President Muhammadu Buhari has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to implement the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) recommendations for the clean-up of Ogoniland and other parts of the Niger Delta, which have been damaged by crude oil spillage.
The President gave the assurance when he visited the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Kenya, where he called for more support to enable his administration clean up the region.
“When I came into office on May 29, 2015, one of the first tasks I carried out was to authorise the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) for the clean-up of Ogoniland.
“The devastation caused by oil spillage has destroyed many lives and livelihoods and is clearly, one of the reasons why many people in that region lost faith in government and resorted to the many criminal activities we are seeing in the region today.
“The action our government took to implement UNEP’s recommendations has given indigenes of the region hope that there are better days ahead.
“Let me, therefore, express appreciation on behalf of the Government of Nigeria to UNEP and other development partners for their cooperation and support on this very delicate matter and also request their continued support as we implement the recommendations and transform the fortunes of the region,” Buhari said.
The President applauded the outcome of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that held in Paris in December last year. He said the recommendations would benefit Nigeria.
“The commitments agreed in Paris will clearly benefit Nigeria and many African nations adversely impacted by climate change. We, therefore, look forward to their fulfilment and implementation.
“As the UN office in Nairobi gears up to host the 2nd session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2) this year under the auspices of UNEP, I would like to take this opportunity to further pledge Nigeria’s commitment to this very worthy cause of having a safe, secure and clean planet,” he said. President Buhari also said with half of the world’s population now living in cities, world leaders must give greater attention to the challenges of rapid urbanisation.
Resident Coordinator of United Nations Office, Ms Sahle-Work Zewde said the election of President Muhammadu Buhari in a free and fair election last year demonstrated the commitment of Nigerians to democracy as a system of government.
She described Nigeria as a “crucial member of the UN, a vital partner and a major contributor to UN peace-keeping operations.”