The Environmental Management Association of Nigeria (EMAN) has called on the Federal Government to ensure that the planned clean-up of Ogoni land in Rivers State sees the light of the day and not another political statement to calm the people of the area.
Briefing newsmen in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, on Tuesday, the National President of EMAN, Dr Emmanuel Ating, said the clean-up of the area was long overdue and should not be allowed to suffer the same fate like previous exercises.
He lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for mustering the political will to embark on the Ogoni clean-up, noting that it was in line with the recommendation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
“The action of the President is highly commendable but as a professional body, EMAN wishes to advise that the clean-up of Ogoni land not should be politicized.
“The Federal Ministry of Environment should be transparent in all stages of the clean-up. It is our request that environmental managers should be engaged in the exercise.
“Nigeria should use the opportunity offered in the Ogoni land clean-up to strive to attain the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG ll)”, he stated
Source: ThisDay
