Bauchi Assembly passes Environmental Trust Fund bill

The Bauchi State House of Assembly has passed a bill for the establishment of an Environmental Trust Fund, to curb desertification.

Mr Bakoji  Bobbo, the Minority Leader of the House, presented the report of the House Committee on Forestry and Environment at a plenary, on Tuesday, in Bauchi.

He said the report was on the bill to establish the State Environmental Trust Fund to mitigate desertification.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the House, on Sept. 10, 2020, and during its plenary, referred the bill to the House Committee on Forestry and Environment for scrutiny, after it had passed the first and second readings.

Copies of the bill were circulated amongst stakeholders on Environmental matters, for smooth and effective scrutiny as part of the methodology adopted by the House Committee to  receive suggestions, amendments and observations.

Bobbo said that damage caused by flood disasters in the state were enormous, the need to also provide prevention and mitigation measures.

He noted that the total estimated cost of damages on houses, farmlands, worship centres and other structures  was in billions of Naira, far exceeding the capacity of the state government to handle alone.

The lawmaker said that when the Trust Fund was established, it would raise funds from individuals and donor agencies to tackling the problem.

“The Fund, apart from tackling environmental problems, will also assist in promoting and creating job opportunities for unemployed youths, through waste management and recycling business opportunities,” he said.

Following unanimous voice vote by the members, the Speaker, Mr Abubakar Suleiman, who presided over the plenary, directed the Clerk of the House to communicate same to the Executive arm of government.