A cousin to former President Goodluck Jonathan, and environmental activist, Barr. Azibola Robert has again, raised the alarm over what he described as mindless pilfering of the Niger Delta rainforest.
The environmental activism in Barr. Robert was reactivated on Sunday at his hometown, Otakeme in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa during an event he organized and tagged: Burn-fire.
The event which took place in the evening of Sunday witnessed bum-fire, killing and roasting of full goat meats, chicken and fishes as well as dancing.
Speaking to newsmen, the organizer of the event, Barr. Robert said the occasion was to once again draw the attention of the public to the dangers of climate change and the need for the Niger Delta region to join the international community to fight the menace.
He identified indiscriminate cutting down of trees as one major reason for climate change.
The activist who is also a fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) lamented that he had earlier made a 14-day expedition into the Ogbia forest and found out that most economic trees such as mango trees and others which help in production of oxygen to the atmosphere have been cut down by wood loggers.
“I am campaigning against those who come here and cut down our trees. Our animals have been killed and our forests have become empty. Our cultural heritage is gone. There is nothing for our children to inherit from us anymore.
“The word is taking action against climate change carbon emission resort. We are part of the world and we can’t do otherwise.” he said.
Azibola further postulated that though scientists have predicted that the world would come to an end on its own in the next 4.6 billion years when hydrogen which powers the sun would have been exhausted, it was preposterous “for us to destroy the earth in our generation through the destruction of our environment.”
While he blamed environmental degradation on failure of governments at all levels, the environmental rights activist also blamed community leaders for allowing private businessmen to destroy their God given heritage.
He called on government and the people to embark on radical tree planting to regenerate the already pilfered environment just as he advised the general public to imbibe the culture of consuming domestic meats instead of bush meats which may not be safe for consumption due to infections that may be found in them.
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