ENVIRONMENTAL LAW EXPERTS ADVOCATE PRACTICAL LEGAL APPROACH TO EARTH SUSTAINABILITY | Agbaragu Timothy

The issue of environmental sustainability was on the front burner as experts in Environmental Law called for a more practical approach to conserve the earth for future generations.

This was the subject of discussion by stakeholders at an environmental summit christened, "ONLY ONE EARTH: The Role of Law in Living Sustainably with Nature in the Niger Delta" organized by the Faculty of Law, Delta State University, Abraka. 

The Vice Chancellor of Delta State University who was the Special Guest of Honour of the summit, Professor Andy Egwunyenga explained that every environmental problem was a function of greed. 

While commending law students in the Faculty for their clean environment consciousness, the university administrator identified human greed as the cause of every environmental problem even as he urged active participation by stakeholders as he declared the summit open.

The keynote speaker, Professor Ambrose Ekpu of the Ambrose Ali University, Edo State, and Dean Faculty of Law, ex-rayed the powers to prescribe and enforce environmental regulations between federal, state, and local government councils. 

Citing relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as altered, and judicial authorities, the university don, and Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Nigeria) maintained that the three tiers of government have jurisdiction to legislate on environmental issues.

"The 4th Schedule to the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), Item H, provides thus: Functions of a Local Government Council are as follows: ... (H) Provision and maintenance of public conveniences, sewage and refuse disposal," he quoted. 

He opined that the state and local government areas should legislate on environmental issues as provided in the Constitution, because of some challenges peculiar to them in the spirit of true federalism as tenable in other climes.

He called for international collaboration, stressing that in the areas of interstate or national concern, the National Assembly should legislate setting the limits while for those of local concern, only the states or local government councils should have authority to act.

In a remark by the Provost of Oleh Campus Delta State University, Abraka, DELSU Professor Elo Ibagere and a welcome address by the Acting Dean Faculty of Law Dr. Ufuoma Awhefeada, stated that the timing of the summit was auspicious given the burning issues of climate change.

Dr. Awhefeada disclosed that the idea behind the summit was to mark World Environmental Day and fifty years of the Stockholm Conference which was the first ever international conference on the human environment, decrying the environmental challenges that gave rise to the convoking of the Stockholm Conference were still very much with us and more acutely felt.

She said that plan was underway to lunch an advocacy group christened, "DELSU EARTH LOVERS" to advance environmental governance.

The occasion which was interspersed with a playlet on public awareness of environmental law was attended by the Vice Chancellor, University of Agbor Delta, Professor Stella Chiemeka; the Acting Dean Faculty of Law University of Agbor, Dr. Samuel Ojugbo; members of the academia, environmental lawyers and experts, and law students.

Agbaragu Timothy

Functioning Director,

Protocol/PR

High Court of Justice,

Asaba.