By Simeon OSAJIE
The senator representing Edo Central Senatorial District and Chairman, Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, Senator Joseph Ikpea, has called for a collaborative measure between the executive and the legislative arms to address the persistent ecological degradation threatening communities across the senatorial district.
Senator Ikpea made the call when he visited the Secretary to the Federal Government (SFG), Senator George Akume, to facilitate a coordinated Federal Government intervention in tackling erosion, gully expansion, flooding and other environmental challenges affecting Edo Central Senatorial District.
During the meeting, Senator Ikpea highlighted the devastating impact of ecological degradation on lives, livelihoods, infrastructure, farmlands and economic activities across the Edo Central Senatorial District, stressing on the need for a coordinated response involving all relevant Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) under the leadership and coordinating framework of the Office of the SFG.
Ikpea, it would be recalled had recently advocated a legislative intervention on the floor of the Senate, where he sponsored a motion on the urgent need for the Federal Government and relevant authorities to address the worsening gully erosion and ecological challenges in Edo Central Senatorial District.
The motion, which has successfully passed First Reading, demonstrates the Senator’s commitment to pursuing both legislative and executive solutions to the environmental challenges confronting the people of the entire Esanland.
Senator Ikpea noted that while legislative advocacy remained an important avenue for securing government action, sustained engagement with critical institutions of the Federal Government “is equally essential to accelerate policy implementation and attract timely ecological intervention projects to vulnerable communities.”
In his response, the SGF George Akume reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to fostering inter-ministerial collaboration and ensuring the effective implementation of policies and programmes that would promote sustainable national development.
Akume assured that the office of the SGF, which coordinates the activities of Federal MDAs, and oversees the implementation of Federal Government decisions, remained committed to supporting initiatives that address pressing environmental and developmental concerns across the country.