THE renowned environmentalist and businessman, Dr Newton Jibunoh clocks age 85 on January 1, having been born in 1938.
To mark the date, the former Managing Director of Costain West Africa, known famously as the Dessert Warrior, will be rededicating his life to the one cause he has been known for since about his middle age: Campaign for the Preservation of the Environment.
With the theme, Dr Newton JibunoS 85th Birthday, Celebrating a LIFE of ART & NATURE, the event is designed around Tree Planting activities and celebration of the environment at the Nelson Mandela Gardens which he founded and superintends as Chairman. The garden is located in the premises of the Asaba International Airport in Asaba, Delta state.
The event kicking off at 4pm is expected to be graced by eminent Nigerians from home and abroad, but strictly by invitation.
BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY
BORN January 1st, 1938; Dr Newton Jibunoh is the Founder of Nigeria’s foremost environmental non-governmental organization, Fight against Desert Encroachment (FADE). He is also the Chairman of Nelson Mandela Gardens, a conservation resort in Asaba, Delta state.
He was also Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Costain (West Africa) Plc, and later became the Chairman until he retired in 2006.
His moniker as a Desert warrior came as a result of his numerous desert exploration. Dr Jibunoh has crossed the Sahara Desert (driving from London to Lagos, and Lagos to London) three times. He embarked upon two solo expeditions in 1966 and 2000. The third expedition in 2008 was in the company of five other desert warriors. In 2011, Dr Jibunoh partnered with the Lagos State Government to establish the first ever Green Reality TV Show called, “Dr Newton Jibunoh’s Desert Warriors Reality Show”. The reality show held in the Agadez region of Niger was a desert boot camp environmental protection reality show designed to teach 15 young men and women about processes in managing desert lands and resources, advocacy and community outreach.
His passion for the environment led to the birth of FADE Africa in 2000, an NGO focused on combating desertification and its fall-outs such as climate change, poverty, migration and conflict.
Dr Jibunoh is an internationally acclaimed speaker and has represented Nigeria in several Climate Change summits and conferences such as Bangkok, Copenhagen, and Cancun.
A lover of Arts, Dr Jibunoh is the Founder of DIDI Museum, Nigeria’s first private museum established on May 13, 1983. In addition to housing his numerous collections for preservation, the museum offers avenues for the exhibition and promotion of contemporary arts in Africa.
His latest project is Nelson Mandela Gardens, a multipurpose resort located within Asaba International Airport and boasts of various recreational and lodging amenities.
This man of many talents has authored many books and publications amongst which are “Me, My Desert and I”, an account of his sojourn and near-death experiences while crossing the Sahara the second time; “Bridging the Sahara Desert: A Different Perspective” – a proposed solution to open up the Sahara Desert by the construction of a Trans-Saharan Highway which will also tackle the issue of desertification; “Hunger for Power” – his autobiography and his latest release is “How little we are: A collection of thoughts” -a compilation of a number of his writings on the country and environment into an easy to read format.
He also writes weekly as a columnist for the Sun Newspaper, focusing on issues affecting the nation and the environment. Two things he loves dearly.
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Jibunoh: Mandela Garden was built to celebrate Madiba
By Monday Osayande, Asaba
(Culled from The Guardian, May 21, 2022)
ACCLAIMED environmentalist, Dr. Newton Jibunoh, has revealed the reason behind building a garden after Nelson Mandela in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
In a chat with The Guardian in Asaba, the Desert Warrior, as he’s fondly called, said the famous Mandela Garden was built for the purpose of immortalising the legend, who sacrificed his life for the emancipation of the black race, as declared by United Nations (UN).
The 85-year-old environmentalist further explained that for the memory and legacy of Mandela, United Nations had decided to set aside July 18 of every year as world Mandela Day.
“The UN followed it up by asking for monument to be built around the world, saying if a small percentage of persons in the world could be like Nelson Mandela, the world would be a better place for us all.”
For Jibuno, there was nothing more to celebrate the living legend than to consider ourselves fortunate not only in Delta, but also in Nigeria, to have his endorsement by the UN.
“And for this singular honour, we have decided to build something that would be in line with that of UN’s declaration to inspire the younger generations to come and have a complete different life,” he said.
On sustainability of the projects, he said, “There has to be a successor agreement to see that the kind of people we have here would value what we have done, which is part of the processes that we have put in place to ensure that when the old people like us leave the scene, the younger ones would take over and keep the legacy of Mandela going.”
Speaking on the tree planting and its usefulness, Dr. Jibunoh said, “We are making sure that the trees are well natured to bear fruits and give shades in the garden as well as release oxygen to our immediate environment.
“Those things are important to our lives. That is why we have planted these trees; that is the massage we are passing onto them. And you can see that from the thousands of trees we have planted, oxygen would be released to Asaba people.”
He, however, expressed disappointment, as many people did not understand the usefulness of tree planting to human existence and the environment.
“We are now sensitising the people to know that it’s their project to see how they can gather themselves to own and plant trees. Some of the trees planted are being removed, and others being trampled upon. No tree, no life, hence you see people under the trees, you see vulcanizers working under the tree, you see cars packed under the trees.”
While urging Nigerians to understand the idea behind tree planting, he said, “In a few years time, they would provide us with shades. Also, I plant trees because of nature, which is keeping us alive. I derive a lot of joy doing this because it keeps me healthy and gives me the longevity of life. So, don’t remove them or trample upon them, but help us to grow more,” the 85-year-old pleaded.
https://guardian.ng/art/jibunoh-mandela-garden-was-built-to-celebrate-madiba/
