…Investment in Lagos gone beyond profit making – Hammond
By Moses Adeniyi
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has made a call to business stakeholders, investors, environmentalists, young people and all well meaning persons around the world to join hands in the fight to addresss the growing threats of climate change, while propelling efforts towards sustainable development.
His call came at the heels of the official launch of the “Trees From Art in Lagos State”, an initiative meant to incorporate efforts of young persons with innovative actions to facilitate campaigns of greener environment through coordinated measures.
The initiative sponsored by Solution17 for Climate Action in Partnership with Lagos State Government and the Delegation of the German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria, envisions a step towards planting of 10 million economic trees by 2030, tagged “#TreesFromArt”.
It aims to incorporate private investors to drive the funding by partenrship arrangements.
The initiative was anchored on demands for biodiversity and activities to reflect conscious changes in lifestyle towards greener environment as panacea to address threatening climate change around the world.
Speaking in Lagos at the official launch of the initiative, Governor Sanwo-Olu who observed the threats climate change portend to the society if actions were not taken frantically, said it was high time all joined hands in the campaign.
“We cannot and should not continue to fold our hands and watch our societies deteriorate as a result of climate change.
“We cannot continue to ignore or deny the harsh realities climate change is having on our environment whether, in agriculture sector and other essentials of life because the effects are obvious and visible to all,” Sanwo-Olu, represented by the State’s Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello.
According to him, the initiative is in sync with the “Naija Climate Change Now” plan to support climate change adaptation, green entrepreneurship, and environmental education in Nigeria.
“This initiative will also begin with Climate Education and planting of 100,000 trees in secondary schools,” he said.
“This will be a perfect opportunity to get our young adults take action and responsibility for the environment, while helping to restore green life quality in school communities and reduce the effect of climate change in our society,” he added.
He said “it was heartwarming that the initiative is aimed at mobilising young people as it will nurture them to care better for the environment, while preparing them as green innovators, creators and technologists for Climate Change.”
According to him, the State government has been giving attention to initiatives, programmes and policies that would protect the environment and also reduce the impact of climate change on the State, the Country and the world at large.
Mentioning the July 24 tree planting day set aside by the State to boost tree planting culture, he said such was paramount for a sustainable and healthy environment.
“While we are brainstorming on ways we can mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure our environment is clean, green, and free of harmful toxins, you will agree with me that the Government cannot do it alone,” Sanwo-Olu said, caling on all stakeholders, enviromentalist, and young people “to join the effort to make the environment safe, habitable, and green.”
…Investment in Lagos gone beyond profit making – Hammond
Speaking, Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Investments, Solape Hammond, said efforts by the Governor Sanwo-Olu led Administration have centred upon an ideology of building leadership roadmaps around climate change in line with the secular economy.
According to Hammond, the topographic and demographic characters of Lagos, have made the issues of climate change and rising sea level of critical concerns.
Mentioning that it was important for all partners to come together to propel the agenda of “climate change and green environment”, she averred there remains strong interconnectivity between the environment and human endeavours.
Hammond said within the umbrella of the Lagos State Volunteer Corp, environmental courses as tree planting, among other SDGs related activities on sustainable development and greener environment, have been taking place in the State.
According to her, the launch of the initiative was laudable one which strategically would be harmonised based on existing structures of sustainable environment parameters running in the State.
According to her, the incorporation of public schools to achieve tree planting cover were steps connectively synchronised with other standards of social impact actions including issues around zero hunger.
“There are a lot of innovations coming out of this conversation; a lot of progress.
“There is a lot of collaboration. There is leadership from the State Government, the State Governor, there is collaboration from all the ministries and agencies, and many others are very willing to always provide support.
“To get to where we all want to, we all have to go along together. It’s never going to be just the government, it’s never going to be just the NGOs, it’s going to be all of us pulling our different strength and working together,” Hammond said.
She appreciated the solution is created with young people and being implemented by young people, mentioning “It’s a serious initiative. They are doing what generation before them should have done, and its important we give them every support they require.
“Let’s amplify this, let’s contribute to it, let’s support this, to have a greater Lagos,” Hammond said.
According to her, the metamorphosis of the Lagos Global Office, the State’s Investment Promotion Agency, into the office of SDGs and Investments, was a decisive move to strategically give a framework to synchronise sustainable actions with investments.
According to her, the Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration’s perspective was borne by the intelligence to coordinate investment, fund raising and development partnership, within the framework of metrics and indicators to guide patterns along defined fulcrum for directions.
Mentioning that it was sacrosanct to take SDGs beyond the perspectives of mere corporate social responsibility (CSR), to synchronising same with building blocks with investment initiative, she said: “We are working to mainstream the SDGs, using those measures to guide ourselves. We make commitments and we work towards the commitments with clear actions.
“For us, Lagos has done a climate action plan and what that does is that, this identifies what we are committing, and then the rest of the world know what that commitment is, they know the actions we are planning to take, they then can look into those actions and turn them into bankable projects.
“It’s actually a great way to showcase to the world things are done sustainably. Things that are social Lagos, we are finding a way to make them business: Waste management is business in Lagos, healthcare management and education are businesses in Lagos, and also all thriving viable businesses that have social impacts.
“So that’s what we are trying to do from an investment perspectives. You can no longer make profits only, we have to look at the impacts on the environment, the impacts from sustainability perspectives, and the impacts on people from the social perspectives,” Hammond said.
In her remarks, the State’s Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, said it was important for all students and young people “to start their leadership journey now.”
Mentioning that changes to human habitat is fast growing with implications, she said “this is our home and we have to do something about it.”
She disclosed that the State Government comprehensive schools agenda have been designed to introduce in the curriculum system, career options among which agriculture as a core craft has been placed on point.
Adefisayo said thinking of hydroponics was important for the State which is now very constrained with limited land expanse for agriculture.
Delegate of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria, Katharina Felgenhauer, said while business remains key, they cannot be sustained without paying attention to addressing rising environmental challenges.
She expressed her Country’s commitment to enlarging investment scale in the Country, while working actively to have German companies and investors support the green revolution initiative.
German Consulate General in Lagos, Dr. Von Muenchow-Pohl, represented by Programme Coordinator, Commercial, Political, Cultural, and Press Section, Elele Ogunsanya, lamenting the scale of deforestation in Nigeria, said his Country was committed to support actions in pushing the climate change fight.
General Manager, LASPARK, Mrs. Adetoun Ibilola said the Agency established in 2011 to tackle climate change was committed to same with partnership on major initiatives, disclosing over 10 million trees have been planted in the State, but tracking same were efforts the Agency was working upon.
Managing Director and CEO, NMO Management Ltd, Dr. Ngozi Omambala said actions towards environmental protection and promotion for the circular economy was sacrosanct.
“It’s time for us all to wake up. Climate change is real on the African continent too,” she averred.
According to her, NMO Management is bringing climate change for action to the entertainment and creative industries with its brands and influence – as a well established youth focused organisation for the last 10 years.
In her remarks, the Founder and Project Director, Solution17 for Climate Action, Foluke Michael applauded the Lagos Government’s openness to such initiative of value with socio-economic impacts on the environment.
According to her, investment in education have seen State public schools becoming competitive with brilliant products showing bright fortune for sustainable development in the State.