Minister reiterates FG’s commitment to conservation

Guest Speaker and Honourable Minister of Environment, Ms Amina Mohammed OFR (2nd right) receiving an award of Honour from Chairman of the occasion and Founder, Fight Against Desert Encroachment (FADE), Dr Newton Jibunoh (2nd left), with Chairman of the Council, Nigerian Conservation foundation (NCF), Chief Ede Dafinone (right) and Director General, NCF, Mr. Adeniyi Karunwi (left), at the 15th Chief S.L Edu Memorial Lecture organised by NCF in Lagos<br />

• Raises Concern Over Plight Of Vultures

The Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, has reiterated the commitment of the federal Government to conservation issues, assuring that her ministry will not relent her efforts to understand that the task is truly a collective responsibility.

Speaking at the 15th edition of the Chief S.L Edu Memorial Lecture held at the Bankers House, Victoria Island, Lagos, Mohammed, who was guest speaker said ecosystems are essential to human life, adding that our survival as humans depends on sustainable ecosystems, which provide us with food, water and clean air.

She stressed that the role of government in the sector is mainly catalytic, adding that programmes in the Ministry constitute the framework for a dynamic, evolving process for co-operation among stakeholders.

“I would like to appreciate the existing collaboration between Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and my Ministry and emphasise our resolve intention to strengthen our collaboration as we forge ahead to pursue the conservation of our nation’s natural resources with the aim of improving the quality of human life both in the present and the future,” she said.

In her lecture titled Last Nigeria Vulture: The Consequences For Human Health And The Economy, Mohammed, who is the UN Deputy Secretary-General Elect, informed that vultures play a very crucial role in maintaining a healthy environment and the wellbeing of humans, adding that they do not hunt live prey, but act as scavengers, feeding on the carcasses of dead animals.

“The acid in their stomachs is corrosive, facilitating the digestion of decomposing carcasses infected with diseases such as anthrax, cholera, botelinum toxin and rabies that would be lethal to other scavengers and people. Vultures are important indicators of poached activity as they are attracted to large carcasses such as those of poached elephants and rhinos; hence they are victims of poachers.”