By Asmau Ahmad
Nigerian Institution of Environmental Engineers, Abuja chapter, has urged the Federal Government to initiate a policy that will aid the efforts of promoting emission-free environment.
The Chairman of the institution, Mr Benjamin Amalikolo, gave the advice in Abuja on Thursday at the commemoration of the 2019 World Environment Day (WED).
The WED holds on June 5 annually to create awareness on environmental challenges and ways to address them.
The theme for the year is “Beat Air Pollution’’.
Amalikolo said that government should also have a political will to implement the policy in order to beat air pollution in the country.
“Government needs a policy and political will to implement it in order for us to have emission-free environment,’’ he said.
Mr Ikenna Okonkwo, who gave keynote address, underscored the need for organisations to transit from using fossil fuel to renewable energy.
According to him, if houses, organisations or corporations power their activities with solar energy in an area, emissions will be reduced or totally eradicated.
Okonkwo said that government should improve on fossil fuel technology to provide clean energy in the process of transiting to renewable energy.
The Vice Chairman of the institution, Mrs Lynda Bitrus said that the institution organised the 2019 World Environment Day to educate Nigerians especially school children to know the harmful effects of air pollution.
According to her, students in the Federal Capital Territory have been invited to be participants in order to catch them young.
Bitrus quoted World Health Organisation as saying that globally, seven million people die annually due to air pollution and eight out of nine persons breathe polluted air.
“So, as human beings, we cannot avoid to breathe, that is why we are here to control the quality of air we breathe in,’’ she said.
