By Gabriel Agbeja
The Rotary E-Club of One Nigeria on Saturday partnered with the People Planet and Peace Foundation to plant mangrove trees at Akodo Ise in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State.
Mr Seun Agboola, Charter President of the Club, said the initiative was aimed at tackling flooding, high salinity, coastal waves and storms in the area.
Agboola described the Rotary E-Club as an official Rotary club that operates online, offering the same networking and community service opportunities as traditional clubs, with greater scheduling flexibility.
He said Rotary International, the global network of more than 46,000 community service clubs, was strongly committed to environmental protection and sustainability.
According to him, Rotary officially adopted “Supporting the Environment” as its seventh area of focus in 2020, in recognition of the importance of environmental protection to human health, peace and sustainable development.
Agboola listed Rotary’s environmental activities to include mangrove restoration projects, tree planting campaigns, river and beach clean-ups, and plastic waste reduction initiatives.
Other activities, he said, include solar energy projects, biodiversity conservation, environmental education in schools, water conservation and rainwater harvesting.
“Rotary invests in protecting freshwater ecosystems, watershed restoration, water quality improvement and sanitation initiatives.
“Rotary also partners with the United Nations Environment Programme on freshwater protection initiatives.
“Rotary promotes actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen communities affected by climate change, including renewable energy projects, sustainable agriculture and environmental education,” he said.
According to him, Rotary’s environmental vision is to act locally and globally, using evidence-based approaches to address environmental challenges and foster harmony between people and nature.
Also speaking, Miss Olabisi Kumuyi, Secretary of the Climate Beyond Borders Caravan (CBBC), advised residents against indiscriminate tree felling during an awareness session at Upper Primary School, Akodo Ise.
The team also visited LUFASI Nature Park and donated a signpost to Lekki Conservation Centre.
At the LUFASI Nature Park, the Founder, Mr Desmond Majekodunmi, urged the team to remain committed to collective efforts aimed at tackling climate change in Nigeria and across Africa.
Majekodunmi said humans needed to live in harmony with nature, warning that environmental degradation was occurring at an alarming rate.
“After living in Kenya for about seven years and listening to highly informed people, I realised that nature is very important.
“Nature is our life-support system, but we are causing serious harm to it and weakening its ability to provide clean health and life support.
“So, I decided to focus on promoting what is truly important in life,” he said. (NAN)
Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi
