,,,,, Assures support to identified threatening critical Ecological sites across the State.
By correspondent.
The Federal Government has commended the efforts of the Kogi State Government in the steps it has taken thus far towards addressing the issues of Climate Change.
The Hon. Minister for Environment and Ecological Management, Alhaji Balarabe Abbas Lawal made the disclosure at the ongoing Conference of the Parties (COP 29th), an annual United Nations Climate Change Conference.
COP is a platform that provides governments from around the world to discuss and agree on policies and actions towards tackling the climate change crisis.
This year’s Conference which is the 29th in the series is holding from November 11-22 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Kogi State Commissioner For Environment and Ecological Management, Engr. Joseph Oluwasegun, led the Kogi State delegation to Conference and the office of the Minister of Environment, where he met with the Minister.
The Kogi State Government delegation is made up of the Special Adviser on Climate Change Michael Onimisi Ajibade, PC Newmap -EIB, Dr. Yahaya Abdulahi Abbas and the Project Coordinator, ACReSAL, Barr. Ladi Ahmed Jatto OON.
Engr. Joseph had during the visit to the Minister’s office in Baku enumerated some of the State Ecological problems, however stressed the steps the State Government has taken thus far in mitigating the ecological issues.
The Minister, who was full of praises for the State Government effort, promised to discuss the challenges faced by the State with President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, with the view to coming to the aid of the State.
The Minister urged the State Government to as soon as the State delegation returns to Nigeria, forward to his office the design and outcome report it identified across all the critical Ecological sites that requires stabilization intervention by the Federal Government.
He acknowledged that owing to the meagre resources available to the State, it would be difficult for the State to handle interventions in 300 Ecological sites, assures of Federal Government support.
Earlier, Engr. Joseph Oluwasegun, disclosed that the State Government had engaged the services of a consultant to go round all the 21 LGAs to identify all critical Ecological sites that requires stabilization intervention.
He mentioned that about 300 critical intervention sites that are life threatening to the citizens that needed urgent attention were identified.
Engr. Joseph added that the State Governor, Alhaji Usman Ahmed Ododo has after the report again engaged the Consultants to come up with a comprehensive design of the identified critical sites needing intervention, disclosed that the report has already been submitted to the State Government.
The Commissioner mentioned also the State Government is collaborating with the World Bank through the Acresal projects, explained that the State Government is presently intervening in three different erosion sites across the State, mentioned Omigbo, Ankpa and Okene as areas of intervention.
He, however, said that It was after the three intervention sites that the State Government discovered the other 300 critical Ecological sites that are life threatening.
On the issue of flooding, the Commissioner said Kogi State is perennially prone to flooding, requires urgent attention as the State he noted cannot handle the challenges, solicited the intervention of the Federal Government.
