Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has expressed the desire of his Administration to make Abuja a green city to reduce the effects of global climate change.
The Minister gave this indication today when he received the Minister and Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Environment who paid him a working visit in his office at Area 11, Garki I District, Abuja.
Muhammad Bello said that his Administration would leverage on the robust partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment to make Abuja a model green city.
According to him, the 8,000 square kilometers of the Federal Capital Territory provides a large platform for the Federal Ministry of Environment to implement its greening initiative.
He said that there is the need for additional collaboration between the ministries to fast track sewer and solid waste management in the FCT.
Musa Bello said that the FCT Administration is exploring the possibility of establishing a biogas plant at Wupa Sewer Treatment plant.
“We intend to put a mechanism in place for solid waste separation for power generation and agricultural inputs.”
“The FCT Administration has realized that a large part of the Territory is a good forest but has been abused through felling of trees and therefore called on the Minister of Environment to see what they can do in arresting the damage done so far.”
The Minister remarked that Abuja represents the whole of Nigeria, hence the need to raise it to an international level.
Muhammad Bello reiterated that all policy initiatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment could have an expression in the Federal Capital Territory.
Responding, the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed said that her vision for Abuja is that of a city of now and the future, which would be a model for other Nigerian cities.
The Minister said that her Ministry is working assiduously to tackle climate change, especially in weather patterns and rising sea levels in the country.
Mrs. Mohammed said that she is excited to use Abuja as a model for ECOWAS sub-region even as he advised the FCT Minister to look into the possibility of using electric vehicles under the FCT Transportation modules as a pilot scheme to curtail the rising level of air pollution from vehicular emissions.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Usman Jibril; FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye and some top government functionaries in the FCT Administration. [myad]
