NAN-AE-10
Support
By Vivian Emoni
Abuja, July 20, 2017 (NAN) Ms Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), on Thursday pledged the support of the UN for the projects and programmes of the Federal Ministry of Environment.
Mohammed conveyed the support when the UN team and a delegation from the African Union (AU) visited the ministry in Abuja.
She said that the UN wanted to know the level which the ministry had reached in the execution of its projects and programmes.
Mohammed, who was the immediate-past Minister of Environment, thanked the management and members of the ministry for the cooperation they gave her during her stint as minister.
“But our mission here today is also about women; the peace and development of the people of this country.
“That is a very good reason why this high-level team from the UN and the AU is here in the ministry; it is all about women, peace, development and security.
“The whole mission to Nigeria is about women, peace development and security and when we met the Acting President (Prof. Yemi Osinbajo) yesterday, we had an opportunity to talk about women, peace and security.
“However, our meeting with the management of the ministry is to know the crucial issues which the ministry is facing such as the cleaning up of Ogoniland and women issues in the Niger Delta.
“The issues also include the situation in the North East and the herdsmen-farmers conflicts because these are part of the issues that will bring about development; we need to tackle one issue after the other.
“Our working together with the ministry is on development; how central it is in empowering women and the initiatives that have been executed.
“I want to hear from you what your ministry is expecting to enable the UN to assist the ministry and give better support for its development programmes,’’ she said.
The UN chief underscored the need to empower the women and promote peace and security in the country, adding, however, that one could not talk about women empowerment and development issues without mentioning the environment.
“All of these go with the environment; so this is one of the opportunities to work together for the development of our country,’’ she added.
Responding, the Minister of State for Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Jibril, said that the visit was an opportunity to bring about practical improvements in the ministry.
He noted that the foundation which Mohammed laid at the ministry had been a guide in the efforts of the ministry to achieve its mandate and objectives.
He said that the official handling the Ogoni clean-up just returned from Geneva where he had a meeting with some international agencies.
He said that the meeting was to seek assistance on the way forward, while facilitating the implementation of the clean-up programme.
“The institutional structures are there for the clean-up of Ogoni; by now, we have received all the necessary things needed from the Ministry of Budget and National Planning and the Head of Service.
“We have also discussed with some of the senior government officers who are in a better position to ensure the effectiveness of the operation,’’ he said.
The minister, however, said that the budgeted funds for the project were not adequate; adding that the ministry would manage whatever that was made available to execute the project effectively.
He thanked the UN for its commitment and support for the efforts to implement the projects and programmes of the ministry. (NAN)
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