Stakeholders within the environmental sector have warned that environmental degradation, poor housing and unsustainable growth practices threaten public well being, meals safety and Nigeria’s sustainable growth.
They referred to as for stronger environmental insurance policies, accountable administration of pure assets and higher collaboration amongst authorities, companies, researchers and communities to guard the surroundings for future generations.
The stakeholders made the decision on the public presentation of a ebook titled: “People, Nature and Environment: Pathways to Sustainable Development,” authored by an environmentalist and researcher, Dr Abba Maigida.
Speaking on the occasion, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, represented by Mr Taiwo Ojelabi, stated sustainable administration of water our bodies, forests, vegetation and different pure assets was crucial to meals manufacturing and environmental preservation.
He urged Nigerians to desert practices that degrade the surroundings and embrace accountable utilisation of pure assets to safeguard livelihoods and shield future generations.
The chairman of the event, retired Major General Alwali Kazir, recognized local weather change, deforestation, air pollution, biodiversity loss and useful resource depletion as main environmental challenges confronting the nation.
He expressed concern over the consequences of desertification, shrinking water assets and land degradation in northern Nigeria, warning that environmental degradation may worsen meals insecurity, displacement, financial hardship and insecurity.
Kazir referred to as for sensible interventions, together with land restoration, renewable vitality, improved water administration, environmental training and stronger environmental governance.
He confused that sustainable growth required collective motion by governments, communities, instructional establishments, companies and younger folks.
The creator, Maigida, stated the ebook was impressed by greater than 20 years of public service throughout which he travelled throughout totally different components of the nation and witnessed the devastating results of environmental degradation on communities and livelihoods.
He recalled witnessing the harmful affect of gully erosion on properties, roads and farmlands in components of japanese Nigeria, whereas desert encroachment threatened agricultural actions and rural livelihoods within the North.
He additionally highlighted recurring flooding within the Middle Belt, which displaces households and destroys property, in addition to the strain fast urbanisation in cities reminiscent of Abuja and Lagos locations on housing, infrastructure and the surroundings.
According to him, these experiences raised issues about how Nigeria may pursue financial development with out destroying the pure assets on which livelihoods rely.
Maigida, who stated the ebook took greater than seven years to finish, defined that it was based mostly on area observations, analysis and discussions with farmers, fishermen, conventional rulers, environmental professionals and public servants.
He stated the 21-chapter publication examined environmental sustainability, housing, human growth, pure useful resource administration, local weather change, group growth, public coverage and institutional duty.
The creator warned that failure to deal with environmental challenges may jeopardise the way forward for coming generations, urging professionals and residents to take duty for safeguarding the surroundings.
Citing growing flooding in Abuja and different components of the nation, he confused the urgency of adopting measures to revive broken ecosystems and stop additional environmental destruction.
“Humanity will judge us if we look at what is happening and we keep quiet,” he stated, including that professionals should fulfil the tasks entrusted to them.
He additionally urged candidates contesting the 2027 basic elections to prioritise environmental safety and the preservation of Nigeria’s pure assets.
“The environment is our heritage and we have no other land than Nigeria. We have to save it for future generations,” he stated.
Reviewing the ebook, Professor Ishaya Sunday of the University of Abuja described it as an interdisciplinary publication that connects environmental safety with human welfare, governance and sustainable growth.
Sunday, who disclosed that Maigida was his pupil at each grasp’s and doctoral ranges, recommended his dedication to analysis and writing.
He stated the ebook’s central argument was that human well-being couldn’t be separated from the situation of the surroundings, noting that actions dangerous to nature finally threatened folks themselves.
He highlighted the publication’s protection of biodiversity conservation, water and meals safety, waste administration, ecosystem restoration, local weather adaptation, environmental governance, sustainable cities and inexperienced innovation.
The reviewer additionally recognized frameworks developed by the creator, together with the Maigida Integrated Sustainability Framework and the Maigida Climate Adaptation and Community Resilience Framework.
Similarly, the FCT Head of Service, Nancy Sabanti, represented by Dr Andrew Zakari, stated local weather change, deforestation, fast urbanisation, insufficient housing and environmental degradation threatened livelihoods, public well being and Nigeria’s growth prospects.
She stated environmental safety required collective duty involving authorities establishments, the personal sector, instructional and analysis establishments, communities and people.
Sabanti described the ebook presentation as a possibility to deepen public understanding of environmental challenges, encourage knowledgeable discussions and strengthen dedication to sustainable growth.
Also talking, retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, recalled returning to his group and former faculty years after becoming a member of the Nigeria Police Force, solely to find {that a} once-beautiful stream had nearly disappeared attributable to growth and building actions inside its valley.
He urged policymakers to strengthen environmental safety on the grassroots, stressing the necessity for higher group participation in selections affecting land, forests and water assets.
In a goodwill message, a consultant of the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Dr Adaora Umeoji, stated financial progress should be accompanied by environmental duty and concern for human welfare.
He stated monetary establishments may contribute to sustainability by way of accountable lending, investments in environmentally aware companies and infrastructure, and consideration of environmental and social implications in financing selections.
The Head of Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Baze University additionally warned that indiscriminate exploitation of pure assets undermined human well-being, figuring out deforestation, industrial air pollution and destruction of vegetation as practices that expose communities to environmental hazards and disrupt ecosystems.
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