Press Releases

Fashola Flags Off Third Summit On Climate Change
…Charges global community on need to reinvent strategies towards environmental sustainability by 2015

Feb 8, 2011 - Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Tuesday flagged off the third Lagos State Summit on Climate Change with a challenge that every citizen of the world should retool and reinvent strategies towards ensuring the attainment of environmental sustainability before 2015 as spelt out in the Millennium Development Goal number seven.

Governor Fashola who spoke at the opening ceremony of the Summit with the theme: "Charting a Road Map for Combating Climate Change in Nigeria" held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island added that the Summit will attempt to assess the success of efforts at tackling the climate change so far.

Said he: "Our development efforts must take sufficient cognizance of environmental sustainability as truly no effective and meaningful development can thrive and survive without a healthy environment".

Governor Fashola said climate change has remained a peculiar problem that has continually put world leaders on their toes over the years and has also been the cause of major disasters experienced by the world in recent times.

He listed the calamities to include flood, heat, mudslide, landslide, harsh weather condition, desertification, adding that the gathering marks another struggle to rescue the planet earth from the looming dangers currently ravaging the global space.

"It is a struggle to correct our errors, a struggle to save global citizens from the approaching ecocatastrophe- I mean the effort to save posterity from the consequence of errors for which they are not responsible"

While giving an insight into why Lagos is playing a leading role in addressing the Climate Change crisis, the Governor said given its topography, Lagos is highly prone to some of the vagaries of climate change especially flooding and coastal erosion.

Other parts of the nation are equally being ravaged by desertification and flooding which are capable of displacing people thereby increasing the population of Lagos State unprecedentedly, he explained.

He recalled the experience of the nation last year with flooding and erosion which claimed several lives, livestock, farm produce in Zamfara and Jigawa States.

He stressed that although the magnitude may not be as serious in Lagos State as it was in some Northern States, but the man hours lost and the excruciating pains the people endured when the sea level rose and led to the Ogun River overflowing its banks and virtually disconnected a whole division of the State from its daily interactions with other parts is better imagined.

"A lot of people were displaced from their homes and had to be relocated in our relief camp at Agbowa where life is going on for the inmates. The lesson to be learnt there is that what happened may be a tip of the ice berg if urgent steps are not taken to stem global warming", he said.

Noting that pro-active action by all concerned can help mitigate the adverse effects of Climate Change, the Governor explained that the combustion and carbon emission which was being experienced in the Olusosun dumpsite has now being solved with the place now green, adding that many areas of Idi- Araba which used to be affected by flooding has been taken care off.

He said in the last one year, the State Government has intensified its awareness campaign and collaborated with many Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as Nigerian Conservation(NCF), Human and Environmental Development Agency (HEDA), UNIDO, UNDP among others to identify potent groups who can help drive the message to the grassroots.

Governor Fashola also said the administration believes that advocacy will facilitate better understanding of the assosciated risks and what should be done to mitigate and adapt.

He reiterated that the recent kick off of the carbon train in Lagos State by the Federal Government is a strong indicator of the readiness of the State to champion the cause for a stronger environment revival and restoration.

In his words: "We have planted more trees to cleanse the air and reduce carbon- dioxide, we have expanded areas of collaboration which facilitated the removal of shipwrecks on our water ways by the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). We have also intensified efforts at putting drainage channels in place for effective storm water management and protecting the wet lands from abuse".

"We are investing in more relief camps, safety information advocacy to improve our preparedness to save lives and property when unpredictable reaction of nature sometimes overwhelm our best endeavors. In same vein, our emergency response has been strengthened to ensure effective and timely response in time of emergency", he explained.

The Governor said it is imperative that everyone begins to implement the recommendations of the several international conferences and meetings that have taken place in the last two to three years by thinking globally and acting locally.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Muiz Banire sid it is no longer news that African countries contribute less to the discharge of Green House Gases into the atmosphere, but ironically they suffer the most.

He added that the ugly and imbalanced scenario justifies Lagos foregrounding in responding to climate change challenge through awareness while unraveling the best mitigation and adaptation strategies.

"As a proactive Government we have taken steps in addressing environmental problems and these include effective management of wastes, flood and coastal erosion. We have also built our advocacy program through workshops, seminars, public lectures, media campaigns, climate change and waste water summits, tree planting, land reclamation, landscaping and beautification, campaign against desertification through the desert warriors, control of land, water, noise and air pollution", he explained.

In a goodwill message from the Governors Forum which was read by the executive director, Mallam L.O. Shittu, the Forum commended the Government of Lagos for pioneering the climate change initiative and advocacy thus creating a veritable platform of ideas for all stakeholders in the country.

He said the Nigeria Governors' Forum, conscious of the desire to create effective awareness has decided to host annual climate change competitions among the States with the competition evaluation criteria focusing on climate change awareness, waste management, flooding adaptation, policy/legal framework, capacity building, storm water/erosion control, tree planting and desertification control programme.

In another goodwill message, the Deputy British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr Robin Gwynn, commended the State Governor for his farsighted approach which has ensured that decision makers have been seeking coherent policies that can address Nigeria's vulnerability to climate impact like desertification with her status as an OPEC member.

He added that the United Kingdom believes that climate change must be addressed at the global level.

"On the global level too, there is a need to shift investment urgently from high carbon business-as-usual to the low carbon economy which means building an essentially decarbonised global economy by mid century", the Envoy said.

Also in a message delivered through a representative, the UNDP Resident Representative/ Resident Coordinator, UN Systems in Nigeria, Mr Daouda Toure commended the dedication of Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and his Commissioner for Environment, Dr Muiz Banire to the cause of Climate Change

He explained that tackling Climate Change is not an option but a necessity for Africa because of the Continent's vulnerability and exposure to multiple weather related stresses.

He added that over 70 percent of Africans live in the rural areas and are largely dependent on rainfall agriculture for their livelihood.

In a keynote address, the inaugural Professorial Fellow of the Future Leadership Institute(Wall Street Journal Europe), Dr Kenny Tang who spoke on the topic: "Towards Capacity Building for Weather-based Disaster Hedging and Disaster Derivates" said for all disasters, governments at all level must create a buffer by being the insurers of last resorts.

"Unless we all act decisively now, we will see more and more disasters due to unplanned urbanization and environmental degradation, Dr Kenny Tang warned.

Prominent among those who witnessed the event were the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, members of the State Executive Council, environmentalists, members of the diplomatic Corps, and an array of distinguished personalities.