Delta State Government to Partner Nurses Across The Borders International on Climate Change
By Cyriacus Nnaji
It is now public that the Delta State Government will partner Nurses Across The Borders International for the purpose of combatting Climate Change in the state.
This was made known during a courtesy visit to the Governor of the state, His Excellency, Rt. Hon (Elder) Sheriff Oborevwori over the weekend by the Executive President and Chief Executive Officer of Nurses Across the Borders, Pastor Peters Omoragbon.
The visit which was facilitated by the Chairman of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Commission, Chief Barrister John Nani Obukohwo and the Managing Director Mr Festus Ochonogor, was designed to find areas of collaboration in combatting Climate Change in Delta State between the Nurses Across the Borders and the state government.
Omoragbon spoke on the existing relationship between the state government and his organization saying that in 2022, his Group entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to partner with the Centre for Sustainable Development of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE-CSD) Effurum, Delta State on research and training activities on human and sustainable development. “The MOU was intended to bring to the fore the burning issue of Climate Change that is confronting sustainable development in the Niger Delta region as a result of oil exploration activities and human mismanagement of natural resources. As a research and training centre, the collaboration is to proffer mitigation and adaptation mechanism with other stakeholders towards enthroning sustainable livelihood and the ecosystem of Delta State.”
He stated that the negative impacts of climate change on the health of the environment from flooding, gas flaring, deforestation, waste mismanagement, erosion, loss of biodiversity, resources conflicts, migration, poverty and insecurity amongst others are also areas of intervention while seeking international partnership.
Amongst the benefits accruable from the partnership between the Nurses Across the Borders and the state government, according to Omoragbon is that “It would afford His Excellency the opportunity to promote the government’s activities in the areas of clean energy, sustainable activities within the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria.
“Strengthen the existing relationship with the government on a more robust engagement that will attract international funding and support of team of experts to the state, that will help build upon the good work of the administration in terms of climate resilience, mitigations and adaptation strategies. For the first time in the existence of the UNFCCC process and negotiations “Health” has been made an issue in the final agreement of parties at the COP 27. Delta State can pioneer actionable activities in line with the COP 27 Agreement going forward, he stated.
In his Response, His Excellency, Governor Oborevwori, appreciated the visit and expressed the state’s desire to partner with major stakeholders both local, national and international, in the development of the state.
According to the Governor, Delta State by virtue of being one of the major oil producing states of Nigeria suffers from the devastating effects of the climate change crisis, from flooding to gas flaring and increased pollution of farmlands and waters by oil pollution through exploration.
He gave account of the first action he took as Governor to mitigate the impact of flooding to vulnerable areas within the state earlier in the year which includes the clearing of water ways and drainage system in the state, and the provision of camps to people displaced from their habitat as a result of the increased flooding in the state.
The Governor further expressed the interest and desire of the Delta State Government to mitigate climate change, mitigation and adaptation; he said the state is ready to partner Nurses Across the Borders and Federal University of Petroleum Resources-Centre for Sustainable Development in the areas of environmental sustainability
Governor Oborevwori also tasked multilateral organizations mostly the United Nations and her agencies to partner Delta State to mitigate her environmental challenges as a result of decades of unfriendly oil and gas exploration activities and human mismanagement of natural resources. He commended Desopadec for her interventions across communities in the state and the recent desitation of canals across the state to mitigate flooding while tasking Deltans and resident not to build on waterways as the state will not tolerate those who pollute the environment in anyway as it is environmental unfriendly to mismanage waste and frown at those who disposed waste indiscriminately on drainages and unauthorized places
The Governor also accepted invitation extended by Nurses Across the Border to attend the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP 28) in Dubai.
In company of Pastor Omoragbon was Deacon Odugala Okezi, the Deputy DG of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE) Centre for Sustainable Development.
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Also at the meeting was the Honourable Commissioner for Environment Jamani Tommy Ejiro.
