By Rosemary Ogbonna 

The Minister of Environment, Abbas Lawal Balarabe, has inaugurated the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and charged the Reporting Technical Committee to enhance data accuracy on land degradation.

Balarabe, during the inauguration of the Committee in his office, described the importance of the inauguration of the committee as to prevent further land degradation issues.

“Our land is not only for infrastructural development, but for cultivation of foods, and if it is degraded, the end might be dessatrous,” he stated.

Balarabe stated that the committee is very important in terms of providing necessary and accurate data and information required to mitigate land degradation.

He urged the committee to work hand-in-hand with environmental stakeholders, agencies and departments to ensure they recover degraded areas.

Balarabe stressed that the central goal of the committee is a reporting task , charged them to always come up with data that are workable, reliable and capable of curbing and mitigating land degradation.

Speaking further, he disclosed that one of ways to mitigate land degradation is to provide alternative cooking which has to do with planting of more trees which in; other hand reduces deforestation.

He described the selection of the committee as regorous and their role as critical and important to the land recovery, implored them to be more committed and resolute in discharging their duties.

In her opening remark, the Director, Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought Management (DLD & DM), Mrs. Regina Nwaneri, stated that the inauguration of the committee marked an important milestone in Nigeria’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the Convention and strengthening national efforts towards combating desertification, land degradation, and drought, revew that reporting process is not only a statutory obligation but also an opportunity to showcase the country’s progress, achievements, challenges, and ongoing interventions in sustainable land management and ecosystem restoration.

“The assignment before this Committee is therefore of great importance. Your expertise, dedication, and collaborative efforts will be instrumental in ensuring the delivery of a credible, comprehensive, and timely national report that reflects the true state of implementation in Nigeria,” she said.

She, therefore, appreciated institutions represented at the committee for their continued support and commitment to this national assignment.

“It is our expectation that the Committee will work together effectively in the spirit of professionalism, partnership, and shared responsibility”, she added