Rotarian Emem Okon who has just been installed as the Charter President of Rotary Club of Port Harcourt (ECO) District 9141 has called on all and sundry to join hands with the club in tackling the climate crisis, noting that soot, is one of the biggest challenges facing the Niger Delta region.
She made this known during her official installation as the president of the club, saying that the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt ECO District is the first Rotary Club in Nigeria and the second in Africa, whose key focus is the environment. She said the club is an issue-based club focusing on protecting the environment.
According to her, the club’s mandate is to promote environment conservation, ecosystem restoration as well as climate change mitigation, saying many of the club members are professionals with many years of experience working on different aspects of the environment.
RTN Okon further explained that the state of Mother Earth has been a global challenge and Rotary Club is interested in helping find solutions to some of those challenges, noting that the crisis affects all aspects of human life, and that without addressing the environmental crisis it would be difficult to achieve sustainable development.
Her words: “Our concern is to focus on the environment, we just unveiled the campaign against the soot, we have started the “SAVE THE MANGROVE CAMPAIGN” that we are targeted to plant 50,000 mangroves trees by June 2022 when this rotary year will end, of which we have already planted 3,200 mangrove trees.
She went further to say that the club is also carrying out tree planting because the trees help in absorbing carbon from the air, the reason for engaging in tree planting and planting of mangrove trees.
In his speech, the Rotary International Governor, Andy Owejeya who was represented by Nkeiru Enyia commended member of the club for a good job, saying that the Rotary International added another area of focus to protect the environment and for that purpose Port Harcourt ECO was created by the last district governor, Virginia Major to protect the environment.
Also speaking at the event, the public Image Director of the Club, Fyneface Dumnamene called for collaboration on advocacy on black soot because it is a killer that needs to be killed “If we must live” he said.
He said his organization, the youths and environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC) and the Rotary Club would collaborate and also partner with other organizations to advance the soot advocacy and used the opportunity to call on the governor of Rivers State, Barr. Nyesom Wike to appoint a new commissioner for Environment for the state to serve as a gateway for collaboration with the state government on environmental advocacy including soot.
