Minister says Tinubu committed to environmental sustainability
Port Harcourt -- The Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Ishaq Salako, says President Bola Tinubu prioritises issues concerning environmental sustainability under the Renewed Hope Agenda, hence remained committed to restoring the Ogoni environment through the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP.
Salako also said the Federal government was fully behind HYPREP on its ongoing mangrove restoration project in the fight against climate change, saying that mangroves were important in the sequestration of greenhouse gases.
The minister, who stated these when he visited HYPREP project sites in Ogoni, explained that the ongoing construction of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, was the biggest project being carried out by the Federal Ministry of Environment.
He further disclosed that the government was planning a lot in terms of how to tackle the challenges of oil pollution, which was common in the Niger Delta as a result of exploration activities.
He said: "The environment has become a very important issue in global discourse these days, because of the realization that unless we sustainably handle the environment, all of us (humans) will not have anywhere else to go.
"So, we are taking the environment very seriously and I can assure you that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has prioritised the issue of the environment; if look at his Renewed Hope Agenda and his eight priorities areas, you will see a very impactful apposition that he has placed on the environment including what HYPREP is doing."
The minister, who also planted 10 trees at the Birabi Memorial Grammar School in Bori, said he has resolved to personally plant at least 50 trees across the country before the end of 2024.
"The Centre of Excellence is the biggest project which the Ministry of Environment is carrying out today anywhere in Nigeria. It also qualifies as the second biggest project of the Federal government in the SouthSouth region of Nigeria, after the EastWest Road,” he stated,