The Vice Chancellor of Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Prof Ben Oghojafor has called on all critical stakeholders to make deliberate efforts in addressing climate change noting that as part of efforts to address the menace, the University has commenced tree planting, afforestation and land reclamation to combat land degradation and improve drought resilience.
Prof Oghojafor represented by the Vice Chancellor Administration, Prof Christopher Chukwuji, made the call in Asaba at an event hosted by the institution in collaboration with the State Ministry of Environment and Centre for Culture and Environment Promotion to mark the 2024 World Environment Day with the theme: Operation Clean Our Surroundings.
Prof Oghojafor explained that land degradation poses significant challenges globally as twenty-five percent of the earth’s land is degraded due to deforestation, unsustainable farming, urbanization and mining among other human activities thereby disrupting ecological balance and depriving humans of essential ecosystem services.
“Nigeria faces widespread land degradation with drought sand dunes and desertification prevalent in the North, soil erosion in the south. Desertification, the reduction of vegetation in dry lands, significantly impacts arid and semi-arid regions” He lamented.
Dr Oghenero Ovharhe, Associate Professor in the Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Dr. Johnson Okorie and Dr. Chineme Ifuwe of the Surveying and GeoInformatics Department of the University also delivered different papers in line with the theme of the event.
Delta state Head of Service, Mr Reginald Bayoko, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mrs Minnie Oseji while declaring the event open, told participants that the state government is determined to plant one million trees annually in Delta state to protect the environment and also desireous of donating seedlings to Deltans to encourage tree planting and called for the adoption of modern agriculture practices to prevent desertification, degradation and drought.
President of the Centre for Culture and Environment Promotion, Dr Patrick Okpah highlighted the dangers of deforestation on humans and called on all stakeholders to adopt pragmatic approaches to mitigate the consequences.
Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics, Prof Robert Dode later unveiled the stickers on behalf of the Vice Chancellor to serve as reminders and pointers for environmental protection just as Mr Bayoko and other principal officers of the university participated in the symbolic tree planting campaign.
