TheCable

Balarabe Lawal, the minister of environment, says the federal government will start a new community development in Ogoniland that will involve traditional institutions, youths and other stakeholders in the cleanup exercise.

Lawal spoke in Abuja on Thursday during a meeting with journalists covering the environment beat.

“We are going to be aggressive with the implementation of the projects in the environment ministry,” NAN quoted the minister as saying.

“We are going to start a new community development in Ogoniland where we will get the community involved in the cleanup–the traditional institutions, youths and stakeholders.

“Ogoni is just one out of other places in the country that has these issues of environmental pollution.’’

According to Lawal, it has been eight years that the cleanup of Ogoniland has been on and expressed optimism that the environmental challenges faced in the Niger Delta community would soon be resolved.

He said there are plans to curb desert encroachment with the help of the National Great Green Wall Agency.

“We have agencies like the great green wall that have been trying to address issues of desert encroachment and the planting of trees to discourage deforestation,” he said.

The minister added that the ministry would also collaborate to curb the activities of loggers.

On waste management, Lawal said the ministry would ensure that garbage is turned into wealth in the country, noting that state governments would also be partnered with to achieve this.

He assured Nigerians of prompt and determined implementation of environmental projects, adding that his ministry would collaborate with relevant stakeholders to deliver on its mandate.

“We are going to be aggressive with the implementation of the projects in the environment ministry,” Lawal said.