Environment

World Biodiversity Day: Experts urge FG to leverage on partnerships to promote biodiversity

Published

6 years ago

May 22, 2019

Some environmental experts have called on the Federal Government to leverage on all the available partners to promote the biodiversity.

The experts spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja as Nigeria joins the world to make the 2019 World Biodiversity Day.

Prof. Nasiru Idris, the Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, said that the celebration with the theme: “Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health’’ should be pursued by all.

This year’s celebrations of the International Day for Biological Diversity focuses on biodiversity as the foundation for food and health and a key catalyst to transforming food systems and improving human health.

“To preserve our biodiversity requires unprecedented global cooperation to strengthen and build climate change partnership with governments, NGOs, schools, religious organisations among others.

“Government policies alone cannot do it, the bottleneck in the ministries and agencies slow down the protection of our diversity, hence the need for government’s corporation with all and sundry, especially the private sectors.

“The theme of this year is very vital because it deals with our food because we can’t survive without food, so it aims to leverage knowledge and spread awareness on the dependency of our food systems, nutrition, and health on biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.

According to Idris, “biological diversity boost ecosystem productivity no matter how small species are, therefore, the more you have plant species, the more you get greater variety of crops.

“We need to provide and increase understanding and awareness of biological issues within and beyond our territory for sustainable growth and development as well as betterment of our future.

“Do you know that 40 per cent of the world’s economy and more than 80 per cent need of the rural population are derived from the biological resources?

“These resources are very important to human existence as our medical discoveries, economic development and adaptive responses are dependent on biological diversity as the richer the diversity of life, the greater the opportunity for resource utilisation.’’

Prince Ene Owoh, the National Coordinator, Clean-Up Nigeria, an NGO, said the partnership must lead to strategic framework for development that would stimulate and coordinate public/private sector activities to promote biodiversity.

“Therefore joining other nations in reversing the negative effects of the climate change will put more food on our table and provide quality of the life of the people of the nation.

“It is important that we get to know what climate change effects have on everyone us and how it affects developing countries like Nigeria and the potential effects on temperatures.

“If we don’t fight it and also farm right, the nation will be better off by focusing on social interface to address the menace of climate change.’’

Owoh advised that projects, which would protect the environment and reverse the harmful effect of climate change on the people and the nation should be encouraged.

“The projects should give concrete commitment to protect our environment and reawaken citizenship in addressing the issue of climate change.

“Government should therefore give more prominence to projects on flooding/erosion control in the South and desertification in the North.

“In addition to arrange for reduction of carbon emission projects such as renewal energy and energy efficiency nationwide,’’ Owoh added.

NAN

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Environment

Royal Commonwealth Society Kicks Off Clean Oceans Campaign in Nigeria

Published

3 months ago

July 8, 2025

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS), in collaboration with the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Commonwealth Games Nigeria, has officially launched the Clean Oceans Plastic Awareness Campaign in Nigeria, aiming to combat the growing threat of plastic pollution across the Commonwealth.

The campaign was flagged off on Wednesday at Jabi Lake, Abuja, with a strong message of environmental responsibility, especially for Nigeria’s youth.

The initiative is designed to raise awareness about plastic pollution, encourage proper waste disposal, and promote environmental stewardship—particularly around the country’s waterways.
Speaking at the launch, the Country Director and CEO of the Royal Commonwealth Society Nigeria, Mr. Blackson Olaseni Bayewumi, emphasized that the campaign is part of a global Commonwealth-wide effort to curb plastic waste and protect ocean ecosystems.

He highlighted the critical role of sports as a tool for engaging young people and driving meaningful change in environmental behavior.

“The Commonwealth accounts for one-third of the world’s ocean waters, and nearly half of its member countries are Small Island Developing States that suffer disproportionately from plastic pollution,” Bayewumi noted.

According to him, the Royal Commonwealth Society’s Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign aims to prevent at least one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waterways.

The campaign blends grassroots education with direct community action, urging people to reduce their plastic footprint, embrace alternatives, and promote cleaner oceans.

A major component of the campaign is its integration with the King’s Baton Relay—a hallmark of the build-up to the Commonwealth Games. In a groundbreaking move, the 2025-2026 relay will spotlight sustainability and environmental protection, beginning with its launch by His Majesty The King at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day 2025. The Baton Relay is now on a 500-day journey across all Commonwealth nations and territories ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

In each country, including Nigeria, the Baton Relay will bring together youth, athletes, local communities, and environmental groups for a week of activities—most notably, organized plastic clean-up drives.

The urgency of this campaign is underlined by alarming statistics: the world produces 400 million tonnes of plastic every year, with over 12 million tonnes ending up in the oceans.
Without urgent action, scientists predict that by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the sea.

Plastic waste poses a deadly threat to marine life—suffocating birds, fish, and mammals while damaging key ecosystems.

Moreover, as plastics break down into microplastics due to ocean erosion and sunlight, they enter our food, water, and even air.

Although the full health implications of microplastics remain unknown, early research suggests they may disrupt vital bodily functions—and there is currently no method to fully remove them from the environment or our bodies.
The campaign supports multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly:

SDG 12: Responsible, Consumption and ProductionSDG 13: Climate Action, SDG 14: Life Below Water

It also reflects the core principles of the Commonwealth Charter, especially: Article 9: Sustainable Development. Article 10: Protection of the Environment and Article 14: Recognition of the Needs of Small States

As the world grapples with escalating environmental challenges, the Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign represents a significant step in uniting nations, communities, and young leaders under a shared mission: to protect our oceans, preserve biodiversity, and build a cleaner, safer world for future generations.

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