By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has reiterated its commitment to effective environmental sustainability.
This was disclosed by the Permanent Secretary, Ecological Project Office (EPO), Mr Shehu Ibrahim, on Thursday at an interactive session in Abuja.
Mr Ibrahim said that the EPO was resolute in driving the Federal Government’s policy on ecological intervention and sustainability.
”It is our hope that as funding improves, we will be able to respond more in mitigating the ecological challenges affecting communities across the country,” he said.
The permanent secretary, who assumed office in October, commiserated with Nigerians on the recent devastating flooding that led to the loss of lives, livelihood and properties.
He said that the unfortunate incident, which had a global dimension, was a sad experience in the nation’s history, adding that the EPO had intervened in the communities that were affected during the flood.
He also said that the federal government had set up a presidential committee for the development of a comprehensive plan of action for the prevention of flood disasters.
The top civil servant said that the committee, of which the EPO is a member, is expected to proffer recommendations on taming the menace.
Mr Ibrahim further said that the government had directed relevant agencies to provide immediate assistance to all the people and communities that were affected.
He, however, said that the wrong perception of the office mandate by some members of the public had led to the approval of its change of name from Ecological Fund Office to Ecological Project Office.
He said that the Federal Government approved the change of the name in 2021, adding that the name EPO is in line with its functions.
“It is also important to note that the ecological fund is not domiciled at EPO but rather at the Ministry of Finance and is not exclusive to the Federal Government alone.
“In the same vein, states and local governments get their share directly from the ministry,” he said.
The permanent secretary said that the vision of the EPO is to reduce ecological challenges across the nation through efficient and effective utilisation of available resources to a bare minimum.
He said that the office’s mission is to sustain the facilitation of quality, timely, efficient and effective implementation of approved projects nationwide.
Mr Ibrahim added that the office was working with the private sector to ensure that ecological issues are tackled effectively.
Modupe Gbadeyanka