Ogun inaugurates committee on climate change
Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta
Determined to provide strong platform that will ensure that the state is well prepared and fortified against direct and indirect effects of global warming on its economy and the social well being of the people, Ogun State government has inaugurated an inter- ministerial committee on climate change.
The 19 member committee which is domiciled in the Ministry of Environment has representative from Ministries of Forestry, Agriculture,Works and Infrastructure, Education, Science and Technology,Transports , Industry,Trade and Investment, Ogun State Waste Management Authority, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Community Development and Cooperative, Rural Development, Nigeria Meteorological Service as well as Ogun State Emergency Management Agency.
Inaugurating the inter-ministerial committee in Abeokuta, the Acting Commissioner, Ministry of Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya said the committee is to facilitate efforts at mitigating carbon emissions in all sectors.
The committee is also to help the state to adapt to the effect of climate change as well as harness economic and green growth opportunities arising from the change and encouraged public awareness and action on climate change.
Oresanya noted that the earth is experiencing increasing intensity of unprecented extreme weather events such as heat waves, flood, wild fires, drought, disruption and almost unpredictable rainfall pattern with migration of animals and vectors with concomitant advent of novel diseases that are pandemic in nature.
He explained further that the state had to take the lead in Nigeria by setting up the inter-ministerial committee to tackle the climate change problem.
He therefore charged members of the committee to take their assignment with high level of commitment such that it will result to providing the State Government the much needed response to climate change in term of policy development, legal frameworks as well as statewide plan of action and multi-sectoral programmes and projects especially in the area of adaptation, mitigation and communication.
Responding,the Secretary of the committee who is the Director of Special Duties and Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, Mr Olatunji Egbemuyiwa thanked the State Government for finding members worthy of the important assignment and pledged their total commitments.
