*****”WELCOME ADDRESS BY DR. (MRS.) MININIM OSEJI, PERMANENT SECRETARY DELTA STATE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 2024 WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY CELEBRATION ON WEDNESDAY 5TH JUNE 2024 AT PROF. CHIKE EDOZIEN SECRETARIAT ASABA.
Protocol
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the educational seminar to celebrate year 2024 World Environment Day organised by Delta State Ministry of Environment, Asaba in collaboration Midwestern Oil, Seplat, Delta Ecosystem Restoration Initiative and Chief Festus Ochonogor with the theme “Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience” as well as the slogan “Our Land Our Future”.
World Environment Day is celebrated on 5th June every year. It is the United Nations’ main mechanism for creating awareness and mobilisation of action for the preservation of the environment and has been celebrated since 1974, hence this is the 50th Anniversary.
World Environment Day is a veritable tool to achieving seven of the environment-related Sustainable Development Goals namely Goals 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15.
Land restoration refers to the process of halting degradation or rehabilitating degraded land typically through activities like reforrestation, soil conservation and the protection of natural resources. It aims to enhance biodiversity, restore ecosystems services, and mitigate climate change impacts.
Desertification and drought resilience indicate that in regions where the land has become barren and dry, something should be done in those places which have less influence on the environment.
We can promote desertification and drought resilience through reforestation, afforestation, water harvesting and management, practices, organic matter addition, diversified agriculture, avoiding sending toxic chemicals into water ways, use of non-toxic chemicals for cleaning, use of renewable energy sources as well as Reduce, Re-use and recycle.
It is in the light of this multi-disciplinary task that we have invited stakeholders from various sectors in the state to todays’s educational seminar.
It is also hoped that this would initiate partnership in Training, Research, Advocacy, Monitoring and Evaluation, Grant Writing, and Awareness Creation between the Ministry of Environment and other MDAs, training institutions, civil society organisations, businesses etc.
May I seize this opportunity to highlight some of the efforts implemented by the Ministry in preserving the environment. They include:
- Organisation Of Monthly Environmental Sanitation Exercise
- Territorial Approach To Climate Change (TACC)
- Recycling
- Green House Gas Inventory Programme
- Celebration Of World Environment Day And World Ozone Day Ozone Day
- Mitigating the Impact of Flood Disaster
- Tree Planting
- Awareness Creation in Reducing Carbon Footprint
- Environmental Conservation And Wildlife Management
- Participation In United Nations Framework Convention On Climate Change (UNFCC), Conference Of Parties (COP)
I implore all our invited guests to make a note to themselves on which of the strategies presented here they would take home for implementation right away.
At this juncture I would like to appreciate Midwestern Oil, Seplat, Delta Ecosystem Restoration Initiative and Chief Festus Ochonogor for their contributions in celebrating Year 2024 World Environment Day.
I also wish to thank His Excellency the Governor, Rt. Hon. (Elder) Sheriff Oborevwori for creating the enabling environment for our Ministry to contribute its quota in ensuring land restoration, as well as desertification and drought resilience.
I wish everyone a Happy 2024 World Environment Day.
Thank you all for coming and God bless.
Dr. (Mrs.) Mininim Oseji
Permanent Secretary
Delta State Ministry of Environment, Asaba