NGO urges religious leaders to educate followers on environmental management to reduce violence

Fri, Oct 11, 2019
By publisher
2 MIN READ

Environment

RELIGIOUS organizations and leaders in the country have been urged to sensitize and educate their followers on the need for proper environmental management, to reduce conflicts and ensure sustainable livelihoods.

The call is contained in a communiqué issued on Friday at the end of a two-day conference organised by the Interfaith Mediation Center in collaboration with Ever Greening Network for Forest and Land Restoration, held in Kano.

The conference was on environmental peace and prosperity in Northern Nigeria through partnership with religious institutions to promote sustainable land management.

The communique, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna, was signed by Ahmad Jumba, Rev. Joshua Maina and Ustaz Abdullahi Sufi.

The participants said government at all levels should see to the need for the incorporation of environmental management education in the schools curriculum.

They also called on government to create workable poverty alleviation programmes for the masses.

The conference also recommends that Government should partner with traditional and religious institutions in the management and restoration of the environment.

“Government should provide and subsidise environmental friendly alternative source of energy.”

The participants observed that environmental degradation had limited resources for human and animals, thus leading to breakdown of law and order particularly in Northern Nigeria.

They identified ignorance and illiteracy, urbanization, population growth and lack of political will at all levels as factors contributing to insecurity in the region.

“Others are unregulated acquisitions of land by the privileged few, lack of access to farming and grazing lands, reduction in natural resources, shortage of fresh water for both human and animals usage, poverty, corruption, absence of alternative energy source.”

NAN reports that the participants were religious leaders drawn from 11 high risk environmental degradation states.

The conference was attended by the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, represented by Alhaji Yahaya Abbas, Dan Majen Kano, District Head of Gwale.(NAN)

– Oct 11, 2019 @ 12:55 GMT |

Tags: