AN
ADDRESS BY PROFESSOR
CHIGOZIE C. ASIABAKA, ksm, jp,
VICE-CHANCELLOR,
FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, OWERRI AT THE 201 3 WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
CELEBRATION IN THE UNIVERSITY ON THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2013
PROTOCOLS
I am
delighted to welcome you all to this special event, the 2013 World Environment Day, holding in our University today under
the auspices of our Centre for Women, Gender and Development Studies
(CWG&DS).
Particularly,
I welcome to our campus and acknowledge with profound gratitude the presence of
our special guests at today's occasion. These include Barrister Emma Ekweremba,
Honourable Commissioner for Petroleum and Environment, Imo State, Professor A.
I. Ihekoronye, the Keynote Lecturer, a distinguished academic, an erudite
scholar, a colleague and friend of inestimable value and Professor Emeritus of
the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Mr. A. Ebisike, the Registrar,
Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria, Abuja.
I
recognize also the dignified presence of my Principal Officers, Deans,
Directors, Heads of Departments/Units, Coordinators, Executives of Trade Unions
on Campus, the President and Executive of Students Union Government, staff and
students of our great University. Your unpretentious support, willing and
sustained company have been immeasurable sources of inspiration and
encouragement to me in my capacity as Chief Host of these unique events. I
salute you all.
I
thank, commend and
congratulate the Director, Centre for Women, Gender and Development Studies, Dr
Mrs Ihuoma P. Asiabaka and
President, FUTO Women Association and her dedicated and resourceful team for
mobilizing the University community to be part of this year's World Environment
Day Celebration which commenced in earnest yesterday with sanitation exercise,
clearing of the filth and the planting of flowers and ornamental trees within
and around the University environment. Your faithful contributions towards the
realization of our Quest for Excellence are enormous and most commendable. I
urge you to keep up the good work.
Today's
event is part of a global annual celebration instituted by the United Nations
in 1 972. World Environment Day (WED) was promulgated as a special day to draw
deserved attention to and create awareness on the environment which has much to
do with the existence and survival of mankind on this planet earth. It is an
indisputable fact that man's activities one way or the other affect the
environment. The land we till for agriculture, the waste we dispose, the canals
we build for irrigation, the drains we construct, the vehicles we drive on the
roads, the industries and factories we establish, the petroleum products we
exploit, the trees we fell, the animals we rear, the houses we build either for
accommodation or for business, the boreholes we drill, the generators that
provide us with power, and other innumerable activities of man impact
positively or negatively on our cherished environment.
Indeed,
the environment affects and influences all aspects of human life, physically,
biologically, socially, mentally, spiritually and financially. Changes in the
environment have far reaching implications and consequences on mankind, some
beneficially and others detrimentally. This is why climate change which is now
a global phenomenon is attracting much interest and huge investment from
responsible governments across the globe to mitigate and address their
unpleasant consequences.
The
general impact and adverse effect of climate change on the environment, health,
productivity and overall wellbeing of the world population are becoming
grievous and unbearable. The problem leads amongst others to staple food
shortages, economic decline, displacement and dislocation of human population,
large scale migration, health hazards, loss of material resources and above all
massive loss of precious lives.
Such
vicissitudes of life could result from incidence of flood, draught, desert
encroachment, earthquakes, landslides, and other disastrous climatic conditions
that could be unleashed on humanity at little or no notice at all. This stark
reality has made the theme of the 201 3 World Environment Day Celebration: Think-Eat-Save both apt and germane in our
contemporary times. I have no doubt that our Guest Speaker has all it takes to
dissect, drill and thrill us on this rather uncommon and unusual theme. Our
guest I am sure has enough to dish out to this distinguished audience that at
the end we will have more than enough to think about, eat and be able to save,
especially for the uncertain rainy days. The lecture promises to advance good
tips and create the necessary awareness on the vulnerability of the environment
and how to mitigate some natural disasters arising from some environmental or
climate change.
Emerging
national and global reports precariously indicate that no nation, including
ours, is immune or exempted from the devastating effects of changes in
environmental conditions. Therefore, as a developing country, our best bet is
to increase public awareness and knowledge on how to reduce possible
circumstances that can pre-dispose our citizens to severe and disastrous
environmental conditions. This is more so against the fact that our mechanism
for disaster control/reduction and emergency preparedness appear, to all and
intents and purposes, rudimentary in this part of the world.
Ours is a technological University with
a school wholly dedicated to studies on environmental issues. It is therefore
our due responsibility and mandate to create the needed fora and avenue such as
this where important ideas and information could be generated on how best to
handle issues that directly or indirectly affect our environment. In practical
demonstration of our strategic role as champions on environmental matters, my
administration considered it an aberration for the University to continue to
operate in an unfriendly, hostile and life threatening environment surrounded
by overgrown bushes that habour dangerous animals and reptiles.
This informed the decision of our
administration to accord some priority to the creation of healthy environment
through deliberate effort in the clearance of overgrown bushes, grassing of the
lawns and pathways, opening up of the blocked drains, massive landscaping work
on campus, repainting of buildings, planting and regular maintenance of flowers
and ornamental trees, installation and improvement of lighting facilities
throughout the University campus. All these measures, I am pleased to observe,
are impacting wonderfully on our corporate drive for excellence in the
University.
On this optimistic note, ladies and
gentlemen, it is my honour and privilege to formally declare the 201 3 World
Environment Day Celebration in our University open. Thank you and God bless us
all.
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