Ben Dunno, Warri
Finland says it is going to partner with the Olu of Warri, His Imperial Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, in his efforts to ensure that the proposed Regional Master Plan for Iwere land is achieved.
The Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen, said this on Thursday during a roundtable discussion on the way forward for Warri kingdom, held at the Palace of the Olu of Warri Kingdom, Warri, Delta State.
The roundtable discussion was part of programmes lined up to celebrate her visit to the Olu of Warri
While addressing the monarch and his people after listening to the presentation of the Regional Master Plan for Iwere land presented by Mr Lukeman Oshodi, Pylvanainen said the collaboration between Finland and the Olu of Warri is a work in progress.
Pylvanainen who commended the Olu of Warri for coming up with a regional Master Plan for Iwere kingdom, said all the road map of the master plan were some of the things Finland had worked on and achieved.
“I must say that all of the key things that were mentioned in the master plan are issues we have worked on and have achieved some successes in. But we have continued to work on some of the issues because no country is perfect.
She said her country is very willing to share information on most of the key issues raised in the master plan with the aim to achieve success in them.
The Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria also said that they were ready to collaborate with Nigeria on issue of climate change, noting that climate change is a global issue that affects all countries in the world.
“Climate challenges such as climate change, food insecurity and food crisis etc, are challenges that one way or the other touch all countries whether we are in the North or South or whether our country is big or small. These are challenges that we can only face of we work in corporation,” she said.
She said that the sustainable development goals form the core of Finland’s foreign and security policy, adding that achieving, promoting, facilitating and implementing sustainable development in Nigeria is one of the aims of its embassy in Nigeria.
Earlier, Chief Brown Mene, in his welcome address said the visit of the Finnish Ambassador to the Olu of Warri is historic in the sense that this was the first time any ambassador from any country was visiting the palace and staying for three days.
He said, “This is the time for us to rob minds together in the area of the task that is ahead of us, the potential that are for us to explore and to set afresh, as it were, the goals and the vision that we have, which we will work at hereafter.”
He expressed hope that the roundtable discussion will bring ideas that will lead them to taking some concrete steps that will lead to their desired goals.
Mr Lukeman Oshodi, who did the presentation of the regional master plan, said the proposed regional master plan for the Iwere land is a tool to articulate environmental principal, economic and social issues in any community and urban area.
He added that the regional master plan is an all encompassing document that gives direction on the way development should take, stressing that it has been used in many parts of the world.
He said the master plan is being handled by two consultants, Mangrove and Partners and Arctic Infrastructure which is based in Lagos.
On her part, the Chief administrator to the Olori Atuwatse III, wife of the Olu of Warri, Mrs Diana Edema Oshimolo, also talked about some initiatives and certain tactics used to achieve some of the visions that have earlier been set by the wife of the Olu of Warri.
She said the mandate set by the Olori Atuwatse III, was geared towards ensuring that the people of Warri kingdoms, especially women, children, young people and people living with disabilities, were seen, respected and provided for in all that the needed to succeed in the society.
The Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria and her entourage had earlier visited Ode-Itsekiri, the ancestral home of the Itsekiri people, to see some historical monuments in the kingdom.
Pylvanainen also inspected Clever Minds Free Primary School located in Iyara, Warri South Local Government Area of the state.