In a clarion call for environmental action, experts in environmental sustainability have highlighted the imperative of land restoration and ways to halt desertification and combat drought.
The event was held on Wednesday during the 2024 Environmental Week, organised by the Nigerian Institution of Environmental Engineers, NIEE, a division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE.
World Environment Day is celebrated annually every June 5 to spotlight environmental challenges and encourage awareness and action for the protection of the environment.
The event also witnessed the inauguration of an environment campus club, “Eco Vanguard,“ a club that sees the achievement of sustainability of environments on campuses of tertiary institutions and secondary schools.
Speaking at the event, the Director of the Quality Assurance Directorate at the Polytechnic Ibadan, Dr. Durodola Ogunesan, stated that this year’s theme for World Environmental Day, “Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience,” brings to the fore the need to sincerely and sustainably secure, conserve, and protect our totality of environment against all sorts of hazards and diseases plaguing the planet, combat the challenges, and safeguard the health of our present and future ecosystems.
He further added that to overcome the menace of environmental problems like land degradation, desertification, and drought, sustainable implementation of regional development plans at various state levels must be considered.
He also stated that other measures to be considered to restore the environment include the preparation of city master plans for urban areas and the preparation of rural development plans at the local community level.
Ogunesan also noted that to foster sustainable land restoration and environmental protection in Nigeria, the reduction strategies of natural and human individual disasters must be seen as an integral part of the larger development concept and not as an isolated subject.
He stressed that regional physical planning, development plans, and other items should be prepared and sustainability implemented.
Ogunesan emphasised the need for governments, organisations, communities, and learned societies to invest in vulnerable resources to protect the environment.
He, however, advised on the need for an effective town planning service and the planting of trees to rescue the physical environment from all sorts of menaces.
Also, in his presentation, Dr. Taofeeq Yekinni of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ibadan, explained that desertification has affected over a billion people across more than 100 countries.
He added that it is a critical concern for engineers and environmental professionals to design and implement sustainable solutions to combat problems associated with the environment.
“The impacts of land degradation and desertification are far-reaching, leading to food and water scarcity, loss of biodiversity, increased poverty migration, and increased frequency and severity of droughts, among other issues.”
He emphasised the need for stakeholders to understand the multifaceted nature of the problems and collaborate across disciplines to address them.
Yekinni, however, concluded that environmental engineers, with expertise in sustainable design, water management, and renewable energy, play a crucial role in mitigating the effects of the problems of environmental degradation.
Other speakers at the event include the acting head of the Department of Wood Products Engineering, University of Ibadan, Dr Temidayo Omoniyi, and Professor Peter Abegunrin of the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso, who also spoke on land restoration to achieve a sustainable environment.
In his speech, the Chairman, NIEE, Oyo State Chapter, Dr. AbdulWasiu Ajagbe, explained that the event is organised in commemoration of 2024 World Environment Day, usually held on the 5th of June, and World Environmental Week, which began on Sunday, June 2nd, to June 8th, 2024, which is an annual event usually organised by the group in celebration of the environment.
He said this year’s theme, “Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience,” is about being conscious of how we use the land, which made NIEE organise a series of events and activities in celebration of 2024 World Environment Day with programmes such as symposiums where experts from different fields, including engineering, town planning, and agriculture, discuss the theme of this year’s World Environment Day.
“In addition, the NIEE Oyo state chapter has also officially inaugurated the Eco Vanguard Club, an environmental campus club at The Polytechnic Ibadan, being the third to be officially inaugurated to enlighten students regarding the environment,” he concluded.
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