From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Founder of Azibaola’s Expedition Into Deep Forest, Robert Azibaola, has said that the environment in the Niger Delta is in dire straits.
Azibaola stated this while delivering a lecture titled ‘Azibaola Robert’s 14-Day Expedition Into Deep Forests: An Assessment of the Environmental Conditions of the Niger Delta Rain Forest’ during the 7th Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Association of Environmental Impact Assessment of Nigeria in Abuja.
The Chairman, Kakatar Group Limited and Zeetin Engineering Limited, also said he had long had the firm belief and been a witness to the fact that the world is heading to its precipice due to some of man’s untamed activities.
Azibaola further said the situation is even more dire in the Niger Delta region where there has been mind-boggling explorations and production of crude oil which have over the years become the dominant source of environmental pollution to lands and waters, flora and fauna.
Azibaola said: “To say that the environment of the Niger Delta is in dire straits is an understatement. It is exploited and devastated.”
Speaking further, Azibaola said many reasons accounted for the situation the Niger Delta region has found itself.
The reasons listed by Azibaola were frequent massive oil spills resulting from negligence, mind-boggling deforestation for timber, firewood, canoe carving or farm lands; heavy rains resulting to soil erosion, flooding and rising sea levels, amongst others.
“The cumulative result of all these is the permanent effect of loss of biodiversity in the region, which is the main cause of climate change in our world,” Azibaola stated.
In his recommendations, Azibaola said there was a great need for urgent, practical and collaborative efforts from federal and state governments and their agencies, national and international non governmental organisations and local communities to ensure that effective policies were established and implemented in an effective manner.
“We need to plant trees, as I have committed myself to doing; create forest reserves, ban logging of woods of less than internationally-recommended sizes, stop crude spills, whether by oil companies or from locals, etc,” Azibaola recommended.
Earlier, Azibaola said he was humbled that his little contributions to drawing attention to the dire situation of human impacts to the nation’s environment is receiving attention from professional bodies like the Association of Environmental Impact Assessment of Nigeria.
Azibaola also said that the invitation extended to him has encouraged him to do more, hoping that little, incremental, practical and collaborative positive changes will be made to remedy what has been destroyed and conserve what is left.
In her remarks, the President of the Association of Environmental Impact Assessment of Nigeria, Professor Ijeoma Vincent-Akpu, said the Impact Assessment process in Nigeria has undergone substantial improvement and the association acknowledged the efforts of government, particularly the Federal Ministry of Environment and other regulatory bodies.
Vincent-Akpu however said the issues of environmental sustainability and climate change remained monumental.
“Conference such as this, equip professionals with the knowledge, awareness and the necessary tools to ensure that our environment becomes a better place.
“Thus, this conference brings together policy makers, industrialists, the academia and impact assessment professionals and regulators from the private and public sectors, to brainstorm and proffer solutions to challenges in the effective implementation of Climate Resilience, Financing and Environmental Sustainability.
“Collectively, we can achieve our shared goal of protecting the environment, a vision cherished by every environmental practitioner,” Vincent-Akpu said.