Efforts towards securing Nigeria’s admission into the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa (GDSA) received a massive boost on Wednesday, November 18, 2020, in Abuja Nigeria. This was during a courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Budget and National Planning by members of GLOBE Nigeria, and Natural Eco Capital, led by the President of GLOBE Nigeria, Hon. Samuel Onuigbo.
While receiving the members of parliament who are part of Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment(GLOBE), the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, who represented the Honourable Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Olusola Olayinka Idowu, expressed her happiness at the meeting and the extent of the collaboration between the Ministry and GLOBE Nigeria.
Thereafter, President of GLOBE Nigeria, Hon. Onuigbo, informed the Permanent Secretary that the primary reasons for the visit is to secure the Ministry’s commitment to getting Nigeria into the GDSA so that the country can exercise the leadership it is known for exercising on African matters. He further called for the expansion of the collaboration between GLOBE and the Ministry in order to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are carried along to ensure that practical steps are taken towards the proper mainstreaming of National Capital Accounting into Nigeria’s national development plans:
“I want to use this medium to officially request that Nigeria applies towards becoming part of the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa and show leadership,” Hon. Onuigbo said. “Also, it is time to broaden the base and get many other Ministries Departments and Agencies involved.”
Responding, the Permanent Secretary, Olusola Olayinka Idowu, stated that the Ministry is ready to do whatever is expected of it: “We are ready. But we will need guidance on this and I believe your team can work with my colleagues to figure out how we can take the first steps. Also, on broadening the scope of our efforts at mainstreaming Natural Capital Accounting, I agree with you. We should go a bit further, involve other Ministries like Agriculture, Environment, Mines and Steel, etc, and make it inter-sectoral.”
In his contribution, Special Assistant to the Minister, Mr. Rajab Abdulrahman, enjoined the GLOBE team to quickly provide them with details and the necessary documents so that they can start the process as soon as possible.
Present at the meeting which held at the Permanent Secretary’s Conference Room were GLOBE Nigeria members from the House of Representatives, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, with Directors, Deputy Directors, Technical Assistants from several departments in the Ministry, Natural Eco Capital Team, and the National Coordinator of GLOBE Nigeria, Mr. Nnaemeka Oruh.
