The Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources has pledged to partner Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, for on environment conservation.
The director of Climate Change and Environmental Awareness in the ministry, Mrs Ini Umoh stated this while presenting a keynote address on the theme: The Role of Government In Supporting Women to Promote Environmental Conservation during the People’s Annual General Meeting on the Power-Up Project – the Right to Say No, organised by Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, held at Luton Park Hotels, Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo on Friday.
Umoh, who was represented at the event by the assistant chief geologist in the Ministry of Environment, Helen Ekpe, commended the women rights group based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for their continuous promotional activities and protection of the environment and the ecosystem.
According to her, women are believed to have a natural affinity to their environment, which she said enables them to have a deeper sense of stewardship to it, as the women tend to manage the environment better than the men.
She, however, noted that the capability of the women to do that was limited, due to perceived marginalization, coupled with their vulnerability to the adverse impacts of the environmental problems, adding that women at the grassroots have over the years demonstrated unwavering dedication to environmental protection and conservation.
The climate director maintained that the women were known for showing high sense of commitment, determination and resilience to the environmental protection, thereby contributing their quota towards environmental sustainability.
She affirmed that the Akwa Ibom State Government, through the Ministry of Environment, has been carrying out a lot of initiatives aimed at supporting and encouraging the women in the environmental conservation initiatives.
Princess Victoria Umoh presenting a paper at the event
Mrs Umoh, therefore, implored the participants at the event to ensure their voices were amplified at any occasion that their environment is threatened and not just during the conference alone.
Earlier in her welcome remarks, Mrs Idongesit Alexander, a programme officer of Kebetkache, had said it was the first time the NGO was hosting such conference on Power -Up Project, which was being implemented by Kebetkache in Nigeria, in partnership with WoMIN Alliance in South Africa and supported by COMIC Relief in the United Kingdom.
Mrs Alexander, who represented the executive director of the group, Obonganwan Emem Okon, PhD, explained that the aim of the project was to get the grassroot women in identified project sites across Nigeria and Zimbabwe, to speak up and voice their interests in relation to large scale oil extraction projects and to advocate a clear development vision for their communities.
She said the project has also built confidence of the women to exercise their right to say NO to destructive model of resource extraction, adding that they have identified about four project sites in Abua, Eleme, Okwuzi and Ibeno.
The frontline women activist lauded women in the four communities, for demonstrating capacity to say NO to any development initiatives that do not tend to develop the women and averred that for the past four years, Kebetkache has supported over 400 women to articulate their issues, demands and voice out their interest.
Princess Victoria Umoh, a stakeholder in Kebetkache and women activist, also presented a paper on the topic: Environmental Justice and The Politics of Scale.
The extraordinary AGM, which brought together select women from the four project communities, stakeholders from the civil society organizations, and the media, featured group discussions and interactive session, among others.
Report filed by Emmanuel Atte
