The Nigerian Environmental Society (NES) has unveiled a new roadmap to strengthen climate action and environmental governance as it marked its 40th anniversary in Abuja.
By Chimezie Godfrey
The Nigerian Environmental Society (NES) has unveiled a new roadmap to strengthen climate action and environmental governance as it marked its 40th anniversary in Abuja.
The event, held at the Nigerian Army Conference Centre, also featured the society’s 35th Annual General Meeting and National Conference.
The President and CEO of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISED), UK, Sarah Mukherjee, described NES as “a beacon of what can be achieved when a group of people come together with vision and hard work.”
She commended NES for influencing key national policies, including the National Policy on the Environment and the Environmental Impact Assessment Act.
“You should be rightly proud to celebrate 40 years of dedication to shaping national policies,” she said.
NES President, Dr. Efegbidiki Okobia, said the organisation had grown from ten founding members to over 35 chapters nationwide and abroad.
He said the passage of the Institute of Environmental Practitioners of Nigeria Act in 2023 marked a major milestone in the professionalisation of environmental practice.
“That Act has given a voice to environmental practice as a foundation in Nigeria,” he said.
Okobia disclosed that NES has partnered with ISED-UK to promote capacity building and technology exchange, adding that the body would soon launch the Nigerian Environmental Outlook to guide evidence-based policymaking.
He warned that Nigeria’s waste crisis had reached “national disaster” levels and called for waste segregation laws and better public enlightenment.
“Our roadmap will focus on practical implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions and ensure climate commitments reach the grassroots,” he said.
Founding member Hamid Adekunle expressed gratitude for witnessing NES’s growth from ten pioneers to a nationwide professional body.
“I thank Almighty God that I am alive to see 40 years of the seed we planted,” he said.
The event attracted stakeholders from government, academia, and civil society, all celebrating NES’s impact on Nigeria’s environmental transformation.
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