FG To Collaborate With Traditional Institutions To Protect And Preserve Environment

By Bukar BOLORI

The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal has stated that the Federal Government will continue to collaborate with the traditional institutions in the country, especially in protection and preservation of the environment through discouraging tree felling and promoting clean cooking.

The Minister disclosed this when the Emir of Nasarawa and former Minister of Environment, His Royal Highness, Alh. Ibrahim Usman Jibrin paid a courtesy visit to the Ministry on Thursday.

Balarabe stated that the Ministry is doing alot in tackling environmental challenges such as plastic waste, erosion and flood, desertification, drought control and other climate change challenges.

He assured the visiting monarch that being the former Minister of Environment, he would build on his legacy and achieve the mandate of the Ministry in line with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on environment.

Earlier, the Emir of Nasarawa and former Minister of Environment, his Royal Highness, Alh. Ibrahim Usman Jibrin commended the staff of the Ministry for tackling environmental challenges in the country and assured the Minister of the Traditional institutions unalloyed support to achieve the mandate of the Ministry.

The Emir enjoined the Ministry to work as a team to promote environmental sustainability, emphasizing that “environment is the only one we have, so let us make it conducive”.

In another development, the Honourable Minister received in audience the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Nigeria, H. E Salem Saeed on an official working visit to the Federal Ministry of Environment where important bilateral discussions where centred on Environmental issues such as the Just concluded COP28 held in Dubai, UAE last year, plastic pollution challenges, desertification control, tree planting, erosion and flood control among others.

The Minister commended the UAE for hosting the event and also appreciated the President of COP28, Sultan al-Jabar who provided the outcome of the discussions with an agreement that signal the ” beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era by laying the ground for a swift, just and equitable transition, unpinned by deep emissions cuts and scale up finance.

Balarabe further revealed that there are alot of areas of collaborations between Nigeria and UAE, most especially on the outcome of decisions reached during COP28.

He also commended President of UAE for resuming flight tickets to the County and the starting issuance of visa to Nigerians starting from 1st October, 2024.

Earlier, the Ambassador of UAE to Nigeria, H. E Salem Saeed congratulated the Honourable Minister of Environment on his well deserved appointment and disclosed that the Ministry is doing very well most especially the participation of Nigeria in Conference of Parties (COP28) In Dubai last year.

Saeed stated that Nigeria and UAE would continue to collaborate and partner on areas of mutual interest on environmental sustainability.

It would be recalled that United Arab Emirates (UAE), last year hosted the COP28 in Dubai with the slogan:UNITE, ACT, DELIVER.”