The Nigerian Conservation Foundation in Lagos on Thursday urged the government and the populace join the crusade to save the country from continuous environmental pollution and degradation.
The Director General of the foundation, Mr Muktari Aminu-Kano, said this while addressing the media at the Earth Forum Exhibition and Awards organized by AS and A Communication in Ikeja.
The theme of the event was: ”Fostering Sustainable Corporate Social Responsibility and Focusing on the Environment, Educational and Developmental Legacies”.
Aminu-Kano said that everyone had a role to play to save the Nigerian environment from pollution and hazards, adding that Nigerians should have attitudinal change towards sustainbale environment.
“The government, private sector and the non governmental organizations need to work together to sustain a good environment.
“All of us as individuals have a role to play in protecting our environment.
”As individual, there are basic attitudes that are not good for the environment.
“Simple things like drinking pure water and throwing it on the road, destruction of trees, killing of wild life species over consumption of bush meat, dredging of sand from our rivers and others.
“Not doing all these will reduce environmental pollution, so there are lots of ways we can change our attitude towards saving the Nigerian environment,” he said.
Aminu-Kano further urged the government to put the right laws and regulations in place with incentives and enabling environment to make things happen.
“The civil society needs to mobilise the general populace and build examples of some of the project that will work,” he said.
He noted that a healthy environment was important, adding that everyone depend on a healthy environment to thrive.
According to him, in spite of the technological advancement, ”we are still dependent on a healthy and vibrant environment for our food, cloth, shelter, energy among others”.
The convener of the event, Yeye Adenike Shobajo, while speaking with journalists, said that the organisation was established to create awareness for people and corporate organisations to give back to the society.
“We have done this for almost 20 years now and we have had a lot of high networth people and organisations that are still partnering with us.
“I hope other people will see what we are doing and join us.
“When we reach out to them, I hope they will join us to ensure that the needful is done to touch the lives of people.
“There are so many areas where we can do social responsibility to touch the lives of the non privileged,” she said.
She expressed the hope that everyone would come out together to make the country great through cooperate social responsibility.