Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Environment, Hon Terseer Ugbor, has called the Niger Delta region to key into mangrove restoration as part of efforts to combat oil spill in the region.
Ugbor made the call shortly after the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the Delta State government and Serendib Capital in Asaba, the Delta State capital on Wednesday.
He said, “Today is a great day for environment conservation in Nigeria. What Delta State government does shows clearly that the government is environmentally friendly.
“Mangrove restoration is a global phenomenon, in Nigeria this is the first initiative by a state government to look at mangrove restoration as a whole.
“It has a lot of impact for ecosystem of the region and a lot of impact to the community for job creation, agricultural production among others.
“Not only basically to restore ecosystem but for the future generations and oil spill that happened in Niger Delta over the years, which eroded entire mangrove system and then completely destroyed ecosystem.
He said the initiative is good in the environment sub-sector for Nigeria and hoped that the signing of the MoU would be expanded across entire Niger Delta region.
He urged other states like Rivers and Bayalsa, which actually have the largest share of mangrove forest in the country to sign up to the program so that Nigeria can meet up global standard in terms of mangrove restoration efforts.
Speaking further, the Managing Partner, CEO Serendib Capital, Mr Radar Rizvi, said they are set to collaborate with Delta State government on a wide-scale mangrove restoration and conservation project in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.
He said the project would be the second-largest mangrove restoration project in the world.
According to the group’s estimations, the project has the potential to sequester and avoid just over five million tonnes of carbon emissions per year, and prevent the logging and removal of 250,000 hectares of forest.
The project would be a blueprint for further mangrove restoration projects across different geographies
Responding, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori commended all stakeholders for their visionary approach and unwieldy commitment to shaping a more sustainable environment for current and future generations.
He said the signed MoU was very critical to the restoration and preservation of mangrove forests and the entire ecosystem in Delta.
Oborevweri said, “Not only does this initiative prioritise environmental sustainability but also ensures local demands for job creation, infrastructural development, education and climate resilience structures.
“By dedicating these critical elements into the conservation effort, we are not only safeguarding our natural heritage, but also fostering social economy and enhancing our communities resilience to cope with changes that comes with climate change and deforestation on sustainable basis.”
