By Nwogueze Chikodili E. /Gab Alokwe
The National Project Coordinator of the European Investment Bank-Assisted Nigeria Climate Adaptation, Erosion and Watershed Project (NEWMAP-EIB), Engr. Anda Ayuba, has called on Nigerians to plant erosion-resilient crops and trees to help protect the environment from devastation. He made this appeal during a three-day capacity-building retreat held in Abuja, where he also emphasized the importance of citizen engagement to avoid litigation during project implementation.
Engr Ayuba charged stakeholders in the NEWMAP-EIB project to assess project sites to determine whether they meet the selection criteria, how they affect lives, infrastructure, general environment and ensure effective community participation and ownership. He also urged the staff to monitor projects being executed to ensure compliance to the specifications and standards.
During the retreat, Dr. Israel Oladipo delivered a lecture on work ethics, describing it as a people’s attitudinal change and internal commitment to produce excellent results. He emphasized the importance of integrity, honesty, transparency, and teamwork in achieving desired success in any organization. He also suggested rewards for excellence and consequences for failure.
Ferdinand Fada, who spoke on conflict resolution, challenged organizational leaders to communicate organizational goals to their staff and define every role given to subordinates. He emphasized that communication and engagement are vital to achieving a peaceful ambience in the workplace.
The Project Coordinator of NEWMAP-EIB in Anambra State, Prof. Philip Phil-Eze, promised to implement the roadmap of the NEWMAP-EIB project in Anambra State and vowed to maintain the trajectory in project delivery without compromise.
During a recap session, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for Anambra State, Mr. Humphrey Anazodo, described indicators as measurable variables that track progress toward objectives. He explained that output refers to the actual product or services of an intervention, while impact refers to the long-term result of an intervention. Mr. Humphrey noted that the Monitoring and Evaluation system of the NEWMAP-EIB which encompasses the M&E Plan, the Logical Framework and appropriately adapted Results Framework will ensure effective, efficient and sustainable achievement of the Project Development Objective (PDO).
Dr. Ejike Onuchukwu, the Environmental Safeguards Officer for the Anambra NEWMAP-EIB, emphasized the importance of effective grievance redress mechanism, social and environmental safeguards systems to sustainable delivery of the PDO.
In a vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mahmud Adams Kambari represented by Alhaji Abba Kaza, thanked foreign donors, the Federal Government, and participating states for their commitment to the successful implementation of the project.
He further said that the retreat was aimed to equip stakeholders with the necessary skills and knowledge to implement the NEWMAP-EIB project effectively, noting that the project is expected to restore degraded landscape and empower vulnerable communities across participating states.
Chikodili and Gab are of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
