Bauchi to host North-east climate change conference

Bauchi State Government is to host the first North East Climate Change Conference with critical stakeholders as participants to draw the attention of the international community to areas calling for immediate intervention.

The Commissioner for Environment and Housing, Alhaji Hamisu Mu’azu Shira, who made the disclosure, Wednesday, while briefing newsmen in Bauchi on the activities embarked of the ministry, said participants at the conference included commissioners of environment from the North East and other critical stakeholders in the sector.

He said the ministry will use it resources to host the conference without seeking any financial support from the state government.

“For the first time in the history of the North East, Bauchi State will host commissioners of environment from the zone to discuss problems of waste and other environmental challenges in the region,” he said.

The commissioner expressed confidence that the outcome of the conference will be beneficial to the citizens, the government of the state, North East, and Nigeria in general.

He said with the little resources, the ministry has recorded remarkable achievements, assuring that it will work with donor agencies to convert waste in the state to wealth. He said the initiative would provide employment opportunities to unemployed youths in addition to boosting the state’s Internally Generated Revenue.

Alhaji Hamisu also revealed that the N28 million released to the ministry by Governor Bala Mohammed was for the reactivation of facilities and construction of six waste collection centres in Bauchi metropolis.

He called on corporate bodies working in the state to join hands with the present administration by planting trees at roundabouts to enable the state to become a modern city.

He noted that with the support of the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, his ministry will constitute a Local Government Sanitation Committee to ensure sanitation of the environment at the grassroots.

“Let me use this medium to appeal to our colleagues in the cabinet, especially the commissioners, that rather than forwarding our memos to the governor it is better for us to look inward and source for other means of accessing funding.”