PPDF Marks 2024 World Environment Day with Awareness Campaign in Ewet Offot Community
By Ekemini Simon
As part of its activities to mark the World Environment Day 2024, Peace Point Development Foundation has held an awareness campaign on environmental protection at Ewet Offot community in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Ewet Offot Community plays host to a gully erosion site located at Udo Inwang which the government of Akwa Ibom State is currently working on reclamation.
In his presentation, the Coordinator of Peace Point Development Foundation, Comrade Umo Isuaikoh said the organisation is maximizing the opportunity of the World Environment Day celebrated June 5th of every year globally to share ideas with the community on how they can protect their environment considering their peculiar environmental challenge of erosion.
Commenting on the theme of the year; land restoration, stopping desertification and building drought resilience, the PPDF coordinator said he was delighted that the State government is in the process of restoring the vast community land that was lost to erosion.
He noted that although the government is playing its role in the reclamation of the land, the community needs to restore it and protect it by planting trees, grasses and plants that will protect the soil.
Isuaikoh noted that although the community is blessed with a water source, they need to immediately stop sand dredging else gully may develop in the future.
The Coordinator called on individuals in the community to adopt ecological processes in their agricultural production systems such as stopping the use of fertilizers and other chemicals in agriculture. He said such usage destroys microorganisms in the soil thus it is not environmentally friendly.
While calling on the community not to wait for the government to disilt their gutters but should do that to protect themselves against flood, Isuaikoh charged the community to be interested in the management of ecological funds across the three tiers of government hence use its data in their engagement anytime the community is faced with ecological challenges.
In his response, the Village Head of Ewet Offot, Eteidung Ben Bassey John thanked PPDF for the sensitisation. He assured that the community will take to heart and action the information they have received on how to protect and restore their environment.
Eteidung John particularly appreciated the Peace Point Development Foundation drawing the State government’s attention to the gully erosion that bedevilled the community for years.
He said ” When you visited our community to carry out on the spot assessment of the gully site with assurance that the State government would intervene and even refused the transport fare that we gave to you, we thought that you were just pulling our legs and nothing will happen.
” Before now, I thought it was only the Federal Government that could handle a gully of that magnitude because the State Government used to bring sand and ask our youths to put them in bags and sometimes they added stones and called it intervention. When the Peace Point Development Foundation came, talked about how Ecological funds could solve the problem, asked for community members to follow him to the radio coupled with several publications on print media, things changed.
A week after, the Governor came visiting and now, the intervention is ongoing. I have begun to wonder whether Pastor Umo Eno is a politician. Politicians say one thing and do the other. But he has kept his promise. I thank PPDF for taking our plight to the government. I must confess that I have a lot of respect for the Peace Point Development Foundation.”
Also speaking, the Youth President, Joseph Nyong thanked the organisation for the sensitisation and impact recorded in the community.
He asked for more collaboration with PPDF on environmental and peacebuilding issues.
The event which was interactive witnessed questions and answer sessions.