BEING THE SPEECH OF MRS. IBIM SEMENITARI, AG. MD/CEO OF NDDC AT 2016 WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
It is my pleasure and pride to make comments at this year’s World
Environment Day (WED) celebrations. This is so because of the
significance of this year’s celebrations to us in the Niger Delta region
and especially at the NDDC as it marks the beginning of the fulfilment
of the Federal Government’s promise to clean up the region, starting
with the strategic Ogoni clean-up exercise.
When we visited
Governor Seriake Dickson on April 12, at Government House, Yenagoa,
during our regional tour, he said, “For us in Bayelsa, our wealth is in
the sea.” That profound statement underscores the immense endowment of
the Niger Delta’s ecosystem. What is unfortunate however is how this
same resource is constantly abused and denigrated by repeated violations
brought about by decades of bad behaviour. From government, with its
weak regulatory frameworks, to oil companies and multinationals who do
business in the region, to communities and individuals, who for
different reasons wreak havoc, the environment in our region has taken a
hard beating.
Covering about 70,000 square kilometres, the
Niger Delta region is home to one of the largest wetlands in the world
and Africa’s largest delta. It has at least five distinct ecological
zones. These range from the montane and savannah belts in Northern Cross
River to the mangrove swamp forests, near the Atlantic coast, which
embody some of the last remaining untouched forest resources and centres
of endemism in Africa.
These bio-geographical attributes are
known to have created the complex and rich environment of habitats that
supported the evolution of its fantastically wide range of plant and
animal lives. Some say the Niger Delta is home to all of Nigeria's
endemic or near-endemic mammal species. Others say Niger Delta harbours
many locally and globally endangered species, and approximately 60-80
percent of all plant and animal species found in Nigeria.
However, the globally significant environment and biodiversity of the
Niger Delta are in grave danger. Some endemic fish species of the region
are in grave danger of extinction due to many reasons, including
environmental degradation and over-exploitation among others. Likewise,
some animal species such as the endemic African Monkey (Guenon species),
one of the world’s most beautiful monkeys found mostly in the West
African rain forest region (the Niger Delta Region inclusive), are at
the risk of extinction.
This is why we must all rise to the
daunting and pressing challenge of preserving our bio-diverse
environment for future generations. We all owe future generations a
responsibility to preserve the bio-diverse environment of the Niger
Delta. As the countdown begins for us to join people from across the
globe to celebrate WED on 5 June 2016, we all need to take part in
environmental action and become agents of change for positive impacts on
the planet. Today’s tree-planting exercise typifies such action.
This year’s theme is on the illegal trade in wildlife, which is eroding
Earth’s precious biodiversity, robbing us of our natural heritage and
driving species to the brink of extinction.
The NDDC is
statutorily mandated to tackle ecological and environmental problems in
the Niger Delta region. Evidently, the killing and smuggling of wildlife
constitute ecological and environmental problems. They also undermine
economies and ecosystems, fuel organized crime, and feed corruption and
insecurity across the globe.
Tackling the scourge of illegal
trade in wildlife requires concerted action. We need to understand the
damage this illicit business is doing to our environment, livelihoods,
communities and security. We must change our habits and behaviour so
that demand for illegal wildlife products falls. But it is not just the
demand for illegal wildlife that must fall. It is also the demand for
illegal crude, the destruction and vandalism of pipelines in the region.
Our ecosystem is our wealth, and the protection of our region is, first
and foremost, the responsibility of all who live and do business in the
region. Saying no to everyone who dares to destroy our environment,
whether they be government, corporations or individuals, is our
collective responsibility.
This year’s theme for WED – Go Wild
for Life – encourages each one of us to celebrate all those species
under threat and take action of our own to help safeguard them for
future generations. This can be about animals or plants that are
threatened within your local area as well as at the national or global
level - many local extinctions will eventually add up to a global
extinction! Whoever you are, and wherever you live, show zero-tolerance
for the illegal trade in wildlife and the destruction of our
environment, in word and deed, and make a difference.
According
to Roxanne Paul, “Every little bit helps. It's amazing how much you can
do when you choose to give a little bit of that natural habitat back.”
Thank you for your attention and God bless you."
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