It is a huge plus for the environment as Sahara Group, Egbin Power plc, and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) have entered into partnership to set up a nature reserve in Ikorodu in order to promote sustainability.
Ikorodu is a coastal city in Lagos, Nigeria which is home to Egbin Power; the largest privately run thermal plant in sub–Saharan Africa.
Ejiro Gray, director, governance and sustainability, Sahara Group, offered insights into the nature reserve, saying it would serve as a sanctuary for animals and plants as well as a carbon sink to help reduce the effect of climate change.
“We are excited at the prospects this partnership holds and the positive impact we expect as Sahara Group continues to lead the charge towards environmental sustainability, especially in Africa where we have our roots. We also see huge prospects for socio-economic benefits through ecotourism, air quality control, and urban heat reduction,” she said.
Gray further explained that the proposed reserve would anchor its activities on four thematic programs, including, awareness building and advocacy, environmental education and resource centre, ecotourism destination, and preservation of cultural heritage.
She noted that it would also serve as a biological laboratory for research, an attribute stakeholders say could trigger the development of similar reserves in the sub-region.
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“This collaboration will leverage the strengths and expertise, including Sahara Group’s experience in promoting sustainable development, its commitment to reducing carbon emissions, and the NCF’s expertise in environmental conservation,” she added.
Joseph Onoja, NCF’s director-general, said the organisation was delighted to collaborate with Sahara Group and Egbin Power towards preserving the full range of Nigeria’s biodiversity, promoting sustainable use of natural resources for the benefit of the present and future generations; and advocating actions that minimise pollution and wasteful utilisation of renewable resources.
“Sahara Group has demonstrated commitment to offsetting its carbon footprint through the conservation of an expanse of forest area within Egbin Power plc facility. This is in line with one of the key goals of NCF’s Green Recovery Nigeria Programme, which aims to increase the forest cover in Nigeria to, at least, 25 percent of the total land mass through management and expansion of protected areas as well as forest landscape restoration.”
Mokhtar Bounor, Egbin Power CEO, said the power firm was pleased to play a frontline role in the conservation of the native flora and fauna of the area.
According to him, “the nature reserve will demonstrate seamless regeneration of the forest as a paradigm shift from afforestation and ultimately help us achieve a sustainable environmental bank for wildlife and plants that would have been displaced during construction and other activities, ensuring their availability for research and environmental education,” he said.
