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BY ALAPINNI BILIKISU ABIODUN
Lagos State Government on Thursday pledged total support for Delta State in its quest for waste management best practices.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, gave the pledge at the Secretariat, Alausa when he played host to a team from Delta State led by the Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Jamani Ejiro to understudy the State waste management processes and other environmental matters.
A statement signed by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said that knowledge sharing is essential for development if any State aspires to grow economically. He told the delegates that the Lagos State Environmental Protection and Management Law of 2017 is the bedrock on which the Ministry discharges its duties.
According to him, “No man is an island, interestingly, Delta and Lagos share some similarities because they are both coastal states”.
He explained that Lagos State has also over time modified its laws ranging from environmental impact assessment and waste management, saying it is pertinent to separate degradable waste from non-degradable waste.
Wahab, who provided answers to important questions from the delegates, added that synergy exists between the Ministry and its Agencies and has enabled a high level of cooperation among them.
Urging Delta State to replicate such synergy which would assist in achieving ministerial goals and moving the state forward, he explained that the Environment Ministry over the years ensured that different agencies have laws guiding their operations to achieve the set goals of a sustainable environment in accordance to the Agenda of the State
Wahab said the world has changed and everyone must put in place various measures to mitigate the adverse effects of global warming and other environmental issues confronting human existence.
“We must also construct very resilient infrastructure to take care of the adverse effects of global warming and most importantly, we must build up an advocacy for our people to change their orientation”, he said.
Speaking earlier, the Delta State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Jamani Ejiro said his State has been observant of Lagos’ achievements in tackling the environmental challenges the state was confronted with in years past.
He commended the State for its laudable initiatives, adding that Delta was willing to understudy these processes and also replicate the same in Delta State to ensure environmental sustainability.
He said his State is resolute in addressing environmental issues such as waste management process, combating climate change issues, environmental conservation as well as environmental education for the citizenry.
On his part, the Special Adviser on Environment to the Governor, Mr. Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu reiterated that Lagos being the commercial nerve centre of the country saddles the state with a lot of challenges in the environment sector.
He said Lagos frontally confronts these challenges and issues in the environment to sustain business activities in the state and this has been achievable through the expertise of officers in the Departments and Agencies of the Ministry.
Also Speaking the Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Engr. Mahamood Adegbite enjoined the visiting delegates to engage officials of the host Ministry and engender a synergy between the two States, adding that other states in the past had also formed alliances with Lagos on ways to improve waste management processes in their respective states.
