The Federal Government has promised to take necessary steps to stem disaster driven poverty in the country
The government equally promised to put in place a legal framework to reward and punish citizens for environmental use.
Addressing members of the Ogun State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) who paid him courtesy visit at the weekend in Abuja, the Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Ishaq Salako said Nigeria is currently facing a lot of environmental challenges from desertification, desert encroachment, land degradation, gully erosion, among others and that something needs to be done to address the decline.
He said the NIPR has a duty to play in sensitizing the people on waste disposal and the need to pay for disposal of waste.
He said: “People do not believe you pay for waste disposal. We need to sensitize our people that if you do not pay for proper disposal of waste, it would eventually become a burden on society.
We also believe there is an aspect of a sustainable environment that must become obligatory civic duty just like you pay tax which is obligatory, sustainable environment and the way you use the environment must become obligatory civic duty.
“It is not as if you would go to jail but you can be fined if you don’t do the right thing. You can also be rewarded if you put the environment to good use.”
