The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to conserving the state’s coastline and developing sustainable infrastructure to combat climate change.
Kunle Adesina, spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, confirmed this in a statement issued on Monday.
According to the statement, Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, reiterated the promise while representing the state at the ongoing United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France.
According to Wahab, Lagos, as a coastal state, faces a number of climatic concerns, including increasing sea levels, heavy rainfall, and high heat.
“Lagos, as a coastal state, faces severe climate risks from rising sea levels, extreme rainfall and excessive heat.
“But we are not sitting back. We are building resilient infrastructure.
“As a state, we must face our realities and those realities are that we must build resilient infrastructure which is key and we must also take ownership of those infrastructures, which is very key,” the commissioner added.
Wahab stated that the state cleared primary and secondary drainage channels all year to lessen the risk of floods, and that 76 kilometres of trapezoidal drainage systems were built in the last two years.
He also addressed the state’s waste management changes, saying that Lagos produces over 13,000 tonnes of waste every day and is transitioning from a linear disposal model to a circular one.
He added, ”In the last two years, we have chosen to categorise waste as a resource, so we have transitioned from a pick-and-dump system to a more sustainable, climate-friendly system where waste is now a resource for wealth, a resource for energy; where waste is not just seen as waste anymore.”
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")