Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has reiterated his administration’s commitment to partnering with relevant organisations to combat climate change and promote community acceptance of eco-friendly initiatives.
The governor stated this in Ilorin, the state capital, during a stakeholders’ engagement and sensitisation programme on the state’s Climate Change Policy and Action Plan, organised by the Ministry of Environment.
“The reality of climate change, though global, is now a part of our daily lives and livelihoods, especially due to unchecked human interference in the environment through activities such as indiscriminate tree felling for charcoal production, refuse burning, and waste disposal in water channels and drainages,” AbdulRazaq said.
Represented by his Senior Adviser and Counsellor, Alhaji Sa’adu Salau, the governor stressed that the consequences of environmental mismanagement go beyond poor community aesthetics. He said such negligence promotes disease outbreaks, reduces farm yields, affects food security, and threatens overall well-being due to erratic rainfall patterns and other climate-related disruptions.
“It is for these reasons that our government has been approving and implementing proposals aimed at tackling both the immediate and long-term effects of climate change.
“As a state, we are supporting the use of clean energy, such as compressed natural gas, and have paid relevant counterpart funds to participate in the World Bank-supported Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACRESAL) Project. Through this initiative, we are combating deforestation, reclaiming degraded lands, and promoting environmentally friendly agricultural practices,” he said.
The governor added that the engagement session was organised to align Kwara State with Goal 13 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which focuses on urgent climate action. He assured residents of his administration’s commitment to improving infrastructure, protecting communities, and ensuring sustainable living.
The event, themed “Fostering a Healthier Environment through Action on Pollution and Climate Resilience for Sustainable Living,” attracted key stakeholders in the environmental sector, including members of the State Executive Council, environmental experts, religious leaders, market leaders, transporters, and media practitioners.
In her remarks, the Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Nafisat Musa Buge, said the programme marked the final phase of the ministry’s efforts to engage the public and interest groups directly or indirectly linked to the environment.
She emphasised the urgency of addressing environmental challenges posed by population growth in urban centres.
“There is a need for stakeholders to take responsibility for waste management, noise pollution, proper water channelisation, and afforestation to improve carbon sequestration and environmental health,” Buge said.
Delivering the keynote address, Professor Emmanuel Oladipo, a climate change specialist from the University of Lagos, linked biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation to human activities such as deforestation, pollution, and unsustainable land use.
“Meaningful and sustainable economic development and environmental protection must be pursued simultaneously under a well-defined state agenda, aligned with global and national policies, using climate change as an entry point,” he said.
Other speakers included the Grand Khadi of Kwara State, Justice Abdullateef Kamaldeen (represented by Justice Abdulraheem Sayi); Prof. L.T. Ajibade of the University of Ilorin’s Department of Geography; Prof. Yusuf ‘Lanre Badmus of the University of Ilorin; Pastor Moses Ademola Popoola of CSMC District Headquarters, Ilorin; and Dr. Mahmud Yinka of Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Budo Egba.
