Lagos Deputy Gov Calls for Multi-faceted Approach to Address Environmental Challenges

Uchechukwu Nnaike

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, has called for sustained combined efforts to address the environmental challenges in the country.

He stressed the need for a multi-faceted approach which includes government intervention, community participation and international corporation.

Hamzat, who was the special guest of honour at the 68th annual conference of the Historical Society of Nigeria (HSC), held in Lagos, said post-colonial industrialisation and globalisation combined to expand issues of the environment. 

He was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Art, Mrs. Oloruntoyin Atekoja.

According to him, “the environmental condition during the pre-colonial era laid the foundation for many of the challenges that post-colonial Nigeria continues to face. These include deforestation, soil erosion, pollution, and the degradation of the ecosystem which are ongoing issues that require sustained combined efforts to address.

“The colonial era was characterised by the exploitation of natural resources for their benefit. The environmental consequences were often overlooked or disregarded in favour of economic gains. After independence, the country experienced rapid industrialisation and globalisation, and these all aggravated environmental issues.”

The President of HSC, Prof. Samuel Aghalino, in his opening remarks, noted that the theme of this year’s conference, ‘The Nigerian Environment Since the Pre-colonial Period’, was chosen to brainstorm on positive solutions to the nation’s challenges, and also advocate ways to reinvent the country’s position globally. 

“As a society, we are not unaware of the plethora of challenges faced by our over six decades old nation. For us as an academic body, we have chosen to saddle ourselves with the key responsibility of proffering viable solutions to our nation’s hydra-headed challenges. It is trite to observe here that all functioning nations are knowledge-driven. This explains our resolve to interrogate emerging but challenging issues woven around the Nigerian environment.”

Presenting the Kenneth Dike Memorial Lecture, the guest lecturer, and a Professor of History and Economics at the University of Port Harcourt, Ben Naanen, said there has to be clear decisive action by the government to address the issues of environment, especially as it relates to flooding, pollution of the ecosystem in Niger Delta majorly, and other parts of the country. 

“Right now the issues are environmental protection and environmental education. The awareness level is very minimal in this country. We have to create environmental awareness where people will take into their own hands the issue of the environment, and contribute to salvaging the planet. For example, the whole question of blocking the drains is part of what is responsible for flooding in Lagos State and major cities.” 

On the solutions to the environmental challenges in Niget Delta, Naanen stated that: “The Nigerian government and oil companies operating in the Niger Delta have to set up a major environmental programme to clean up the region.”