Lagos State Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday said the government needs the participation, support and contribution of Friends of Environment (FoE) to sustain a Green Lagos.
Ambode made the request at the maiden Greening Stakeholder's Forum organized by Lagos State Parks and Gardens (LASPARK) in Lagos.
Ambode was represented by the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, at the forum with the theme, ``Sustaining Our Green Lagos’’.
According to him, the government initiated the idea of having parks and gardens all over the state as part of the Green Lagos Agenda.
``The government has invested a lot in creating and maintaining these parks and gardens.
``This greening initiative by the government is capital intensive and to sustain it, funding has to be sourced from other sources.
``The responsibility to restore the glory and beauty of our environment is a collective one as the government cannot do it alone,’’ Ambode said.
``We must all unite to salvage the environment. It is in our own best interest.
``I want to see more corporate bodies take environmental projects as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.’’
The governor said that major places inhabited by miscreants had now been turned into beautiful parks and gardens with more than 97,000 jobs created through the efforts.
He said the environment had enormous potential to improve the well-being of the citizenry and ensure the security of lives and property.
The Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, said that the need for collaboration between the government and the private sector for effective greenery of urban space could not be over emphasized.
He said the forum was designed to promote the synergy that would be beneficiary to all stakeholders.
According to him, in three years, LASPARK has planted over 5.9 million trees, established 300 parks and gardens as well as fell and pruned over 5,500 trees.
Adejare said the agency could do more with stakeholders’ support.
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