MONDAY. NOVEMBER 21. 2011
North American industrial model, threat to biodiversit'!1 - NCF T
HE President. Nigerilln Conservation Foundlltion. Chief Philip Asiodu, has SlIid the adoption of the North American model of industrial growth by Nigeria is a threat to biodiversily heritage. He SlIld if the model must be implemented by Nigerill.
il would require the resourcn of four planets. Asiodu. in his speech during the Annual General Meeting of the NCF in l..lIgos o n Wednesday. said. ~The expanding hum lln population. increased humi!ln consumption of ni!ltural resou rces and the adoption of extremely wasteful North American model of industrial
growth are the current threllt to biodiversity stems. ~Some scienlisl5 esti mate that if the developing societies are 10 repellt the North AmericanJEuropean model of development, mlln would need the resources of four planets ellrth . ~ He said it was unfortunate that the country did not have enoughknowledgeandabilily to develop techno\ogles and
Group s ee ks upgrading of Abia State c apital Ronke: Badmus
U
MUAHIA Premier Club. a social organisation, has expressed concern over the apparent lack o f a mean ingful change in the development status of the Abia Stale capital, Umuahia, since ttw creation of the state. The group has, therefore. advised the stale government to review the cily'S masler pian, lind promote good governance. According to a statement by the group on Friday. the group lamented that several projeas inaugurated by the present government to develop Ihe sllIte c.apit;al. incl udi ng the new modem market, road projeclli and housing schemes. among orhers. which would h"ve changed the fact of the ~ate capital. had remalned " pIpe d ream 1he President of the organisation, Chief Kamdj Ehighibe, while giving a speech on the group's up-<oming 6th induction ceremony. lamented that some communil1es in Ihe state capital had suffered infrast rudural decay and enatic power supply. just as potZlble water had become ZI rare commodity, making the SlIle of borehole waler a very lucrative business. He urged the state government to Jhsise with the Imo Stilte Government to resuscl til tc the IVater treatment pJilnt in Umuopara, built by the lale Sam Mbakwe. The UPe president said that the stale government should also partner with its 10GiII governments 10 bring relief to communities. especially by opening of rural roads and tackling eTOS\on menace. He noted that meaningful rural development would enhance the living $Ii1ndards of the people and check urban drift. Ehlghibe also advised the stale governm ent 10 establish Indu$mal parks in the slilte capital ilnd revive Golden Guinea Breweries. which had remained comatose. He pledged that the group was ready to assist in developing road map fo r indUSC rialisil tion of Umuilhiil and the entire stilte.
As pan of its contribution. he said Ihzlt the group had established a scholarship scheme for indigent students In lertiary schools. According 10 the sli!ltement. the group advised Governor Theodore Orji
to trZInsform UmuaMa to an enviable stele capital, through the forma lion of traffIC management ilutho,ily to sanilise the city centre. as motorists faced hard time driving through some of Ihe major streets.
Special OFFer JJ I
N649, 999
alternative development models 10 enable its citizens take sleps to protect its rich biodtveniity and sustain the viability of the planet. According to him. Ufe wlll not be the same if iI ri ch blodiveniity heritage is continuously abused and dramatically loitered, adding Ihllt biodivetSily was daily being threa tened not as a result of natural climatic catastrophe. but as a result of human activities. Asiodu caUed for the implementation of foresl regeneration 10 increase the country's forest reserve from less than five per cent to 2S per ce..nt as recommended
,"
I
:' ,
by the Food ilnd Agriculttlre Organisation He added that to ilchieve the lIim. the Nigeniln leadership musl adopt lind energetically Implement 1'1 comprehenSIve agenda for the environment "Perhaps. iI new 2020 ilgendll. wh ich would only require a minor updating of the environmental chilpler of the abandoned ViSIon 20 10 is needed. ~ he suggested. The ChlIirman. NCF. Mr. Hi!lfT1llIt Ahmadu. SZlid the envi ronmental situation in the counll'y WilS lIiarming; adding Ihal there hild been insufficien t integration of biodiversity
I
is iUi:S inlo broader policies. st 'ate gies and programmes o gOllot?!'nmen1. ilnd that tt-t! underl~'lng drivers of b,odlverslty loss hZld not bo!en addressed. He streMed that the act 01 p romottng biodiveniity fl ceived Hule or nothing fi nancially from the governmorot ilnd COrpClrille bo X: iH . Ahmadu 5lI1d. 1'he pressure to destroy habitats fer logging. illegal hunting alld other human activities and pUniuia an! makmg ((.n5t!rvation a 5lruggll. '1bis IS an area that is r.< Ding for the ahendon of aD of lI! . [he government indusive.
"'''''' I
:,
' t
i
:!,
I
I
t I
,::::
,:It!
I
I
I
I
I
•
ForOutnghtPaymellt and NI.tl5O.000 ro. ......., . " , . _'"
ark 2
fm~
oji
Mdl1K!t o::,).}(llurti l)' ·h 'l."'C'l·u lg o()Il \'0111 -tkJor. ""Tri ~ l ~.. , ~·II<Nlt.:l~ '( '/ .{IUI· '( l1Vptf! 'I( ~ Sr~'C. .(/. 'f'r.T tl t
~-~~ Q.H«~ ~ ~'t Sl...~ tkK ~O.:nS.~1~ ¥I1Q,tM::r.<!M ~,~. ~ ".~~'5"~~ OlU.t111iJM Pa.l ~"~ ~tlJQ;ot~-lt~'""'~~~.~~.sna...~:u..~~ ~~£.~
--... Q.:r-_........ ~ l .... _ ,..,.".~-.-- ~ - ,~
-"""'Q;IIIo,..
........ .. _
. . - ,;!,,~
Proper t}'umrl r .. . ,0 ~
l··.·.'~.,·,. .. , ........ ;;' .. ~
:t; _
...J:
.... o.:. ~
..... - . . ·-· _~" · I .... ~;: ~
.lI.' . .
l;... . . ~