Experts seek action nn environmental protection

• Sea Pollution Becoming More Evident To Divers, Says Azem

The President of the Society For Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Mitigation (SETPCOM), Dr Funmilayo Doherty has called for concerted efforts towards the protection of the environment. 

She expressed worries that every Nigerian home is daily moving further away from natural connections.Dr Doherty, who spoke at a public lecture organised by the Society to commemorate the 2017 World Environment Day celebration with the theme: “Connecting People With Nature”, at the University of Lagos, said understanding the benefits of time in nature is very important, as studies have shown that spending time outdoors can reduce stress and attention deficit disorder, boost immunity, energy levels and creativity, increase curiosity and problem solving ability, improve physical fitness and coordination as well as reduced the likelihood of developing near sightedness.
 
According to her, stepping outside, especially with the children in your life is one of the best things one can do for oneself, family friends and the plants.Also Director Scuba Lagos and Lagos Jet Ski Riders Club, Mr Houssam Azem said with the pollution washing off our lagoons into the ocean, plastics take hundreds of years to disintegrate and affect marine life. 

Mr Azem, who refuted reports that some plastic polythene bags cover divers’ faces at the bottom of the ocean, said the Gulf of Guinea is a spawning ground and with unchecked commercial fishing and pollution pumping out to sea, the chain is being broken, and the result is less and less fish.

This, he said, becomes more and more evident to divers every time they are out at sea.For the Managing Director, Rainforest Limited, Mrs. Emamoke Chris Dare, Nigerians should try to mimic nature in order to protect the environment.She noted that imbibing green infrastructure is one of the ways to mimic nature and preserve creation.
 
Speaking also, the founder of the Society and Professor of Zoology, Adebayo Otitoloju, said collective efforts from Government, Nigerians and NGOs are needed for the protection of the environment.
 
He said the call became necessary because over 600,000 deaths occur worldwide every year due to the effect of climate change, while 95 per cent of these deaths take place in developing countries.He, however, said government must be at the forefront in the move to protect the environment because they are the only one that can direct us through the right policies.
 
He said: “Individuals have their roles to play but government, NGOs and all of them have very important role to play as members of the same global society.”Prof Otitoloju, said people need to do the simple things by connecting to nature, not only on environmental issues, but for their health consciousness because when people tend to move towards nature, they tend to have better health statistically.

For the Safety, Health and Environmental Manager, Network Group Division, MTN Nigeria Communication Limited, Mr. Fyneray Mbata, connecting people to nature implores us to get outdoors and into nature, to appreciate its beauty and its importance, even as we heed the call to protect the earth that we share.

According to him, billions or rural people around the world spend every working day connected to nature and appreciate fully well their dependence on natural water supplies and how nature provides their livelihoods in the form of fertile soil.
 
He regretted that humans are among the first to suffer when eco-systems are threatened, whether by pollution, climate change or over exploitations, which erodes precious biodiversity and threatens the survival of elephants, rhinos and tigers as well as many other species.