23rd August, 2011
In a determined effort to combat its menace, the Lagos State Government has developed a policy framework that will serve as template for combating climate change.
The policy framework, presented for validation at a stakeholders’ meeting declared open by Mr. Tunji Bello, Commissioner for the Environment in Lagos at the weekend, covered seven thematic areas namely Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management, Climate Change Mitigation and Low Carbon Economy, Climate Change Governance, Agriculture and Food Security, Human Settlement, Security and Health as well as Coastal and Natural Resources Management.
Those in attendance comprised public and private sector participants such as ministries of Information, Rural Development, Physical Planning, Agriculture, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) and civil society organisations.
The stakeholders did a critic of the policy document and commended Lagos State government for trailing the blaze in Nigeria through a policy framework on climate change.
They therefore urged government to accelerate the process of enacting the policy.
The Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental services, Ministry of the Environment, Dr. Titi Anibaba, described the meeting as very necessary, considering the nature, culture and location of Lagos.
The permanent secretary, who was represented by Head, School Advocacy Unit, Dr. Idowu Philips, said climate change was a global phenomenon, the effect of which included flooding and that Nigeria, particularly Lagos, was not left out in the effort to combat its effects as it is faced by flooding, food shortage and erosion.
Mr. Sulaimon Arigbabu of HEDA Resource Centre, said “Lagos State is currently developing a comprehensive policy that will provide an integrated approach to reducing vulnerabilities to climate change and also some framework for enhancing the capacities of all relevant stakeholders to implement measures.â€
—Kazeem Ugbodaga