By Chinedu Emmanuel
Dr Amauche Nnabuze, Coordinator, Parents for Nature Nigeria (PNN), University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), has urged the Federal Government to create the enabling environment for the development of renewable energy.
Nnabuze gave this advice at an event organised by PNN, in collaboration with Don’t Liter Initiative (DLI), to mark 2023 World Earth Day in Nsukka. The theme for the 2023 World Earth Day is “Invest in Our Planet”.
Nnabuze, also a Lecturer in the Department of Fine Arts, UNN, said renewable energy development would minimise the use of fossil fuels and reduce effects of climate change in the country.
“Government should provide enabling environment that would make it possible for the use of renewable energy instead of fossil fuels that emit much carbon dioxide into the environment.
“Using fossil fuels as petrol, gas, coal as well as gas flaring by crude oil exploring companies increase the effects of climate in the country.
“Government should invest more on renewable energy and stop all exploring companies from gas flaring in order to reduce much carbon-dioxide in the environment.
“Nigeria is one of the signatories of global climate change countries,” she said.
The coordinator explained that the event kicked off with clean up exercise in Nsukka campus to ensure the environment was clean. Adding that the staff and students who attended the event were sensitised on the need to keep their environment clean.
“We make them to understand that keeping the environment clean is everybody’s business that should not be left in the hands of government alone.
“The problem of climate change is human and only human can stop it,” she said.
Also speaking, Prof. Egodi Uchendu, the Founder of Don’t Litter Initiative, said the World Earth Day was a global event on how to take care of our environment.
Uchendu said that the earth was our planet, our home, adding that if we failed to take care of the earth, we would not be comfortable living in it.
“Our inability to take care of the earth is responsible for dirts littered everywhere in our environment as well as some of our ill-health problems,” she said.
Uchendu, stressed that they were using the day to create more awareness and promote consciousness on how people could keep their environment clean.
The lecturer, added that her initiative from time to time engaged in clean-up exercise at the UNN and sensitising the university community on the need to avoid littering the environment with dirts, especially plastics, that always deface the environment.
Uchendu commended the United Nations for setting aside April 22 as World Earth Day.
The highlights of the event are poem and drama on how to keep the environment clean.
