The Minister of Environment, Alhaji Balarabe Abbas Lawal, has embarked on a familiarisation tour of departments and agencies under the Ministry of Environment.
A press statement by the Head of Press and Public Relations Unit (PPRU), Suleiman Haruna, said the tour has enabled him to interact with various staff under the ministry to understand the role and function of each department and agency.
While at the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), Lawal pleaded with the management and staff to work together as a team as this would serve as a formidable platform to achieve their core mandates.
Speaking further, the minister said there should be a workable collaboration between the management and staff.
He called on the directors to keep training the upcoming ones and no one should see himself as an Island, adding that for any department or agency to survive it requires dedication, loyalty and commitment.
Earlier speaking, the Director General of the NEWMAP, Mr. AY Anda, highlighted the core mandates of the Project.
He appreciated the minister for being the first ever minister to grace the office since it’s creation.
Pointing out some challenges militating against the project to the minister, the DG said EIB is yet to get to the federal government of Nigeria with the reversed clean copy of the Financing Agreement, adding that this has been delaying the project take-off and the declaration of the project.
Anda also requested the minister to use his good office to intervene by reaching out to his counterpart, the minister of finance to prevail on EIB headquarters in Luxembourg to conclude on the amendment of the Financing Agreement and declare the Disbursement Effective for immediate project takeoff activities across the state and at the federal level.
While at the Forestry Department, the minister promised to make the department one of his priorities and ensure it becomes a formidable source of income to the ministry and country at large.
In her remark, the Director of Forestry Department, Mrs. Hajara Sami, listed the departments and units that are under her supervision and their core responsibilities.
She highlighted some of the challenges facing the department as deforestation by the foreigners, illegal wildlife trade and felling of trees in the country.
Sami pleaded with the honourable minister to use his good office to address the issues.
While at the National Council on Climate Change (NCC), the minister thanked the Director General, National Council on Climate Change, Dr. Salisu Dahiru, for a job well done.
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is so much interested and so passionate about the project, and he (minister) is ready to render any needed assistance to ensure success in the Council.
The minister, however, asked the management and staff of the council to accord Dahiru the necessary support he needed.
Earlier, Dahiru had expressed his joy over the familiarisation tour of the minister to the council.
“For over one and half years we have never seen a brighter day than today. No minister has ever visited the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC),” he said.
He appreciated and promised the honourable minister a maximum support throughout his tenure, adding that the honourable minister’s fatherly role, humility and simplicity would not be taken for granted.
As part of his familiarisation tour, the minister also visited Green House and met with directors of Pollution Control and Environmental Health (PC&EH), Department of Climate Change (DCC) and Erosion, Flood and Coastal Zone Management (EFCZM).
