By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Minister of state for environment, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako on Tuesday said that whatever the ministry is doing would not have optimal impact without Media publicity.
The minister stated this when he received the Managing Director of Nature News, Mr. Rasheed Yusuf in his office Abuja.
A press release by Ibrahim Haruna, Head, Press and Public Relations Unit of the ministry said Salako pledged during the visit that the ministry will collaborate with the Media on Environmental awareness.
“He further stated that the ministry’s policies and programmes required a lot of sensitisation and Media campaign in order to educate the general public on environmental sustainability and protection.
“The Minister disclosed that the Federal Government through the ministry’s 18 key deliverable areas planned to plant six million (6m trees) this year.
“He therefore urged the general public to plant at least one (1) tree per person to augment government efforts in greening the environment, emphasizing that animals and plants are very important in the ecosystem.
“Salako further revealed that the ministry would this year scale up its Media publicity activities and urged nature news newspaper to cue in and be part of the campaign, educating and Sensitization of the public on Environment.
“Earlier,the Managing Director, Nature News, Mr. Rasheed Yusuf, congratulated the minister on his appointment and solicited for more areas of collaboration between the ministry and his organisation.
“Yusuf stated that the Nature News as a media organisation has been rated as 1st in Africa and 13th globally in terms of the coverage of nature issues.
“He disclosed to the minister that the Annual General Meeting (AGM), of the Nature News is scheduled to hold on Tuesday, 27th February, 2024 at Yar’dua Centre Abuja and requested the presence of the Hon. Minister at the event.
“It would be recalled that Nature News as a Media outfit started it’s operation on 1st October,2020 covering environment, Agriculture, Water, Mining, petroleum sectors among others.
-Salako receives members of Geosciences society
Meanwhile, Dr. Salako has stated that it’s environment that drives health, emphasizing that environment is everything that determines our livelihood.
“Salako disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society led by its President Prof. Akinade Olatunji in his office in Abuja.
“The Minister revealed that part of the strategies the Ministry of Environment is to strengthen the Planning, Research and Statistics Department ( PRS) to conduct research on the issues affecting environment.
“We need strategy and evidenced base solutions to sensitize and educate our populace on the issues of the environment such as flooding, pollution and erosion control,land degradation, logging of trees and climate change”.
“The Minister said we need to promote planting of trees, protect our forest against unlawful logging of trees , protecting our wildlife and ecosystem”, he added
“He commended the President of the society and his team and assured them that the ministry is ready to partner, collaborate with organisation in providing lasting solutions to the environmental issues in the country and world at large.
“Earlier, the President of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, Prof. Akinade Olatunji stated that his organisation is always ready to collaborate with the ministry and assist in achieving the ministry’s co- mandates of the Performance Bond signed with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Prof. Olatunji disclosed that Nigeria needs a holistic approach and not cosmetic approach to solving environmental challenges, emphasizing that his organisation is always ready to provide an enabling environment through its partnership and collaboration with the ministry.
“The President however requested the presence of the Hon. Minister of State at their 59th Annual International Conference and Exhibition Jos 2024, scheduled for 18th-20th March,2024.
“He also used the medium to bring to knowledge of the Hon. Minister that the organisation would be holding its 39th International Conference on Environmental Geochemistry and Health with themes: Geo- environmental cleanup, soil Geochemical Survey and Environmental Contamination among others scheduled for 30th June-5th July 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria.”
