NES members at the inauguration ceremony held at the Continental Hotel, Abuja.
The Nigerian Environmental Society (NES) on Thursday in Abuja. inaugurated Dr Efegbidiki Okobia as its 16th national president.
Prof. Babajide Alao, Chairman, NES Board of Trustees, while performing the inauguration exercise, said the board was not only committed to Nigeria’s environmental sector but also confident in Okobia’s leadership skills.
“BOT congratulates you on your ascendancy to the exalted position of ‘primus inter pare’ in the society.
“We on BOT are certain that Okobia will not only meet but also exceed our expectations in his new tole as the president of NES,” he said.
Also speaking, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, former NES president, congratulated Okobia on his investiture and promised to collaborate with him towards achieving the organization’s goals.
He urged the new NES leader to pursue the enactment of the long awaited Act that is required for the practice of NES members.
According to Ezemonye, securing a legal backing for upscaling the professionalization of environmental practice demands due attention.
He charged Okobia to engage stakeholders across various sectors in order to build partnerships, create awareness and drive sustainable solutions.
Okobia in his inaugural speech said that his leadership would build a stronger institution that would be inclusive, transparent, accountable, accessible and responsible.
He therefore called on members of the institution to cooperate with him to build a vibrant, dynamic and visible society, while promising to reach out to both government and private institutions to improve NES.
He promised to create public awareness about environmental issues through various channels of communication and address critical challenges of NES.
“We will work to make NES more inclusive by involving women, youth, students and marginalised communities.
“We will make NES more transparent, accountable and accessible by establishing a clear governance structure,” he added.(NAN)
