Buhari, Our Environment, and the Way Forward

Buhari, Our Environment, and the Way Forward One of the reasons why I supported the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as President of Nigeria, is because to a great extent, it appears that he listens to the everyday cry of ordinary Nigerians. During his Inaugural speech, Buhari reaffirmed this line of thought when he recognised the efforts of youths who used the social media to propagate the message of 'change. It is indeed remarkable, that a 73 years old man, remembered to include that honest appreciation in his speech, even though it is a matter which is secretly trivialised by most elderly Nigerian politicians. Over the past few years, I have been queried by close relatives and friends of mine, with regards to why I seldom write about the environment via the social media. They argued that since I am an Environmentalist, Seafarer, and International Safety Officer, then my online activism ought to be centred around these areas. Being a man given to less arguments, I was never able to convince them as to why I chose to participate in enhancing Buharism rather than Environmentalism, at that time. I hope this piece can finally rest the case. The last administration in Nigeria was a non listening one, and those who dared to raise issues of urgent national importance were either tagged as enemies of Jonathan, South-South or Christians at large. Therefore, a lot of people stayed back, and watched from a corner. Some of us could not keep silent, hence, we joined forces with politicians, in order to bring someone who we could talk to into power. To cut the long story short, the environmental condition in our country, especially in the Niger Delta region, is in a very bad shape, hence, a continuous threat to the biological and spatial survival of citizens. There is an urgent need for the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government to take drastic steps in addressing the issues of deforestation, pollution, natural and artificial degradation of the earth surface, climate change, wildlife depletion, desertification, et al. Like many other reports, the UNEP report is a handy tool that will assist the President in initiating a speedy and effective approach towards reshaping our environment, in order to engineer a better living condition for us all. This is why the decision by President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government, to activate the recommendation of the UNEP Report in Ogoni land of Rivers State, was greeted by loud cheers from many Nigerians. I join them today in saying, "Thank you Mr. President. " But while I appreciate the President's current goodwill in Ogoni land, I will not fail to draw his attention to other areas of the Niger Delta region, and Nigeria at large, that need urgent and equal attention in other to remedy the inflictions of man-made environmental disasters, as well as to avert potential terrestrial dangers. From the incessant cases of oil spillage in fishing villages of Bayelsa State, cases of pipeline explosion in the coastal towns of Delta State, the rapid desertification in Northern States, to the ongoing deforestation in the South-Eastern States, the issue of environmental pollution and degradation cannot be overemphasised. I pray that the President will continue to write his name in gold, by reaching out to the suffering masses of Nigeria. You can also follow Solomon Okocha on Twitter @Okocha_info

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