The MOSOP President, Mr Legborsi Piagbara (right) present his welcome address to the Hon Minister for Environment, Amina Muhammad (left) during her visit to Ogoni on Federal Government on clean-up of Ogoniland recently.
Nigeria has secured a
7.8 million dollars credit from International Donors, for the implementation of the National Programme on the Reduction of Emmission from Deforestation and Degradation ( REDD) plus programme.
The programme is an initiative by the United Nations for the protection forests against destructions across the world.
The programme popularly known as cop 15 was initiated by the United Nations in 2009 at Copenhagen Denmark.
The Agreement was signed by Nigeria in 2012 and Cross River State was designated as pilot state, and in 2015, the programme was scale up in Nigeria with the addition of Ondo and Nassarawa States.
The project coordinator for Ondo State, Mr John Akinnuba told The Tide in an exclusive interview in Port Harcourt, that the money was second between 2012 and 2016.
Mr Akinnuba specified that four million dollars was secured in 2012 for the implementation of the pilot programme in Cross River State while this year, 3.8 million dollars was granted to the Govenrment to scale up the project in Nassarawa and Ondo States.
According to him, the first phase of the programmes involves building institutional structures and putting of framework, while second phase will involve piloting, field survey and technological mapping, while phase three involves data gathering and analysis and the establishment of reference emission level which is the basis for the payment of carbon credit.
“The Redd plus is a programme of action to mitigate climate change by payments and compensations to governments and communities that protect the forests in forms of credit from carbon generated from the protected forests” he said.
According to him, since carbon dioxide is the major component coursing global warming, the progrmame will ensure that the carbon generated from the forest can be captured, measured and sold in the carbon market, stressing that by so doing. Forest communities will be given livelihood support. Mr Akinnuba said that Nigeria stands to benefit maximally from the programme as its forest resources would be preserved, while employment will be reduced through the unempowerment of communities.
The Environmentalist stressed the need for governments of the Niger Delta States to queue into the programme with the view to protecting its forests and biodiversities from destruction.