2018 World Environment Day: MMS Introduces NAGREEN Awards/ Lecture

In a bid to maximize the celebration of the 2018 World Environment Day, Kings Communications Limited, publishers of Money Management Series (MMS Plus) newspaper in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Nigeria’s foremost agency on environmental issues and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is launching the first ever Nigerian National Green Awards and Lecture.

This year’s Environment Day celebrations comes up on June 5^th, 2018 with the theme ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’  urging governments, industries, communities, and individuals to come together and explore sustainable alternatives and urgently reduce the production and excessive use of single-use plastics polluting our oceans, damaging marine life and threatening human health.

Speaking on the objectives of NAGREEN, the Publisher of MMS Plus, Mr. Kingsley Anaroke said NAGREEN seeks to recognize and encourage organizations that are into responsible businesses – exhibiting leadership and innovation in sustainability approach to interaction with the environment.

“These organizations and individuals have recognized and adequately responded to the challenges of sustainable environmental management given their areas of operation” he said.

Noting that Nigeria needs to take a keen look at exploring marine resources, he said; “World Environment Day is a day everyone around the world takes ownership of their environment and to actively engage in the protection of the earth. It is a fact that the world uses about 500 billion plastic bags annually and at least 8 million tonnes of these plastics end up in the oceans, the equivalent of a full garbage truck every minute. In the last decade, we produced more plastics than in the whole last century with 50% of them being single-use or disposable. While we buy 1 million plastic bottles every minute, plastics makes up 10% of all of the waste we generate. This is the global report, but Nigeria’s record on this will shock you to no end”

He noted that as Nigeria joins the rest of the world in this celebration there is the need to realize the basic tasks facing the country, “Aside from securing and protecting our marine environment which include continuing the inventory of our marine species, as many of them are yet to be identified and catalogued, and developing technologies that can be used to set up enterprises using our blue ecosystem wealth in a sustainable way. This is most important when we consider that Nigeria has about 853km coastline with mind blowing renewable aquatic resources that ought to be harnessed.  For these and other tasks, we need manpower, including scientists and researchers, as well as entrepreneurs with a “blue economy” mindset. This has advised our theme for this maiden National Awards and Lecture ‘The Blue Economy: Issues, Opportunities and Renewable Resources.’

Mr. Anaroke stated that the areas of consideration for the awards include; oil and gas exploration, waste disposal/effluent management, erosion and flood control. Others are land degradation, deforestation, the increasing risks from climate change, protection and guaranteeing healthy marine ecosystem while developing marine economy and environment for offshore resources – The Blue Economy.

While the global event is on Tuesday June 5^th, the awards and lecture holds on Thursday, July 12^th by 10.00am at the prestigious Goldengate Restaurant, Ikoyi, Lagos under the distinguished chairmanship of Mr. Jite Okoloko, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Notore Chemical Industries Plc. The Honourable Minister of Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Usman Jubril and Dr. Dakuku Peterside, Director General of NIMASA shall deliver the Keynote address and main lectures respectively.

NAGREEN is strategic to get organizations that have put some effort into each of these areas to form their sustainability directive. The disciplines are Energy and Ecosystems Stability, Marine Resources/Management, Waste Management and Land Resources. Others are Carbon/Radiation Buildup, Supply Chain Management, Transport and Social Impact.

The awards categories are Green Company of the Year – Carbon/Radiation Management, Best Supply Chain Management Company of the year – Recycling and Plastic Management, Best Media Organisation/Environment Reporter of the year, Green Government of the Year – Integrated Environment Management and Green Company of the Year – Marine Resources Management. Other categories are Green Company of the Year – Energy and Ecosystem Management, Best Environmental Protection Agency of the year (City/State), Green Company of the Year – Land /Forestry Resources Management, Green Company of the Year – Waste Management and Green Advocate of the Year.

The nomination committee is made up of notable experts drawn from National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Chartered Institute of Supply Chain Management CISCM, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and key NGOs on environment matters. They shall assess the nominees based on key sustainability indicators which should form the basis of any holistic sustainability strategy.