Minister of State for Environment Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako has stated that it’s environment that drives our health, emphasizing that environment is everything that determines our livelihood.
Salako disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society led by its President Prof. Akinade Olatunji in his office in Abuja.
The Minister revealed that part of the strategies the Ministry of Environment is to strengthen the Planning, Research and Statistics Department ( PRS) to conduct research on the issues affecting environment.
“We need strategy and evidenced base solutions to sensitize and educate our populace on the issues of the environment such as flooding, pollution and erosion control,land degradation, logging of trees and climate change”.
“The Minister said we need to promote planting of trees, protect our forest against unlawful logging of trees, protecting our wildlife and ecosystem”, he added
He commended the President of the society and his team and assured them that the ministry is ready to partner, collaborate with organisation in providing lasting solutions to the environmental issues in the country and world at large.
Earlier, the President of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, Prof. Akinade Olatunji stated that his organisation is always ready to collaborate with the ministry and assist in achieving the ministry’s co- mandates of the Performance Bond signed with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Prof. Olatunji disclosed that Nigeria needs a holistic approach and not cosmetic approach to solving environmental challenges, emphasizing that his organisation is always ready to provide an enabling environment through its partnership and collaboration with the ministry.
The President however requested the presence of the Hon. Minister of State at their 59th Annual International Conference and Exhibition Jos 2024, scheduled for 18th-20th March, 2024.
He also used the medium to bring to knowledge of the Hon. Minister that the organisation would be holding its 39th International Conference on Environmental Geochemistry and Health with themes: Geo- environmental cleanup, soil Geochemical Survey and Environmental Contamination among others scheduled for 30th June-5th July 2024 in Abuja, Nigeria.
Ibrahim Haruna
Head (Press and Public Relations Unit)
