By Banji Ayoola
Training of the staff of Ondo State Environmental Protection Agency, OSEPA, in air pollution management by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET, has kicked off.
A statement on Wednesday by the agency’s Head, Media and Information Services, Bisi Agboola, said the five-day intensive training started on Monday, September 26, at the Federal University of Technology, FUTA, in Akure, the state capital.
According to him, “the training is geared towards raising the standards of the staff of the Agency, equipping them with recent international standards in combating the menace of air pollution as well as its management.”
Addressing participants at the opening ceremony of the training, the Director General of NIMET, Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu, represented by Alhaji Mailadi Yusuf, commended the Ondo State Government for prioritising environmental and ecological management.
He also disclosed that NIMET has initiated plans to set up weather observatory tools in the state to aid the monitoring of climate change.
Appreciating the synergy between the state government and NIMET, the DG also disclosed that the agency is poised to strengthen its quality monitoring programme by upgrading to a full fledged unit.
In the same vein, the Special Adviser to Mr Governor on Environment, ably represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary of OSEPA, Princess Korede Giwa commended the governor for resuscitating OSEPA to protect, preserve and safeguard the state environment.
Also, the acting Permanent Secretary for OSEPA, Princess Korede Giwa who delivered an address on behalf of the Special Adviser to the Ondo State Governor on Environment, Hon. Oyeniyi Oseni reiterated the need for the implementation and formulation of policies aimed at protecting, preserving and safeguarding the state’s environment.
She also expressed her confidence that the training will further equip its staff to rise up to the challenge of adequately managing air pollutants across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.
