By Dopse Eberefiak
According to Martin Lurther King Jnr "If a section of the environment is polluted or mistreated, we all suffer. Everything is connected whether directly or indirectly".
Unarguably, environment, just as the economy remains quite essential to every nation. The environment harbors the natural resources for economic development.
In Nigeria, we have made good exploitation of our environment to the benefits of our economy. Prior to the discovery of oil in commercial quantity, Nigeria depended solely on Agriculture.
It was during this period that we had Groundnut Pyramid in the North, Cocoa House in the West, and Palm Products in the East.
It is on record, that it was through agricultural proceeds that the first Nigeria University was built, raw materials supplied to industries and the issue of unemployment was completely deleted on the economy.
The discovery of crude oil in Oloibiri, Rivers State in 1956 equally led to tremendous increase in industrial activities due to oil boom witnessed in 1970(s).
However, the exploration of oil, production and refinement in Nigeria over the years has resulted in unacceptable levels of toxic and dangerous industrial wastes and effluent emissions.
It has constituted to the degradation of the environment, devastating ecological and human disasters, ranging from oil spillage, gas flaring, habitat destruction, water and air pollution.
Beyond the environmental hazard linked to oil exploration in Nigeria, another major source of environmental pollution is the improper disposal of domestic wastes.
The source alongside ineffective management of municipal solid waste creates fatal environmental and aesthetic problems in most Nigeria Urban areas.
Indeed, it has become a common sight to find waste heaps along major roads and most cases blocking the roads and causing traffic congestion in the heart of city.
Consequently, in a bid to maintain clean and healthy environment, successive administrations have applied holistic approaches including enactment and reinvigoration of necessary environment laws, which either to, had not been invoked into used.
In the process, several organizations had been formed by government, cooperate organizations and private individuals, all in the bid to maintain healthy environment. Despites this proactive measures, environmental degradation has continued unabated.
It is against this background that this writer wishes to ventilate his opinions on the way forward in sustaining a healthy environment.
Truly, an objective analysis of the ugly environment we have found ourselves today indicates that if we must improve the quality of the environment, alongside proffering elastic solutions to issues of pollution, all hands must be on deck.
The spirit of sanity must be inculcated in our minds. We must stop littering the environment with dirt, as well as put an end to the ugly practices of dumping domestic wastes in gutters, streams and other areas that threatens healthy living.
Kicking against indiscriminate siting of industries in residential areas is quite recommendable, and more so, we must engage in regular cleaning of our environment to prevent accumulation of dirt, amongst other healthy practices.
Without much ado, we all must be guided that the issue of keeping and sustaining a healthy environment should not be left in the hands of government alone, private individuals, cooperate organizations has a role to play.
However we must commend private organizations such as the Nigeria Environment Society, NES, for keying into the course of protecting our environment.
Since her establishment and subsequent inauguration in Lagos State in 1985, she has earned a national recognition as the watch dog of the environment, due to her selfless sacrifices made in "NES-ting the environment for the future generations".
In Akwa Ibom State, the professional, nonprofit oriented and non governmental body, NES, has been quite committed to advocacy and actions towards environmental protection and sustainable environmental development by organizing regular seminars, sensitization programmes with focus on the younger generations, sanitary inspection in Local Government Areas, engagement in tree planting including donation of seedlings to University of Uyo, amongst other commendable inputs. Indeed, these are laudable steps other environmental related organizations must imbibe.
However, as the world roll out drums to mark this year's Environmental Day, NES like other environmental related organizations must be on the know that much work is still to be done.
Their activities must reflect on this year's theme "Connecting People to Nature", which implies getting outdoors and into nature, to appreciate its beauty as well as complimenting its importance by engaging the society in commendable activities such as tree planting, regular environmental sanitation, while equally serving as a reminder to the society that everyone must be part of the movement, through vigorous advocacy, campaigns and actions, "for we won't have a society, if we destroy the environment", says a renowned environmental expert Margaret Meid.
HAPPY WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL DAY!
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