Presidential Debate In Benin City, Focuses On Environment

Presidential Debate Debuts In Benin City, Focuses On Environment

AHEAD of the April presidential election, a debate is billed to take place at the main auditorium of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Friday, March 18 at 1.00pm.

It is put together jointly by AOC Biocycles, Oba of Benin Green Award, UNIBEN, Environment Right Action (ERA), Edo state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and other interests in energy and environment.

In an on-line statement to AkanimoReports on Tuesday endosed by Aiyegbeni AA. Omohinmin, Prof. MacDonald Idu and Chima Williams, a lawyer, of Oba of Benin Green Award / honours, UNIBEN, ERA, respectively, the programme seems to be unique in many ways. It is the first of its kind to be anchored in a university setting, with active support of over 120 tertiary institutions.

The programme is also the first, that the traditional rulers, undoubtedly, the custodians of the environment and the moral and spiritual authorities closest to the grassroots are directly involved. Equally, the first to have a coalition of students, labour, farmers, non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations, market and trade unions, and interest business groups and professionals in energy and environment working together on an enlightenment and awareness political campaign program ever in Nigeria's history. Most importantly, it reflects all social strata of our society; and these will constitute the core audience during the debate.

The debate is to give Nigerians and the international community the opportunity to assess our presidential candidates and their parties on environmental agenda for the nation’s polity, as well as raise the environmental consciousness of Nigerians.

Presidential candidates are expected to answer questions on their adaptive policy framework or concrete action plans to effectively prevent and mitigate natural and man-made disasters, climate change, induced environmental risks and stress on land degradation, biodiversity threat and depletion, decline in human capacity and socio-economic development in poor rural/coastal communities in Nigeria.

Their answers are expected to address their strategic plan to prevent and arrest desertification, flooding, bush burning, deforestation, water pollution, food insecurity, gully erosion, gas flaring, oil spills pollution, landslides and mudslides ravaging our rural communities. In specific terms, their sustainable development plans to boost renewable and non-renewable energies research and small and medium businesses as a balance mix of achieving vision 2020.

Also on focus is their plan intends to remediate the contaminated site, clean up the drill cuttings, chemical effluents, crude oil cake that have polluted water and ravaged the eco-systems of the Niger Delta.

The programme is being co-ordinated by Omonhinmin, while Williams is the Head of the secretariat.

ENDS

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