureNews’ focus on the environment, Mr. Akoshile noted that no human endeavour can thrive if the environment is inhabitable and unsustainable.
He said NatureNews is fully committed to rolling back the impacts of climate change in Nigeria, adding that it plans to spearhead a national reforestation campaign tagged “Naija Green Project,” which was targeted at mobilising Nigerians to plant 5 billion trees by 2030.
He said history beckons Nigeria to lead the black race on this phenomenal reforestation project, which will transform the landscape of Africa’s most populous country.
The Publisher said the Green Project will undertake a comprehensive harmonisation of the various tree planting commitments since 2021, which will culminate in the 5 billion trees by 2030.
He extended appreciation to the Minister for attending the 3rd Anniversary event and the Hero of Environmental Actions for Development (HEAD) award ceremony.
Mr. Akoshile said visit underscores the importance of collaboration between government entities and media outlets in promoting environmental sustainability.
The Publisher/Editor-in-Chief was accompanied on the visit by the Managing Director, Rasheed Yusuf, and Chief Operating Officer, Pius Alabi.
