PROPERTY TRANSACTION GUIDE

Govt, NIMASA partner on climate change campaign
By Tosin Fodeke

Guardian, Monday, 6th December 2009

THE Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has begun a series of sensitisation campaigns on climate change issues in partnership with the Federal Government.

Speaking at the commencement of the Strategic Nationwide Awareness Campaign on climate change titled 'Beyond Copenhagen 2009,' Director-General of NIMASA, Mr. Temisan Omatseye, said the campaign is a special initiative and collaboration between NIMASA and the Federal Ministry of Environment to inform, educate, encourage and sensitise the nation, stakeholders and relevant bodies in the country towards the Nigerian agenda.

He said the Federal Ministry of Environment and NIMASA are jointly developing a detailed action plan that will assist the nation in effectively communicating Climate Change issues to the Nigerian public and raise the bar from an unaware state to an environmentally aware and prepared people.

His words: "As a build up to Nigeria's preparation and participation at the forthcoming Conference of Parties (COP) and Meeting of Parties (MOP) coming up in Copenhagen, today's flag-off signals the implementation of the first phase (Pre Copenhagen) of the strategic National Sensitisation Campaign tagged "March Towards Copenhagen," while the second phase of the campaign tagged "BEYOND COPENHAGEN" (Post Copenhagen) is being worked on. This phase is expected to involve the National Orientation Agency (NOA)."

He added that the campaign, which is a response to the Climate Change challenge, would involve the full and active participation of every Nigerian in the build up to and beyond Copenhagen.

"As a nation, we need to build a strong partnership and collaboration in our efforts in combating this menace. It is our hope that the joint initiative between NIMASA and the Ministry of Environment to collaborate on this awareness project would further position Nigeria as positively contributing towards the effective management of Global Warming," Omatseye said.

He explained that the climate change phenomenon in Nigeria has been reflected in persistence drought, desert encroachment and water stress in the north; rising sea level and inundation of coastal lands by sea water in the south, while above average daily minimum and maximum temperature, increasing floods and erosion are being experienced all over the country.

He said changing rainfall patterns have the potential to devastate the rain-fed agriculture on which much of the Nigerian population depends to survive, adding that occurrence of drought will eventually lead to a decline in agricultural yields and diminished food security.

According to Omatseye, it remains unclear what the character of the new climates will be when fully established, stressing that there is no longer any major contention of the fact that climate change is a serious threat to poverty alleviation and sustainable development globally, and Nigeria in particular.