World Environment Day: Obaseki makes case for biodiversity, environmental protection, others.
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has charged environmentalists, community leaders and other stakeholders to continue to push for actions and legislations which promote best practices that would engender innovative solutions to poor waste management and ensure the preservation of the country’s biodiversity amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Governor Obaseki made the call in Benin City at the commemoration of the World Environment Day marked on June 5, each year, by the United Nations and its partners.
He noted that all hands must be on deck in the effort to safeguard the environment and preserve humanity, adding that the destruction of man’s natural habitat was paving the way for emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19.
Obaseki described the theme for the 2020 celebration, ‘Biodiversity’ as germane, noting that it was necessary to seek out solutions to infectious diseases in nature, as there exists much more secrets that are yet to be unraveled, especially in the face of the current pandemic.
The governor stressed the need to conserve nature and preserve the defining features of pristine flora and fauna, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He noted that human actions, including deforestation, encroachment on wildlife habitats, incessant waste disposal, and acceleration of climate change, have pushed nature beyond its limit, and we need to work collectively to stop the already accelerating biodiversity loss and preserve our environment in order to protect humanity and avert the collapse of food and health systems.
The governor assured that his administration would continue to prioritise the protection of the environment through conscious policies and programmes.
F.O Imuetinyan
F.I. C. Benin
