The Executive Governor of Delta State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon (Elder) Sheriff Oborevwori has been selected as winner of the maiden edition of the Climate Change Champion Award by Nurses Across the Borders International.
This was made known to newsmen over the weekend during a courtesy visit to the Governor by the Executive President and Chief Executive Officer of Nurses Across the Borders International, Pastor Peters Omoragbon.
Oborevwori was selected ahead of his contemporaries due to his visible and impactful efforts in combatting Climate Change in his Delta State.
Oborevwori as a Governor ensured measures that were aimed at mitigating the impact of flooding to vulnerable areas within the state through the clearing of water ways and drainage system in the state. He has also ensured provision of Internally Displaced Camps to people displaced from their habitat as a result of the increased flooding in the state.
The Governor has also graciously accepted the invitation and assured of his physical presence at the COP 28 side event slated for November 11, 2023 at the Blue Zone SE Room on the theme: “Building Partnership in Promoting Public Health Through Ecological Restoration. What is at Stake?”
During the bilateral discussion, Pastor Omoragbon gave a brief historical perspective about Nurses Across the Borders as an NGO with incorporated Trustees in Nigeria and the United States of America as a not-for-profit entity. He said the body is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) and the First NGO from Nigeria to be granted Observer Status by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since 2004.
Omoragbon enumerated some of the existing collaboration between it and the Delta State Government especially on the area of Climate Change.
According to Omoragbon, in 2022, the Organization entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to partner with the Centre for Sustainable Development of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE-CSD) Effurum, Delta State on research and training activities on human and sustainable development. “The MOU was intended to bring to the fore the burning issues of climate change that are confronting sustainable development in the Niger Delta region as a result of oil exploration activities and human mismanagement of natural resources. As a research and training centre, the collaboration is to proffer mitigation and adaptation mechanism with other stakeholders towards enthroning sustainable livelihood and the ecosystem of Delta State,
“The negative impacts of climate change on the health of our environment from flooding, gas flaring, deforestation, waste mismanagement, erosion, loss of biodiversity, resources conflicts, migration, poverty and insecurity amongst others are also areas of intervention while seeking international partnership,” Omoragbon said.
In his Response, His Excellency, Governor Oborevwori, appreciated the visit and expressed the state’s desire to partner with major stakeholders both local, national and international in the development of the state.
According to the Governor, Delta State by virtue of being one of the major oil producing states of Nigeria suffers from the devastating effects of the climate change crisis, from flooding to gas flaring and increased pollution of farmlands and waters by oil pollution through exploration.
He gave account of the first action he took as Governor to mitigate the impact of flooding to vulnerable areas within the state earlier in the year through the clearing of water ways and drainage system in the state. The provision of Internally Displaced Camps to people displaced from their habitat as a result of the increased flooding in the state.
The Governor further expressed the interest and desire of the Delta State Government to mitigate climate change, mitigation and adaptation; he said the state is ready to partner Nurses Across the Borders and Federal University of Petroleum Resources-Centre for Sustainable Development in the areas of environmental sustainability
Governor Oborevwori also tasked multilateral organizations mostly the United Nations and her agencies to partner Delta State to mitigate her environmental challenges as a result of decades of unfriendly oil and gas exploration activities and human mismanagement of natural resources. He commended Desopadec for her interventions across communities in the state and the recent desitation of canals across the state to mitigate flooding while tasking Deltans and resident not to build on waterways as the state will not tolerate those who pollute the environment in anyway as it is environmental unfriendly to mismanage waste and frown at those who disposed waste indiscriminately on drainages and unauthorized places
To underscore the importance the state government placed on the issue of climate change mitigation and adaptation, the governor announced the approval of the attendance of the UNFCCC COP 28 event by the State full compliments delegation to be made up of the Honourable Commissioner for Environment and its Permanent Secretary (Dr Mrs Oseji Mininim Ibiere, Chairman of DESOPADEC, its Managing Director, and the State Director on climate change Ms Briggs Vivian Doye.
The Governor also graciously accepted the invitation and assured of his physical presence at the COP 28 activities being organized by Nurses Across the Borders and partners and to present the Keynote Address at its side event slated for November 11, 2020 at the Blue Zone SE Room on the theme: “Building Partnership in Promoting Public Health Through Ecological Restoration. What is at Stake?”
In company of Pastor Omoragbon was Deacon Odugala Okezi, the DG of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE) Centre for Sustainable Development.
Also at the meeting was the Honourable Commissioner for Environment Jamani Tommy Ejiro.
