The Kaduna state Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations NIPR has been commended for inclusion and diversity in its effort to support mitigation of the climate change problem.
The Kaduna State Governor, Malam Uba Sani, who was represented by the Special Adviser on Climate Change, Malam Yusuf Idris Amoke, made the recommendation as part of his remarks to flag off the tree planting ceremony within the premises of Rimi College in the city metropolis, as part of activities commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Institute.
The governor noted that, the commitment to tackling the climate problem must be inclusive and reflect the society’s diversity in order to be sustainable. “I have observed among your huge numbers, a rich diversity of persons of all interests, including old, students, women, children and the physically challenged in particular, reflective of the inclusion that is incumbent in our collective desire to tackle the climate problem”, he said.
Governor Sani acknowledged with delight, the deliberate choice of Rimi College, while commending the Chapter for its rich sense of history and purposefulness in the quest to transfer ownership to the school and its students, towards sustainability.
“I must salute the NIPR for aligning with our vision of planting 10 million trees in four years, having equally pioneered the recognition of the office of Special Adviser for this purpose, ahead of other states in Nigeria”, the governor acknowledged, while calling on other institutions and professional bodies emulate the NIPR to join hands with the state government in achieving the target objectives of addressing the climate problem.
Earlier, the Chapter Chairman, Haroun Malami in his welcome address, recalled the existing relationship between the Chapter and the state government over the years.
He said that, the commemorative walk and tree planting exercise are a reaffirmation of the NIPR’s recognition of Nigeria’s potential for greatness within the emerging green economy. “Your Excellency, you can see that we are deliberate in our pursuit of inclusion. Even in the trees we would be planting here today, we have reflected diversity in the variety of economic trees selected as donated by some of our strategic partners”, Malami stressed.
While thanking the representative of the governor for the honour of his presence, he assured that the Chapter has availed the host community institution the necessary collaboration to sustain the project, which he described as the ‘NIPR Diamond Anniversary Orchard’. “We shall also continue to foster and sustain collaboration with the state government in broader areas of mutual interest”, Malami affirmed.
The anniversary event, themed “Walk for Economic Transformation,” kicked off at the chapter’s Yakubu Gowon way secretariat with a brief address by the Chapter Chairman, after which a walk of about 6 kilometers by the participants terminated at Rimi College.
Some of the participants included representatives of security agencies, civil society, student groups and other partners, including officials of Kaduna State ministry of environment.
Adamu Yusuf
