Environment
SOCIETY for the Promotion of Peoples Right, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), has called on FCT residents to resist from activities that could worsen climate and other environmental pollution.
Mr Williams Osaze, the president of the organisation made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
Osaze said that the organisation had an Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) exercise in the FCT and discovered that Abuja was highly polluted, adding that the situation could affect the health of the people.
He said that Nigeria needed urgent intervention to tackle environmental crisis, through involving critical measures that would entrench and sustain climate action in the country.
According to Osaze, the residents and Nigerians as well should support the government to mitigate climate change and other environmental issues.
“It is time for us to act. It is time to protect, preserve, conserve and promote our environment. Climate change has become a threat to our environment and we cannot continue keeping quiet.
“We must take conscious and deliberate steps to reverse this menace as over millions of used plastics get into the environment as they are discarded immediately after used.
“It is time to change how we produce, consume and dispose of the plastic we use,’’ he said.
Osaze said that improper waste disposal, deforestation, gas emission and other environmental activities had caused extreme climate change thereby exposing life to the vagaries of nature.
He said that effective sensitisation of various communities on the impact of environmental crisis and benefit of plastic waste reduction through recycling would help to address the menaces.
Osaze expressed worry over nonchalance of some people toward waste recycling and management, adding that Nigerians should voluntarily take action by embracing the reuse of plastic system.
“Waste recycling, especially, plastic and nylon materials will take away 50 per cent of environmental pollution and reduce flooding in the area,’’ he said.
The president said that plastic pollution was caused by people`s negligence, adding that the waste were mainly generated from households.
He urged government at all levels; relevant stakeholders and individuals to collaborate and urgently implement programmes that would address environmental crisis in the country. (NAN)
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Tags: ERA Williams Osaze
