Land Degradation, Desertification: Nigeria Marks World Environment Day, Says Progress being made

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The federal government has said Nigeria is making significant progress in addressing land degradation and desertification in the country.

Speaking at the celebration of the World Environment Day on Thursday in Abuja, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal said: “Through initiatives such as the Great Green Wall Project (GGW), Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) and Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscape (ACResal).

“Measures have been implemented through this programmes and projects to restore degraded landscapes, promote sustainable land management practices and enhance the resilience of communities to drought and desertification.

“We have strengthened partnerships with local communities, civil society organisations, and international partners to mobilize resources and expertise towards reviving our lands, ecosystem and the environment in general.”

He lamented that Nigeria like many other countries around the world, is facing significant environmental challenges, noting that the nation’s land resources are under immense pressure from a variety of factors ranging from deforestation, unsustainable land management practices and the adverse impacts of climate change.

He further said that “These challenges not only threaten the health and well-being of our people but also jeopardize the sustainability of our ecosystems and the prosperity of future generations.”

He then urged “all stakeholders to join the Ministry of Environment and other Agencies in our efforts to strengthen the enforcement of existing environmental laws and regulations with a view to preventing further degradation of our land resources.

“This includes promoting sustainable land use practices, enforcing land tenure rights and cracking down on illegal logging, deforestation, poaching and all other acts capable of destroying our natural environment. We must invest in the rehabilitation and restoration of degraded landscapes through afforestation, reforestation, and sustainable land management techniques that would enhance ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water filtration”.

In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mahmud Kambari, said: “Nigeria stands at the crucial juncture where the preservation of our land the resilience to drought and the fight against it is paramount to our sustainable development agenda.

He added that: “No single entity can tackle the complexities of environmental degradation alone. It is through partnership both local and globally that we can amplify our impacts.

“Let us harness the power of innovation, science and traditional knowledge to unlock solutions that will restore our land and enhance drought resilience and from what is application.”

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment, Senator Akintunde Abiodun in his goodwill message said, “the essence of the celebration is to remind us of the purpose of environment to preserve our yesterday’s heritage, to protect today interest and care for tomorrow’s hope.”

He added, that Senate Committee on Environment will continue to support all the activities that will enhance and protect land degradation.

The Federal Ministry of Environment in partnership with European Union and other notable organisations in Nigerian celebrate this year’s World Environment Day 2024 tagged, “land restoration, desertification and drought resilience”.

World environment day is a yearly event that is celebrated globally to discuss land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience. It’s tied in with bringing back healthy land, keeping desserts from developing, and managing water shortages.

Trees, healthy soil, and clean water are imperative for a solid planet and this in turn, help in creating more awareness about ecological issues faced by our planet.