NAN-AE-7
Land
By Ebere Agozie
Abuja, March 10, 2017 (NAN) Mr Smart Mbagwu, the National Publicity Secretary, Nigerian Environmental Society, says sustainable development of the nation’s dry land is a collective responsibility of all citizens.
Mbagwu said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
He said that land degradation, drought and desertification had presented inexorable challenges to sustainable development of dry land.
“In Nigeria, millions of people rely upon the land as a vital source of life; this natural asset is not only the basis for food security and agricultural production, it also generates employment.
“Environmental management is, therefore, everybody’s responsibility; we all have vital roles to play in our various fields to create more employment opportunities and strengthen the rural economy.
“Most Nigerians are dependent on land for their livelihoods; yet, 40 per cent of the land resources are presently degraded, thereby increasing poverty, hunger, unemployment, forced migration and conflict,’’ he said.
Mbagwu said that deliberate strategies should be initiated to tackle the detrimental social, economic and environmental impacts of land degradation and desertification on the citizenry.
“Both poverty and desertification are persistently gaining ground in Nigeria and eroding the few economic gains which we have managed to attain.
“They (poverty and desertification) exacerbate climate risks, particularly drought and flood; although numerous initiatives have been enunciated and implemented to defeat these challenges,’’ he said
The ecologist, however, called for a framework of action for rural development to address land degradation and desertification which would enhance food security and support communities to adapt to climate change.
“To ensure the success of the framework, local community participation and ownership are central to the planning, implementation and management of most projects that support its objectives.
“Desertification is certainly one of the greatest ecological disasters in Nigeria, with propensity to undermine the socio-economic development of the entire country.
“It has, in the frontline states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Zamfara and Yobe, threatened the livelihoods of over 40 million people.
“The people depend heavily on the fragile ecosystems for rain-fed agriculture, fisheries, and livestock management to sustain their livelihoods,’’ he said.’
Mbagwu stressed the need for a dynamic change at the grassroots level by empowering the affected rural population and rescuing them from the shackles of poverty.
He noted that the socio-economic challenges facing the people had forced some people to destroy or decimate the natural resources in their neighbourhoods; all in the name of survival.
Mbagwu, therefore, underscored the need for the introduction of pragmatic measures to address the challenges.
“These, among others, should include land rehabilitation and natural resources conservation, poverty alleviation as well as strengthening food security.
“They should also include employment generation, livelihoods enhancement and enhancing the capacity of communities to improve their resilience to climate change and climate variability,’’ he said. (NAN)
EPA/MOL/OOK
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Edited by Mustapha Lamidi and Dayo Komolafe