Environmental Stakeholders Decry Unchecked Mineral Extraction Posing Grave Ecological Challenges

Share

Stakeholders on the aegis of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), gathered at a national workshop in Abuja and decried years of unchecked and inadequately monitored mineral extraction in the country.

They also warned against the attempt to ignore the growing consequences of climate change which is posing great ecological challenge to Nigeria.

Dr Nnimmo Bassey, Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation who stated these in his opening remarks at the maiden edition of the Nigeria Socio-Ecological Alternative Convergence, said that for a country like Nigeria, if we decide to restore the environment, it will create enough jobs and enough wealth to occupy the youths in a clean way that will also change our mindset against destroying things.

                                                                   

Bassey also said that the deliberate destruction of the environment in the pursuit of urbanisation and industrialization, ineffective policy making and enforcement, and the growing consequences of climate change are now posing grave ecological challenges to the nation.

He noted that across every area, ecosystems are declining while communities are facing grave danger just as the future is becoming increasing uncertain, adding that in 11 states of Nigeria, there are noticeable increasing spates of drought and desertification that disrupt fishing, farming and herding livelihoods as well as driving a significant number of the population down the poverty ladder.

Dr Bassey, who is environmental activist, noted that the challenge has also resulted in severe health, sanitation and nutrition risks, stressing that the overall poverty and uncertainty engendered by drought-induced crop failures and water shortages, force rural populations to migrate, thereby triggering conflicts and creating socio-economic challenges.

Bassey stressed that without doubt, Nigeria stands at the forefront of critical socioecological challenges across every part of the country which is affecting all citizens, and intensifying at an alarming rate.

                                                       

He further said; “Over the past few decades, these challenges have grown significantly, resulting in a multitude of consequences that pose serious threats to the welfare and survival of the people”.

He quoted official government reports which states that the 2022 floods displaced over 1.4 million people, killed over 603 people, injured more than 2,400 and destroyed 82,035 houses as well as inundated 332,327 hectares of land.

He said; “The estimated economic loss occasioned by the flood was put at $9.12 billion or N4.2trillion”.

Bassey noted that elsewhere in the country, floods have become a near yearly occurrence, adding that since 2012, the pattern of severe flooding has persisted, with major incidents occurring almost annually.

According to him; “These floods are often attributed to heavy and prolonged rainfall, poor urban drainage systems, deforestation, and the release of water from dams.

“On the eastern landscape of the country, Nigeria is recording an unprecedented rate of deforestation. This is driven mainly by logging for timber and clearing land for industrial agriculture.

“According to the United Nations, Nigeria has the world’s highest and fastest rate of deforestation, with an estimated 3.7% of its forests destroyed each year. Nigeria’s forest cover has drastically reduced from about 40% in the 1960s to less than 10%.

“With the increasing spate of deforestation, the scenario is much worse today. Deforestation threatens biodiversity, disrupt community livelihoods, threaten wildlife and contributes to climate changes,” the environmental activist said.

Bassey also said that the Nigeria Socio Ecological Alternatives Convergence had been co-created with civil society organizations, frontline communities, activists and academics as a space for thinking, planning and acting to drive an alternative ecological blueprint for Nigeria- an alternative ecological approach that respects the right of mother earth, and protects the planet and its people.

In his words; “You know, working with nature also means investing in agriculture in a natural way. Investing in developing extension officers who will go to communities and help our local farmers to grow crops in ways that are not harmful”.

Speaking in turn, Prof. Chinedu Mwajiba, Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Environmental Study Action, said that one of the impacts of climate change is the unpredictability of weather variables.

In his words; “We have changes in rainfall regime in terms of commencement, cessation, intensity, and so on. We have frequency of occurrence of extreme events.

“You all notice it. You feel it. But there is also, the one I have not seen which I’m adding, based on my experience practically at rural levels with the work I do, is farmer confusion. Confusion is that nothing is predictable anymore.

“You can’t really come out and say rains will start here and end here anymore. Sometimes the rains start when they should not start and stop when they should not. So, there is no more pattern to anything.

                                                       

Highlight of the event was the presentation of the Nigeria Socio Ecological Charter that highlights the key ecological challenges across the country and presents a policy pathway that is both progressive and protective of the planet.

According to Bassey; “The Charter represents a powerful call for a fundamental transformation of Nigeria’s socio-ecological landscape. It outlines a vision and plan for creating a sustainable, fair, and balanced society that prioritizes the well-being of individuals and the preservation of the natural world.

“The Charter presents a clear roadmap towards achieving our collective vision for our ecological wellbeing, firmly grounded in the values of fairness, inclusivity, and long-term sustainability.” Bassey said.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply