By Magnus Emuji
To ensure environmental sustainability in project delivery and implementation, the Federal University of Petroleum Resources Centre for Sustainable Development (FUPRE-CSD) has interfaced with the leadership of Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State.
Speaking during the kick-off of the clean communities/zero pollution project visit to the Chairman of Aniocha South Local Government Area, Pastor Jude Chukwunwike by the Deputy Director of FUPRE-CSD, Dcn Okezi Odugala who represented the Centre Director, Dr Emeka Elemike, lauded the council chairman for his effective leadership and good governance.
Dr Elemike urged him to sustain the pace of development of the Local Government Area, adding that such initiatives at the local government level would bring about global impact that development partners usually envisaged.
He said that FUPRE-CSD was focused on the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, termed Agenda 2030, Africa Union Agenda 2063 and the Federal, State and Local Government social contracts with citizens.
Dr Elemike stated that FUPRE-CSD was established in 2021 as a special purpose vehicle for research, innovation and training in sustainability.
The FUPRE-CSD Centre Director stated that the campaign and intervention was geared towards creating awareness, training and empowerment programmes in different communities in the three Senatorial Districts of the State.
He noted that the activities of FUPRE-CSD included mapping, assessing and interrogating the socio-economic and environmental issues with a view to evaluating areas that needed immediate interventions.
Earlier, the Chairman of Aniocha South Local Government Area, Pastor Jude Chukwunwike described the gesture as commendable, adding that sustainable development of the society was the responsibility of all individuals.
Pastor Chukwunwike said that his local aligns with the United Nations Agenda 2030 by localising programmes and projects through effective needs assessment to ensure that the people were carried along in the scheme of things during the implementation of the projects.
He described the council under his leadership as progressive, innovative and citizens need driven and sustainability conscious.
Also speaking, the Technical Support/Consultant of FUPRE-CSD, Augusta Impact Keneboh spoke on the need for stakeholders to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals known as agenda 2030 by the United Nations which was marked annually on September 25.
Keneboh added that in line with the 17 SDGs, every local government had a critical role of engaging the citizens more on global goals, take actions together at the local level for global impact, thereby leaving no one behind which was the slogan of the SDGs.
The FUPRE-CSD team delegation that visited the council chairman included Dcn. Okezi Odugala, Augusta Impact Keneboh, who was one of the technical support member of FUPRE-CSD and Ikede Uzezi Godswill.
The high point of the event was the investiture of Pastor Chukwunwike as an SDGs FUPRE-CSD Champion/Partner.
