Rivers: Varsity marks 2022 World Environment Day
…Man must preserve the environment — VC
Barth Ndubuwah, Port Harcourt
As environmental issues continue to dominate the global airspace, Department of Forestry and Environment, Faculty of Agriculture, Rivers State University (RSU) has taken it upon itself to mark the 2022 World Environment Day in Port Harcourt.
Declaring the event opened, the Vice Chancellor of RSU, Prof Nlerum Okogbule, tasked the people to always protect and preserve the environment for the overall interest of all.
Describing the environment as necessary for the survival of man, he urged the people to live environmentally friendly lifestyles.
Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) Admin, Prof Angus Okoroma, the VC frowned at a situation where the environment is continuously polluted by the activities of oil companies and man, calling for change of attitude.
The VC opined that the environment should be catered for daily and not in an annual ritual like the ‘World Environment Day’ ceremony.
“Environment should be taken care of on daily basis, so environment should not be remembered once a year,” Prof Okogbule said.
Also speaking, the Dean Faculty of Agriculture of the Rivers State University, Prof Data Ekine who said the environment is used to describe our surroundings, identified waste disposal, desertification and air pollution as key problems facing the environment.
She proffered water and electricity conservation, environmentally friendly practices, as well as tree planting as panacea to the challenges facing our environment.
Earlier in his speech, the Head of Department (HOD) Department of Forestry and Environment of RSU, Dr Franklyn Chukunda had said that the World Environment Day was significant because environment is controlled by man, so it is important to protect the environment.
Dr Chukunda said his department was therefore using the 2022 World Environment Day to sensitise the people on the need to protect and preserve the environment. He noted that one of the major tasks of man is to keep the environment green.
The HOD commended the VC of RSU, Prof Okogbule for all his support to the Department of Forestry and Environment, which he said made the programme possible.
This year’s World Environment Day with its theme, ‘Only One Earth,’ also featured lecture on, ‘Nature and Biodiversity Conservation’ delivered by Dr Jasper Eze.
