Federal government yesterday inaugurated seven board of agencies and institutions under the supervision of the ministry of environment, with a charge on members to deliver on the target of better and sustainable development goals on environment.
Presenting certificates to the chairmen of the boards in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi charged the members of the boards to bring to bear their experiences in order to achieve the mandate of the ministry, centred on protecting and sustaining good environment for the country.
He said the members were carefully selected based on their track records, maintaining that with their dedication and commitment to the task before them, the ministry will attain its feat on environment.
The minister further called on relevant stakeholders to join hands with government in efforts to achieve a better and safe environment.
He said: “As we are aware, the Federal Ministry of Environment was established with a vision to ensure that Nigeria, as a country, develops in harmony with her environment and mission to ensure environmental protection and natural resources conservation for sustainable development.
“Based on these two pillars, the Ministry has the mandate to secure a quality environment conducive for good health and wellbeing of citizens; promote sustainable use of natural resources, restore and maintain the ecosystem and preserve biodiversity.
“It is the duty of the Ministry, therefore to develop policies that are tailored at achieving the mandate of the Ministry as it were. To meet the set goals, the Agencies and Institutions under the Ministry were established by enabling laws to implement the various policies and programmes aimed at promoting a sustainable environment and preserving the biodiversity of the ecosystem.
“It is important to note that to successfully implement these policies and programmes generated by the mainstream Ministry to meet the internationally acceptable set goals of the environment sector, competent hands are required to manage these Agencies and institutions.
“This is where you come in, ladies and gentlemen. You have been nominated to the Boards of the various Agencies and Institutions based on your competence and experience in the environment sector.
“To this end, I call on every individual either as member or representative of another MDA on the Boards to bring to bear their experiences in taking critical decisions especially, as they have to do with the overall mandate of the Ministry.
“Let me emphasize that the role of the Governing Boards is to drive general policy formulation for the implementation of the Management Teams of these Agencies. The general principle is that Board Members are not involved in the day-to-day running of the Agencies, except for Chairmen and Members who are statutorily saddled with executive functions.
“At this juncture, your synergy and cooperation especially with those saddled with day to day running of these Agencies and institutions cannot be over emphasized.
“Let me seize this opportunity to call on all stakeholders in the environment sector to work with this newly inaugurated Board to ensure a desirable and sustainable environment for Nigeria.
“It is important to note that Nigeria’s position on sustainable environment at the international and local levels has been applauded and it is our vision to carry out the National Agenda in tandem with the SDGs so as to lead the country to the path of Green Growth and sustainable development.
The board of agencies and institutions inaugurated were, National Park Headquarters chaired by Ysisuf Shehu, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan under the chairmanship of Amunudden Abba Ibrahim, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, National Environmental Standard and Regulatory Engagement Agency, Environmental Health Council of Nigeria, chaired by Tonye Long-John, and National Biosafety Management Agency.
