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AN INSIGHT INTO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES IN ENUGU STATE PRESENTLY
Ifeanyi Ogenyi
Globally, environmental degradation is becoming increasingly evident.
Undoubtedly, it is a threat to human existence. These challenges may likely persist and even intensify unless drastic measures are taken by the government to protect the ecosystem.
It is a very critical role of the government to protect the environment and conserve natural resources.
The government responsibility with regard to environmental protection is enshrined in Section 20 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) which provides thus: “The State shall protect and improve the environment and safeguard the water, air and land, forest and wildlife of Nigeria”. Thus, the State’s power to protect and manage the environment is derived from the Constitution-“ the grand norm”.
The need for aggressive environmental protection and conservation of the natural resources in contemporary society and Enugu State, in particular, cannot be over-emphasized; and to drive this all-important mandate to an appreciable success, the government has to play invaluable roles.
In Enugu State, the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources is the Ministry saddled with the responsibility to oversee the environment and the natural resources in the State.
It used to be the thinking of most of the Enugu People and its residents that the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources is just all about waste disposal and cleaning of Enugu City (the ESWAMA job). This is because the critical roles of the Ministry have been in obscurity and the people have not felt their presence in other areas within their purview due to the indifferent attitude of the past administrations to the performance of the Ministry.
However, the story is different presently under the administration of Rt.Hon.Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who has appointed a man who knows his “onions” very well to head the Ministry in the person of Hon. Barr. Chijioke Edeoga, former Commissioner for Ministry of Local Government Matters. The notable reforms and track record of Hon. Chijioke Edeoga in the Ministry of Local Government Matters is numerous and indelible.
Hon. Chijioke Edeoga likes his boss Rt. Hon. Ugwuanyi possesses transformative leadership character such that whatever they touch, gets transformed. With the Midas touch of Hon. Edeoga in the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry is now back on track for optimal performance.
Enugu has been repositioned on the part of a serene, clean, conducive, and aesthetically pleasing environment.
Under the present administration, people have come to realize that the mandate of the Ministry of Environment goes beyond waste disposal and cleaning of Enugu City.
It is worthy of note that the present administration under Rt.Hon.Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has taken drastic measures to regulate and sanitize the chaotic outdoor advertising regime in Enugu through the establishment and inauguration of a new agency known as Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertising Agency ( ENSSAA). This new agency which is under the supervisory jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources is the first of its kind in the South East and the South-South States and its mandate amongst others is to bring order and restore the beauty to the skylines of Enugu. The agency is ready and passionate about sanitizing the signage and outdoor advertising in the State.
It is crystal clear that the present administration is fully determined and has demonstrated the ingenuity, capacity, competence, commitment, readiness, and the political will to give the Ministry a new leadership direction geared towards full actualization of the mandate of the Ministry which includes but not limited to wastes disposals, environmental pollution abatement, cleaning of Enugu City but also extended to general environmental protection, conservation of the natural resources and attainment of sustainable development.
Recently, due to the increasing and uncontrolled degradation of the natural landmarks and resources in Enugu, the Ministry took a bold step and issued a stern warning to those distorting our hills and deforesting our environment to desist from such un-friendly environmental activities or face the wrath of the law.
We have seen many of such nefarious and un-friendly environmental activities in the past years without any such action from the appropriate authority, but the present administration had the right person on the job is determined that things must be rightly done in the State.
This is the way to go and it is the right step in the right direction. We cannot continue to watch our environment collapse irredeemably.
The government should intensify its efforts and more drastic measures should also be taken to ensure that the environment and the natural resources are protected from degradation, deforestation, loss of biodiversity and unsustainable developmental activities so as to mitigate the environmental crisis and the effects of climate changes.
There are increasing human pressures on the ecosystem and this increase has counter-reactions on the environment. In this regard, the need for public support for environmental protection and conservation of natural resources is inevitable.
The people must play complementary roles as it will be wrong to think or assume that environmental protection and management are solely the responsibility of the government. All hands must be on deck for us to achieve appreciable success in environmental protection.
The fact still remains that environmental hazards have trans-boundary effects. They recognize no boundary, community, town, or village. Their effects have no respect for anybody irrespective of status, class, or social affiliation.
So the sustainability of natural resources is critical to ensuring rational uses, management, and conservation of the natural resources in Enugu State.
With the undiluted commitment, determination, insight, and inspiration of the present administration, there are clear and informed directions to environmental management; and hope is rekindled in Enugu with regards to living in a clean and conducive environment; and conservation of the natural resources in Enugu.
While we use the environment to meet today’s needs, let us not compromise the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs.
Indeed, Enugu State is working
Featured
NELFUND: The Renewed Hope Engine Propelling Nigeria’s Youth into Tomorrow
By Dayo Israel, National Youth Leader, APC
As the National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress, I have spent most of my tenure fighting for a Nigeria where every young person, regardless of their ward or local government, family income, or circumstance, can chase dreams without the chains of financial despair.
Today, that fight feels like victory, thanks to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). Launched as a cornerstone of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, this initiative isn’t just a policy tweak; it’s a revolution. And under the steady, visionary hand of Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr, NELFUND has transformed from a bold promise into a roaring engine of opportunity, disbursing over ₦116 billion to more than 396,000 students and shattering barriers for over a million applicants.
Let’s be clear: NELFUND was always destined to be a game-changer. Signed into law by President Tinubu on April 3, 2024, it repealed the outdated 2023 Student Loan Act, replacing it with a modern, inclusive framework that covers tuition, upkeep allowances, and even vocational training—ensuring no Nigerian youth is left on the sidelines of progress.
But what elevates it from groundbreaking to generational? Leadership. Enter Akintunde Sawyerr, the diplomat-turned-executioner whose career reads like a blueprint for results-driven governance. From co-founding the Agricultural Fresh Produce Growers and Exporters Association of Nigeria (AFGEAN) in 2012—backed by icons like former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Akinwumi Adesina—to steering global logistics at DHL across 21 countries, Sawyerr brings a rare alchemy: strategic foresight fused with unyielding accountability.
As NELFUND’s pioneer MD, he’s turned a fledgling fund into a finely tuned machine, processing over 1 million applications since May 2024 and disbursing ₦116 billion—₦61.33 billion in institutional fees and ₦46.35 billion in upkeep—to students in 231 tertiary institutions nationwide. That’s not bureaucracy; that’s brilliance.
Sawyerr’s touch is everywhere in NELFUND’s ascent. Since the portal’s launch, he’s overseen a digital ecosystem that’s as transparent as it is efficient—seamless verification, BVN-linked tracking, and real-time dashboards that have quashed misinformation and built trust. In just 18 months, the fund has empowered 396,252 students with interest-free loans, many first-generation learners who might otherwise have dropped out.
Sensitization drives in places like Ekiti and Ogun have spiked applications — 12,000 in a single day in one instance, while expansions to vocational centers in Enugu pilot the next wave of skills-based funding. And amid challenges like data mismatches and fee hikes, Sawyerr’s team has iterated relentlessly: aligning disbursements with academic calendars, resuming backlogged upkeep payments for over 3,600 students, and even probing institutional compliance to safeguard every kobo. This isn’t management; it’s mastery—a man who doesn’t just lead but launches futures.
Yet, none of this happens in a vacuum. President Tinubu’s alliance with trailblazers like Sawyerr is the secret sauce securing Nigeria’s tomorrow. The President’s Renewed Hope Agenda isn’t rhetoric; it’s resources—₦100 billion seed capital channeled into a system that prioritizes equity over elitism. Together, they’ve forged a partnership where vision meets velocity: Tinubu’s bold repeal of barriers meets Sawyerr’s boots-on-the-ground execution, turning abstract policy into tangible triumphs. It’s a synergy that’s non-discriminatory by design—Christians, Muslims, every tribe and tongue united in access—fostering national cohesion through classrooms, not courtrooms.
As Sawyerr himself notes, this is “visionary leadership” in action, where the President’s political will ignites reforms that ripple across generations.
Why does this matter to us, Nigeria’s youth? Because NELFUND isn’t handing out handouts—it’s handing out horizons. In a country where 53% of us grapple with unemployment, these loans aren’t just funds; they’re fuel for innovation, entrepreneurship, and endurance.
Picture it: A first-generation polytechnic student in Maiduguri, once sidelined by fees, now graduates debt-free (repayments start two years post-NYSC, employer-deducted for ease) and launches a tech startup. Or a vocational trainee in Enugu, equipped with skills funding, revolutionizing local agriculture. This is quality education that endures—not fleeting certificates, but lifelong launchpads. Sawyerr’s focus on human-centered design ensures loans cover not just books, but bread—upkeep stipends of ₦20,000 monthly keeping hunger at bay so minds can soar. Under his watch, NELFUND has debunked doubts, refuted fraud claims, and delivered results that scream sustainability: Over ₦99.5 billion to 510,000 students by September, with 228 institutions on board.
As youth leaders, we see NELFUND for what it is: A covenant with our future. President Tinubu and MD Sawyerr aren’t just allies; they’re architects of an educated, empowered Nigeria—one where poverty’s grip loosens with every approved application, and innovation blooms from every funded desk. This isn’t charity; it’s an investment in the 70 million of us who will lead tomorrow.
We’ve crossed one million applications not because of luck, but leadership—a duo that’s turning “access denied” into “future unlocked.”
To President Tinubu: Thank you for daring to dream big and backing it with action.
To Akintunde Sawyerr: You’re the executor we needed, proving that one steady hand can steady a nation.
And to every Nigerian youth: Apply. Graduate. Conquer.
Because with NELFUND, your generation isn’t just surviving—it’s thriving, enduring, and eternal.
The Renewed Hope isn’t a slogan; it’s our story, now written in scholarships and success. Let’s keep turning the page.
Dayo Israel is the National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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