A bill for an act to establish the National Agency for the Great Green Wall on Wednesday passed second reading at the Senate. Leading the debate on the bill ,the Senate leader Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba said the bill seeks to establish the National Agency for the Great Green Wall for the implementation of the provisions of the convention on the Great Green Wall programme in Nigeria, management of drought, desertification and afforestation control measures and related matters.
Ndoma-Egba said the bill if passed into law will help safeguard the environment, ensure food security, reduce unemployment and poverty, protect citizens in the affected parts from vagaries of weather, reduce strife and criminality, ensure sustainable livelihood and avert a major catastrophe in the near future. He said the desertification affects an area of about 393, 168 square kilometer which is about 43% of the total land area of Nigeria and called on all the Senators to support the bill for second reading and passage into law.
Senator Ali Ndume in his contribution said drought is a frequent problem in the country. He said Nigeria was among the initiators of the Great Green Wall programme but the country has not established the Agency. He added that President Goodluck Jonathan would be anxious to sign the bill into law before leaving the office this month.
Senator Banabas Gemade said establishing the agency with an enabling law will help the government to pay constant attention to the issue. He encouraged all Senators to support the passage of the bill.
In his contribution, Senator Chris Ngige urged the Senators to give the bill accelerated hearing to ensure it is passed into law before the end of the present Senate.
In his remark, the Senate President Senator David Mark said anything that affects 43% of the total land area of Nigeria is a serious Problem and wondered why Nigeria which is one of the initiators of the Great Green Wall programme has not established the agency. “Anything that affects 43% of the total land area of Nigeria is a serious Problem, it is a pity that the bill is coming late but it is an excellent bill and the agency is wonderful” Mark said.
He urged that when the bill is finally passed into law, its implementation should be taken seriously. When the bill was put to voting by the Senate President it was unanimously passed by all the Senators at the sitting. The bill was thus refered to the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture for further legislative action.
