Oborevwori to deliver Keynote at UNFCCC Cop 28 in Dubai, supports action on climate change

From left: Honourable Commissioner for Environment: Jamani Tommy Ejiro, Chairman Delta State Oil Producing Areas Commission: Chief John Nani Obukohwo, Deputy Director FUPRE Centre for Sustainable Development: Deacon Odugala Okezi, His Excellency, Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. (Elder) Sheriff Oborevwori, President Nurses Across the Borders: Pastor Peters Omoragbon and Managing Director: Delta State Oil Producing Areas Commission: Mr Festus Ochonogor. 

The Executive Governor of Delta State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon (Elder) Sheriff Oborevwori has accepted to deliver a Keynote Address at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP 28 in Dubai this year.

The Governor is expected to deliver the keynote at the Side Event organized by Nurses Across The Borders International, and slated for November 11, 2023, at the Blue Zone SE Room with the theme: “Building Partnership in Promoting Public Health through Ecological Restoration. What is at Stake?” 

The Governor’s position was made public during a courtesy visit to the State House, Asaba over the weekend by the Executive President and Chief Executive Officer of Nurses Across the Borders International, Pastor Peters Omoragbon.

Pastor Omoragbon enumerated some of the existing collaboration between it and the Delta State Government especially on the issue of Climate Change and public health.

According to Omoragbon, in 2022, the Organization entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to partner with the Centre for Sustainable Development of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE-CSD) Effurum, Delta State on research and training activities on human and sustainable development. “The MOU was intended to bring to the fore the burning issue of Climate Change that is confronting sustainable development in the Niger Delta region as a result of oil exploration activities and human mismanagement of natural resources. As a research and training centre, the collaboration is to proffer mitigation and adaptation mechanism with other stakeholders towards enthroning sustainable livelihood and the ecosystem of Delta State,

“The negative impacts of climate change on the health of our environment from flooding, gas flaring, deforestation, waste mismanagement, erosion, loss of biodiversity, resources conflicts, migration, poverty and insecurity amongst others are also areas of intervention while seeking international partnership,” Omoragbon said.

In his Response, His Excellency, Governor Oborevwori, appreciated the visit and expressed the state’s desire to partner with major stakeholders both local, national and international, in the development of the state.

According to the Governor, Delta State by virtue of being one of the major oil producing states of Nigeria suffers from the devastating effects of the climate change crisis, from flooding to gas flaring and increased pollution of farmlands and waters by oil pollution through exploration.

He gave account of the first action he took as Governor to mitigate the impact of flooding to vulnerable areas within the state earlier in the year which included the clearing of water ways and drainage system in the state, and the provision of camps to people displaced from their habitat as a result of the increased flooding in the state.

The Governor further expressed the interest and desire of the Delta State Government to mitigate climate change, mitigation and adaptation; he said the state is ready to partner Nurses Across the Borders and Federal University of Petroleum Resources-Centre for Sustainable Development in the areas of environmental sustainability

Governor Oborevwori also tasked multilateral organizations mostly the United Nations and her agencies to partner Delta State to mitigate her environmental challenges as a result of decades of unfriendly oil and gas exploration activities and human mismanagement of natural resources. He commended Desopadec for her interventions across communities in the state and the recent desitation of canals across the state to mitigate flooding while tasking Deltans and resident not to build on waterways as the state will not tolerate those who pollute the environment in anyway as it is environmental unfriendly to mismanage waste and frown at those who disposed waste indiscriminately on drainages and unauthorized places

The Governor also accepted invitation extended by Nurses Across the Border to attend the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP 28) in Dubai.

To underscore the importance the state government placed on the issue of climate change mitigation and adaptation, he announced the approval of the attendance to the UNFCCC COP 28 event by the State full compliments delegation to be made up of the Honourable Commissioner for Environment and its Permanent Secretary (Dr Mrs Oseji Mininim Ibiere, Chief (Barr) John Nani Obukohwo Chairman of DESOPADEC its Managing Director, Mr Festus Ochonogor and the State Director on climate change Ms Briggs Vivian Doye.

In company of Pastor Omoragbon was Deacon Odugala Okezi, the Deputy Director of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE) Centre for Sustainable Development.

Also at the meeting was the Honourable Commissioner for Environment Jamani Tommy Ejiro.