Roger Milla jiggles to protect the environment

Albert Roger Milla, Cameroon’s Roving Ambassador, became famous in 1990, after scoring four vital goals for the Indomitable Lions, thereby enabling the country and Africa to get to the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup for the first time. His peculiar jigs in celebration of his goals reverberated across the world. Since then, the African Footballer of the century has been employing these jigs to rally the masses to protect the environment.
The Roving Ambassador has mobilized and sensitized some 60000 students in the Southwest, Littoral and Centre Regions of Cameroon. He and some former indomitable lions have planted over 1000 trees in Yaounde and Douala in a symbolic action to save “Mother Earth”.

Milla has found in the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) a chiming partner. Since 2016 WWF and Milla have been working hand in gloves to raise awareness on climate change and environmental protection. Milla who heads a foundation called Fondation Coeur d’Afrique de Roger Milla, has taken active part in WWF-organized global grassroots campaign called Earth Hour which aims at raising awareness and calling for action against climate change.

During one of the campaigns with WWF Milla said, “For the past 50 years, scientists have been warning of a possible destruction of planet earth. We are watching helplessly as our environment is being negatively transformed. Through my voice, sports men and women have decided to mobilize and commit to fighting climate change,” he declared.

According to Milla, “Every minute that passes by, a football field is destroyed.” He is “strongly appealing to the national and international communities to find lasting solutions to problems besetting the planet.”
An indefatigable campaigner, Milla in October 2016 launched another campaign known as Sports for Nature on the sideline of the female African Cup of Nations hosted by Cameroon. His recent project to transform plastic wastes to be used for the construction pavements in the city of Yaounde, is a bolder effort to fight climate change.

Dr. Hanson Njiforti, WWF Cameroon Country Director said says, “Icons like Milla represent the omniscient voice that can rally people across all boundaries and color lines to lend a hand to this troubled world. There is an urgent need for the peoples of the world to get together, speak with one voice and make the right decisions to save planet earth,” Dr. Njiforti adds.

Ambassador Milla knows the challenges are numbering sand. However, as he puts it, “Our passivity and inaction will have disastrous consequences on current and future generations.”