The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) in partnership with Continental Reinsurance Company on Friday, June 28, 2024, planted 2,000 trees to boost environmental sustainability.
The tree planting which took place at the Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC) in Lagos, NCF’s head offices, is said to be critical in challenging the impact of climate change within the Lekki Epe corridor.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of NCF, Dr Joseph Onoja, noted that the month of June is a very special month for nature with many events aimed at nature conservation.
Represented by Mr Uchenna Achunine, Director, Business Development and Communications, NCF, Onoja extolled the quality of the partnership between the NCF and Continental Reinsurance.
“Though our partnership has not been for many years, we have become a family.
“They have treated us very well as partners,” Onoja said.
He said that the insurance company with presence in six African countries has an ambitious project of planting one million trees in Africa.
“The company invited us to speak at their ninth Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) summit in Zimbabwe in May, thus giving us the opportunity to talk about nature conservation to insurance CEOs.
“We are working out all the details of playing a key role in that sector and how it can be achieved,” Onoja said.
He noted that the NCF is the foremost environmental conservation organisation in Nigeria and has been advocating environmental sustainability and nature conservation for over 44 years.
Onoja said the foundation launched the Green Recovery Nigeria (GRN) project in 2017 with an ambitious target of restoring and recovering Nigeria’s lost forest cover to 25 per cent.
“Today Nigeria’s forest cover hovers around four to eight per cent.
“It is still a far cry from where it is supposed to be,” Onoja said.
In his goodwill message, the Group Executive Director, Technical Operation, Continental Reinsurance, Mr Chukwuemeka Akwiwu, said that the tree planting event was in line with the GRN project of the NCF.
“We are pleased to support this noble goal with a donation of 2,000 trees for now.
“It is my intention of having this conversation on an annual basis,” Akwiwu said.
He noted that, following the participation of the NCF at the ninth CEOs Summit in Zimbabwe, Continental Reinsurance would continue the advocacy for climate change in the insurance industry.
“We will mobilise key players in this regard. These trees are not just ceremonial trees, but a symbol of hope in combating climate change,” Akwiwu said.
According to him, NCF’s participation at the ninth CEOs summit inspired the audience of insurance industry leaders by showcasing what NCF does.
He added that the input of NCF at the summit demonstrated how the company can support such impactful work of the foundation.
“Today’s event is a significant milestone of broader goal of achieving our environmental target as Continental Reinsurance.
“Working together we can amplify our impact and drive meaningful change in environmental conservation.
“At Continental Reinsurance, we are unwavering in our commitment to make a positive difference in our environmental future.
“We believe that through collaboration and shared effort, we can create a lasting impact,” Akwiwu said.
The climax of the event was the tree planting exercise at the conservation area of the LCC.
By Fabian Ekeruche
