Stakeholders from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of the federal government of Nigeria, Civil Society Organisatiuons, Youths, staff of the National Assembly, the private sector, media, and international funding agencies have taken a stand on the actions they must initiate to urgently address Nigeria’s menacing land degradation and deforestation challenges.
This was at a stakeholders’ workshop convened by Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment(GLOBE) Nigeria at Reiz Continental Hotel, Abuja on July 20, 2022.
Welcoming participants to the one-day high level event, the President of GLOBE Nigeria, Rep. Sam Onuigbo, charged the stakeholders to take seriously the conversation bearing in mind that their resolutions will be critical in addressing significant issues such as food insecurity and shortages, the Sahel conflicts, and ultimately position Nigeria on a path of food security while also helping in the mitigation of climate change.
Speaking on the focus of the workshop, National Coordinator of GLOBE Nigeria, Nnaemeka Oruh, who pointed out that about 670 million people globally may face hunger and 750 million people displaced in Africa by 2030 due to drought and loss of arable land, said the workshop gives the stakeholders the chance to identify pathways for the rehabilitation of degraded lands and afforestation in Nigeria and also prescribe specific responsibilities of stakeholders in line with the recommendations of GLOBE GGWI and REDD+ diagnostic reports.
Mr Oruh pointed out that in its bid to drive for the implementation of the recommendations of the knowledge products launched on October 14, 2021 by GLOBE, the organisation is currently working with the National Assembly to pass the following amendments and Bill: amendments to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (Establishment) Act 2007, the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, National Agency for the Great Green Wall Establishment Act, Environmental Impact Assessment Act, and a new Bill for Natural Capital Accounting.
There were presentations on “Addressing Nigeria’s Deforestation and land degradation issues: REDD+ and the Role of Stakeholders”; “Addressing Nigeria’s land degradation issues: The GGWI Pathway and the Role of Stakeholders”; and “The ACReSAL Project in Nigeria”.
In a remark made by Dr Iganya Joy Agene, Senior Environmental Specialist, World Bank (Nigeria), she commended the Federal Government of Nigeria on the steps taken towards addressing land degradation and deforestation issues in Nigeria. According to her, the stakeholders’ workshop organized by GLOBE is an opportunity for the federal government and her partners to discuss the critical role of stakeholders in addressing land degradation and deforestation issues in line with the country's commitment to restore 4 million hectares of land by 2030. She stressed on the need for the World Bank to work jointly with GLOBE in a deliberate collaboration to address land degradation and deforestation in Nigeria as part of the World Bank’s efforts in supporting Nigeria's commitment of 40 restoring million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
The meeting rose with a communiqué by the stakeholders.
