A.M. Nasir
…Says “the prevalence of climate change has impacted our environment harmful.”
The speaker of the House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, PhD, ably represented by the Deputy House Leader, Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims earlier today declared open a public hearing on ravages of gully erosion in communities across six States of Nigeria and desertification and flood disasters in Kano and Bauchi States respectively.
The public hearing was organised by the House Committee On Environment at the National Assembly complex, Abuja with participants drawn from the relevant Government Ministries, Departments, Agencies as well as civil society organisations.
Declaring the event open, the Speaker welcomed all the relevant stakeholders and other members of the public to the hearing designed to provide a veritable platform for the participants to express their views on the adverse impacts of gully erosion in several communities across six States, namely; Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Lagos and Ondo as well as desertification disaster in Kano and flooding tragedy in Bauchi States.
The Speaker noted that public hearings are a key legislative process put in place by the parliament to provide members of the public with a robust window to be part of parliamentary practice and urged the participants to ensure that their contributions are pertinent and holistic to strengthen Legislative processes.
The Speaker’s representative, Rt. Hon. Halims further noted that the prevalence of climate change has impacted our environment harmfully, resulting in an increased wave of erosion, desertification, flooding and other forms of natural disasters that have assumed severe and worrisome dimensions in vulnerable communities across the 36 Stated of the Federation.
While concluding, the Speaker commended the Chairman and Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Environment for organising the important public hearing. Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, reiterated the dedication of the House to an open, participatory and consultative parliament as listed significantly in the 10th House of Representatives’ Legislative Agenda.
Afterwards, Rep. Halims wished the participants a productive deliberation and on the honour of the Rt. Hon. Speaker, declared the public hearing open.
