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US Embassy Raises Concern Over Nigeria's Poor Air Quality

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja 


R-L : Chairman of Environmental Media Correspondents Association of Nigeria (EMCAN) Comrade Chuks Oyema presenting EMCAN's Action Plan to the Spokesperson of the United States Embassy, Mrs Jeanne Clark in Abuja yesterday. PHOTO BY CHIKA OKEKE. 

The Spokesperson of the United States Embassy, Mrs Jeanne Clark has expressed concern over poor air quality in Nigeria caused by harmful substances in the environment especially the PortHarcourt soot. 

She stated this in Abuja yesterday when she received a 6-man delegation from  Environmental Media Correspondents Association of Nigeria (EMCAN) led by its Chairman, Comrade Chuks Oyema, who were on a courtsey visit to the Embassy. 

 To this end, she promised to collaborate with the association in addressing critical environmental issues in Nigeria, just as she urged EMCAN to focus on five priority areas in the environment such as deforestation, flooding, plastic and air pollution, waste management and recycling. 

She encouraged the association to come up with a proposal of not more than five pages, saying that there's is a need for EMCAN to engage the services of non-governmental organisations that handle environmental issues for effective implementation of its action plan.

Clark assured EMCAN that the Embassy is willing to invite speakers from Washington to enlighten Nigerians and other stakeholders on environmental issues and climate-related challenges. 

Earlier, the Chairman of EMCAN, Comrade Chuks Oyema solicited the support of the Embassy in carrying out Climate Change Awareness Project (CCAP) in Nigeria, adding that the association is well-positioned to implement environment-friendly policies in the country. 

He stated that the association would produce and publish news and features on key thematic areas of climate change such as land degradation and deforestation; flooding; waste management; plastic  pollution; desert encroachment, gully erosion and among others.

According to him, "Although Nigeria, and indeed Africa, contributes the least to global carbon emission, the country is vulnerable to climate change, which manifested in extreme weather conditions like the recent heat waves that affected the entire 36 States of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)."

Oyema regretted that while millions of Nigerians are suffering untold hardships from the extreme weather conditions, that majority of the population continued to indulge in unsustainable environmental practices like felling of trees for fuel wood and charcoal, which he described as the main source of energy in rural communities. 

He said the high demand for firewood and charcoal worsened Nigeria's deforestation crisis, as major trees were felled down for cooking and other domestic needs. 

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