By Joy Ude
A Non-Governmental Organisation(NGO),called Community Environment and Development Network(CEDEN)has on Thursday seeked for collaboration of stakeholders in environment to promote nature conservation values in rural communities
Mr Menidin Egbo, the Organizational Coordinator of the group made the call during an Essay Competition organised for University students by Habitat Protection and Sustainable Development Initiative in collaboration with Environmental and Chemical Services Company to commemorate World Environment Day(WED 2024)in Bori Khana LGA in Rivers.
Egbo said that the world environment day with the theme “accelerating land restoration, drought resilience and desertification progress” reflects the role of indigenous people in strengthening ecological governance through environmental education in rural communities.
Egbo noted that the Habitat Protection and Sustainable Development Initiative (HAPSDI) in conjunction with Environmental and Chemical Services Company and CEDEN as partners fully subscribe to the United Nations effort to formally mark the world environment day.
Egbo expressed that the celebration was targeted at raising conservation and environmental awareness to move the world to where benefits could be counted and be derived from collective actions in strengthening environmental governance, values and practices.
“We won’t hesitate as part of today’s celebration to call for more collaborative effort to enhance local contributions to sound environmental management by encouraging indigenous people’s traditional roles in promoting nature conservation values in rural communities.
“We must mention here his incessant concerned-voice over “what was simply a mere forest degradation and deforestation in recent years, but has now become large-scale forest invasion of ecological violence in magnitude.
“We surely need more voices on his observed “eco-violence” menace. Please, not only Wai-Ogosu should lament on what he termed “negative effects progressively eroding indigenous knowledge, values and practices of nature promotion, protection and preservation,”he said.
Egbo added that the critical thing for stakeholders was to work collectively toward enhancing contributions for improving indigenous people effort in advancing eco-governance to secure more benefits in biodiversity promotion through sound ecological management.
“We should not forget: we have no other place than planet earth to live.
“Moving collaboration and stakeholders’ target support to promote indigenous values and practices for improving conservation and environmental awareness would make significant difference in our part of the world,”Egbo stated.
The Group thank the current President of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Engr. Olu Wai-Ogosu, for his concerned voice over forest degradation and and deforestation over the years.
The group also thanked him for his generous role in providing funding support for the event.
Earlier,The MOSOP President lamented over the rate of forest degradation and deforestation in recent years that had spread in a large scale forest invasion of ecological violence in magnitude.
Wai-Ogosu also lamented on the negative effects progressively eroding indigenous knowledge, values and practices of nature promotion, protection and preservation.
The highlights of the event was the Essay Competition for students on the theme of WED 2024, organized by Habitat Protection and Sustainable Development Initiative in conjunction with Environmental and Chemical Services Company.
The essay competition was worn by three participants with the cash award of N75,000 for the first winner, N50,000 for the second winner and N30,000 for their person.