The Federal Government has urged international partners and stakeholders at national and subnational levels to rally behind its strategic prioritisation of environmental governance as a key pillar of national development.
Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, said the sector faces multi-dimensional challenges, including rapid urbanisation, resource depletion, poor waste management infrastructure, desertification, recurrent flooding, biodiversity loss, and climate change impacts.
Speaking at the inauguration of the chairmen of agencies’ governing boards, Lawal noted that the boards will serve as critical tools and institutional anchors for Nigeria’s domestic and international environmental obligations.
He charged the appointees to address these challenges through effective policymaking, stronger institutional collaboration, robust data systems, and efficient regulatory enforcement.
“As members of the Governing Board, your responsibilities include ensuring policy coherence, offering strategic direction, enhancing institutional performance, and promoting sound governance practices,” Lawal said, emphasising the need to maintain clear boundaries between governance and management functions in line with public service reforms.
Permanent Secretary Mahmud Kambari added that the boards must foster inter-agency collaboration and align policies with national and global frameworks such as the National Environmental Policy, the Revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, and the Green Economy Strategy.
“Our goal is to deliver measurable and transformative outcomes aligned with national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 6 on clean water, Goal 13 on climate action, and Goal 15 on life on land,” he said.
In his presentation, Prof. Vincent Onodugo of the University of Nigeria stressed the need for board members to align their actions with the ministry’s vision and mandates. Dr Daniel Omofoman called for strict adherence to a code of conduct, promoting integrity, professionalism, and accountability.
Those inaugurated include Senator Magnus Abe (National Agency for Great Green Wall), Mu’azu Rijau (National Biosafety Management Agency), Garba Muhammad (National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency), Ibrahim El-Sudi (Environmental Health Council of Nigeria), Abdulmalik Usman (Forest Research Institute of Nigeria), Chief Edward Omo-Erewa (National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency), and Dr Kingsley Ononugbu (National Park Service).
