From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
House of Representatives has said it would hold an environment summit to brainstorm on current environmental challenges in the country, with a view to coming up with a robust legislative framework to address them.
Chairman, House Committee on Environment and Habitat, Hon. Obinna Chidoka, who stated this in Abuja, said the summit scheduled for the last quarter of this year would feature experts and stakeholders in the environmental sector.
Chidoka said the House was conscious of the serious threat posed to the environment by global warming, climate change, desertification, etc., noting that its commitment to coming up with a comprehensive legal framework to safeguard the environment.
According to him: “We are very conscious of the grave threats posed by such issues as global warming, climate change, desertification, oil spillage, erosion, estate management and gas flaring, etc.
“In the context of the House Committee on Environment, we realise the importance of ensuring that our legislative framework on environment is robust and comprehensive to sustain a virile policy framework for the environment governance and management.
“Governments and international organisations (IOs) across the world have made significant and widespread progress in development of polices and frameworks to meet the dynamic and increasing social, economic and environmental needs of mankind. Nigeria, has not been left behind in this respect
“As a way of complementing the effort of the Federal Government of Nigeria in advancing the fortunes of our environment, the House of Representatives, in furtherance of its commitment to ensure a comprehensive overhaul of the legislative framework for the environment in Nigeria, has proposed a national stakeholders summit on environmental law and policy.”
