WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: PHCCIMA PLEDGES ACEP SUPPORT

Comrade Tam Konakri (RIWAMA),  Ed Chmara, an environmental envoy (Whiteman), Kaine Chinwa,  Chairperson ACEP (Last) Director of ACEP, Christian. Idibia (ACEP Director) with students and others pose for pix during the WED celebration. 

Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce has said it will continue to support the activities of its member organization, the African Center for Environmental Protection, ACEP to ensure its goal of enthroning a better environment and mitigating the effect of climatic changes is achieved in the state.
This declaration was made by the President of the chamber, Engr. Emeka Unachukwu in his goodwill message to a cross section of participants who converged as part of activities to mark the 2014 World Environment Day celebration organized by the African Centre for Environmental Protection (ACEP) in conjunction with the Rivers state Waste Management Agency RIWAMA.

He said as an organization whose cardinal objective is to ensure that businesses thrive within the city, it is imperative to support such invaluable programmes aimed at ensuring that our environments are safer and conducive for businesses to thrive.
Represented by Mr. Larry Azubuke, Director Local Content PHCCIMA, the president commended ACEP for her various initiatives, giving kudos to her tree planting project that aims to plant a million trees by the year 2020. He also lauded her ‘catch them young scheme’ that tends to enlighten and sensitize our young ones on the dynamics and challenges of climatic changes and solutions. Unachukwu once again reiterated PHCCIMA’s resolve in supporting ACEP’s efforts at mitigating the effect of climatic changes and achieving a healthy environment.
The event which was held at Herock conference hall in GRA Port Harcourt also featured lecture presentation, speeches by resource persons, Quiz by invited schools and unveiling of the ACEP pet project.
In his presentation Director of ACEP, Mr. Christian Idibia said man is the architect of his environmental problem, drawing his conclusions from the fact that man contributes 70% of the things causing harmful effects in the environment like gas flaring, bush burning. car fume among others that contribute to global warming.
Elaborating on the effect of global warming, he enlisted depletion of the ozone, climatic changes, over flooding, erosion, air borne disease among others and said these are altering the natural composition of the earth.
Calling for concerted effort and display of positive environmental practices by all and sundry, he said all hands must be on deck to change the trend no matter how small.
The ACEP director noted that Nigeria is losing a total of 351 million hectares of land as a result of climatic changes even as Nigeria recently spent N2.5 trillion naira in managing the recent flood;  money that would have been channeled to other sectors of need. He urged all to help the environment by planting trees and engaging in practices that are not counterproductive to save the environment.
Idibia explained that tree planting is one of the cardinal objectives of the African Centre for Environmental Protection (ACEP), noting that the body has so far planted over 600 trees in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local government area of Rivers state. According to him, ACEP hopes to complete the planting of one million trees before the year 2020.
In her remark the chairperson of ACEP, Mrs Kaine Chinwah said World Environment Day is a yearly event held every 5th of June to raise global awareness on the need to take positive environmental action. “The event also known as WED for short is the climax of environmental activities being undertaken all year round by UNEP and other organizations like ACEP and individuals around the world” she said.
According to her the UN General Assembly declared 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States and to this end the theme for this year’s event is ‘Small Island Developing States (SIDS) – Raise your Voice not the Flood’. She said the theme is apt because these small islands majorly in coastal cities are home to vibrant and distinct cultures and heritage as well as to rich ecosystems, biodiversity and dazzling landscapes, hence should be protected because they face challenges of climate change, waste management, unsustainable consumption, degradation of natural resources, extreme natural disasters in the midst of overpopulation and continuing industrialization among others.
Speaking on actions taken by ACEP to support WED, she said the body supports a wide range of projects in these vulnerable areas in Rivers state, particularly in ONELGA, a region hit by flood and other environmental challenges. “ACEP seek to achieve sustainable growth, and environmental protection through the ‘Plant a Tree Initiative’ which is aimed at planting a million trees before the year 2020 and today ACEP has already planted over six hundred trees and hope to increase the number of trees through various support and contribution – we are also involved in the sensitization project through the catch them young initiative aimed at passing the messages to the upcoming generation so that they can start early to advance the cause of protecting the environment.”.
The ACEP chairperson noted that an average size tree produces enough oxygen in one year to keep a family of four breathing, stating that trees are useful as they beautify the environment, help prevent desertification, mitigate climatic change and most importantly acts as air filter that cleans the air especially for us in the Niger Delta region.
Speaking to newsmen, the Rivers State Environmental Sanitation Authority (RSESA) Director of Administration, Mr Ian Gobo commended ACEP for the plant a million tree initiative and the catch them young programme where students from various schools are invited to partake in the WED programme. He said the impacts of human induced climate change, including rising sea levels and increased intensity of extreme weather events, are particularly acute for SIDS and requires supports and a wide range of projects in these vulnerable areas to achieve environmental protection. He described the theme for this year as appropriate noting that RSESA and the Rivers state Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) are happy to be parties to the WED celebration because being a part of the celebrations gives you an opportunity to share your ideas and activities for making our world cleaner, greener, and brighter.
The event featured quiz and award presentation for the visiting schools and presentation of the ACEP pet project which successful students are selected according to the criteria set aside. The benefitting students are expected to attend a 5 day eco programme tour to the USA, where they will visit sites and get imparted with change, ideas and to develop partnership. The programme put together by ACEP in collaboration with an environmental envoy Ed Chmara is said to be another milestone by the environmental body.