The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, has called for enhanced inter-agency collaboration to effectively address Nigeria’s growing environmental challenges.
Lawal made the call during a meeting with the Director-General of the National Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC), Abubakar Sadiq, and his delegation at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
The minister identified climate-resilient water supply and sanitation (WASH) programmes as a key area for cooperation, stressing the need to ensure year-round access to safe and reliable water in communities affected by dam operations. He noted that improved access to clean water would also help reduce the incidence of water-borne diseases in such areas.
On energy and environmental sustainability, Lawal proposed the distribution of clean cooking stoves to households in hydro-basin communities, saying the initiative would help reduce energy poverty, curb deforestation and lower emissions through the adoption of energy-efficient technologies.
He also outlined other potential areas of collaboration between the ministry and N-HYPPADEC, including erosion and flood control, ecosystem restoration, climate-resilient afforestation, youth and community engagement, job creation and public awareness campaigns.
In his remarks, N-HYPPADEC Director-General Abubakar Sadiq described the commission as a strategic partner of the Federal Ministry of Environment, highlighting its interventions in water supply, sanitation, housing, youth empowerment, water transport safety and institutional capacity building. He commended the ministry for its timely response to flood risks, erosion challenges and pollution control.
N-HYPPADEC operates offices in Lokoja, Birnin Kebbi, Ilorin, Lafia, Jos, Gombe, Jalingo, Makurdi and Kaduna, with its headquarters located in Minna, Niger State.
