Non-Governmental Organisations Coalition on Environment (NGOCE) on Thursday said it was waiting for the outcome of the review of the Cross River Super Highway Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
NGOCE`s Executive Director, Dr Odigha Odigha, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Odigha explained that the super highway would run from Cross River to Katsina Ala in Benue.
NAN reports that NGOCE is made up of 50 Environmental NGOs.
Environmentalists and NGOs had protested the construction of Cross River Super Highway which led to the Federal Government`s issuance of notice to stop work until completion of EIA.
According to him, the coalition is among the many interest groups that made presentations at the review of the EIA report on the project.
“The Federal Ministry of Environment appointed a 13-man panel in 13 different areas of specialisation to review the EIA report on the Super Highway.
“National Conservation Foundation and Community Conservation on Environment Initiatives (CCEI) represented the NGOs constituency on the panel.
“Floors were open for people to make their contributions and NGOCE was adequately represented.
“We are waiting for the outcome of the review of the EIA, which will enable us to know our next line of action, “ he said.
He said that the expectation of NGOs and lovers of the environment was that whatever forests cover left in Cross River would be used maximally.
Odigha expressed regrets that the Milken Hill in Enugu was fast disappearing leaving erosion at its trail.
He said that there was need to extend the nation’s forest cover in the face of increasing population, especially now that wildlife and biodiversity were disappearing at a higher rate.