Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has assured that his administration would support and implement all policies that would protect the mangroves areas towards mitigating the effects of climate change in the state.
Dr. Otti stated this during a visit by the Director General, National Council on Climate Change Secretariat (NCCC), Dr. Nkeiruka Maduekwe and her team in his office.
Represented by his deputy, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, Dr. Otti emphasized the need for proper management of the forestry through healthy agricultural activities in our environments.
Towards this direction, the Governor disclosed plans to set up six cocoa estates as part of adoption of Ecuador cocoa practice of planting cocoa in the forest and solar power generation to reduce the reliance on fossil fuel due to its pollution on the environment.
Dr. Otti acknowledged the effect of man made factors as responsible for depletion of the ozone layers and weather changes and assured of the state collaboration to mitigate the challenges.
He thanked the team for their promised support to the State in reviewing its climate change policy as well as implementing the climate change law.
In his address, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna said that the team was in the state as part of their assessment tour on how to conserve and protect the mangrove forests in the Niger Delta states.
Mr Ogbonna said that the state was ranked 8th in the climate change mitigation issues and thanked Dr. Otti for sponsoring the state contigent to the global conference last year.
In her remarks, the Director General of the commission, Dr. Nkeiruka Maduekwe said that their visit to the Niger Delta regions of the country was aimed at driving the restoration, conservation and protection of the mangroves and semi-mangroves in the states, stated that the key solution remains the operationalising the climate change fund.
The DG later presented the climate change Act to the governor
