23.6 C
Lagos
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Home Blog Page 1869

Paris Agreement represents $12.1 trillion investment opportunity, says report

admin
-
0
Paris Agreement represents $12.1 trillion investment opportunity, says report

Keeping the world below the 2 degrees Celsius pathway presents a US$12.1 trillion investment opportunity over the next 25 years – in the light of the newly agreed Paris Agreement, a new analysis states.

The report Mapping the Gap: The Road From Paris, presented last week by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) at the 2016 Investor Summit on Climate Risk hosted by Ceres, shows the opportunities and challenges of filling the ‘gap’ between the business-as-usual (BAU) investment in renewable energy and what is needed to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

At the Summit, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called investors to at least double their investments in clean energy by 2020, adding that “we must begin the shift away from fossil fuels immediately.”

Last week another BNEF report showed how global clean investment attracted a record US$329 billion last year – about six times the amount invested in 2004.

BNEF forecast of total investment in lower-carbon power generation (US$ billion, real). From the report Mapping the Gap: The Road From Paris, courtesy of BNEF.
BNEF forecast of total investment in lower-carbon power generation (US$ billion, real). From the report Mapping the Gap: The Road From Paris, courtesy of BNEF.

Just a month ago, countries signed at COP21 in Paris a historic agreement to tackle climate disruption and keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius, compared to the pre-industrial era. However, the report by BNEF shows that to achieve this goal, investment in new renewable power generation must increase 75% above the BAU trajectory.

In fact, if governments and business leaders take no additional steps to what they have planned today, the investment opportunity for tackling climate change is US$6.9 trillion, or US$277 billion per year.

The ‘gap’ between this scenario and what is needed to keep the world safe is US$5.2 trillion, or US$208 billion per year. To put the numbers in perspective, authors point out this is far less than the US$454 billion per year that people in the US ask every year to get their auto loans.

Nevertheless, “there still remains much to be done,” says Mark Kenber, CEO, The Climate Group, in a recent blog. “While the leaders in the investment, corporate and sub-national communities have demonstrated that bold climate action brings economic benefits, the task now is to ensure those in the mainstream follow this leadership.”

 

Solar and Wind Opportunity

Investment in new renewable power generation by technology under BNEF 2 degrees scenario (US$ billion, real)
Investment in new renewable power generation by technology under BNEF 2 degrees scenario (US$ billion, real)

To reach this point, renewable investment must scale up quickly in the next 15 years, grasping opportunities already available today to reach 12,500 gigawatts globally by 2040.

Under this scenario, which excludes large hydropower investment, wind and solar have the lion’s share growing 46% and 43% respectively in the first decade – thanks in particular to their increasingly lowering prices and off-grid potential.

In fact, the report forecasts that the cost per unit of clean energy is due to decline consistently through the full 25 years analysed, from an average of US$1.74/megawatt (MW) in the 2015-2020 period to $1.03/MW by the 2036-2040 period.

 

Policies and Solutions

To scale up the opportunities offered from the 2 degrees pathway, many policies have proven to be successful. One of these solutions is putting a price on carbon, such as the system created in 2014 by Québec and California – governments that are part of The Climate Group’s States & Regions Alliance – that created the first cross-border market in North America.

Also Ontario, another valuable member of the States & Regions Alliance, last year launched a ‘cap-and-trade’ system to curb its emissions, aiming to link it to the system set up by Québec and California.

Other solutions envisaged by the report are tax incentives, to accelerate investments on clean power plants and manufacturing facilities, and feed-in tariffs to spur a widespread adoption of renewables among customers and businesses.

“Clean energy financing is poised to ‘grow up’ to more fully resemble other, better established infrastructure sectors,” conclude the authors of the report, “such as transportation or real estate, from a financial structure perspective.

“These new finance vehicles will present massive new opportunities for capital deployment. Policy makers need to ‘mind the gap’ to ensure that investment grows at the speed and scale required.”

By Ilario D’Amato (The Climate Group)

Osun identifies 60 million active cocoa trees

admin
-
0
Osun identifies 60 million active cocoa trees

Revenues from cocoa and other prominent farms produce in which Osun State has comparative advantages have great capacities to turn around the economy and fortunes of the state if pursued with renewed vigor.

A cocoa plantation. Photo credit: thebreakingtimes.com
A cocoa plantation. Photo credit: thebreakingtimes.com

Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who stated thisrecently, assured that his administration would leave no stone unturned to make the state great again, hence the recent investment and research into cocoa production and the focus on other areas of agriculture.

The governor stated that for the state to start on a good footing at producing ‘Cocoa Omoluabi’ it has enumerated and identified 60 million active cocoa trees in the state.

Aregbesola, while meeting with Cocoa Produce Merchants in the state at the Government House Banquet Hall in Osogbo, stated that with new cocoa development initiatives in the state, there will be a new cash inflow making the economy of the state prosperous.

He stated that the state has also gone further in its bid to boost cocoa production and Agriculture with the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ibadan, Oyo State-based  International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on the development of agriculture and production of massive food production as alternative to reliance on oil sector.

The agreement, according to Aregbesola, involved releasing of 204.39 hectares of land in Ago Owu Farm Settlement to IITA for the purposes of conducting research and setting up demonstration farms for best farming practices.

IITA will also carry out cassava, plantain and other crops multiplication including cocoa as well as train the youths in the state in modern, commercial and profitable farming.

Aregbesola emphasised that in its bid to increase Internally Generated Revenue in Osun, government would establish commodity board that will be supervised directly by the office of the governor to ensure that Osun ranks among the best cocoa producers in Nigeria within the next two years.

He told the produce merchants that the economic situation of the state has been badly affected with the pillaging of the national treasury by the previous administration.

Aregbesola added that the situation with the drop in oil prices and the sharp reduction in the Federation Accounts from N1.2 trillion in 2012 to N369 billion in November allocations shared in December 2015 has reduced the running of government to little or nothing hence the need to look inward in increasing IGR.

The governor noted that the state would soon bounce back‎ with the identification of 60 million cocoa trees presently in the state, adding that government henceforth will criminalise any action of farmers and merchants that runs foul of government laws on cocoa.

He pointed out that government would soon be registering all farmers in the state for easy implementation of government policies on agriculture, thus giving adequate room for monitoring and giving the necessary support for farmers.

He said: “To show the people of the state that we are ready to face agriculture squarely in Osun, I am establishing a commodity board that will be supervised directly from the office of the governor.

“Our bags of cocoa in Osun will be branded with this; government will be able to ensure that the quality of cocoa coming out of the state meets international quality. When there was free money coming from oil, no government was looking at what cocoa could bring to the economy; we are back to the days where cocoa will be the main stay of our economy in Osun”. The governor emphasised.

Aregbesola hinted that produce tribunals would be set up across the state and that special colour would be given to vehicles that will be transporting cocoa within the state.

The governor added that the State Executive Council meetings would be held in rural areas where cocoa farming is thriving in the state for about six months to one year after the formation of his cabinet.

Earlier, the Chairman of All Farmers Association of Osun, Chief Raheem Adeniji, stated that the association was ready to partner and cooperate with government in her bid to revamp the cocoa farming in the state.

He lamented the poor economic state the country has found itself with the neglect of cocoa which he said was the back bone of the economy in the 60s, even as he identified the cancellation of Cocoa Marketing Board by the then military government as a setback for the industry in Nigeria.

Adeniji commended government for introducing E-payment, adding that government should ensure and maintain that Osun cocoa should not go out of the state.

 

Nations to submit NDCs after Paris Agreement ratification

admin
-
0
Nations to submit NDCs after Paris Agreement ratification

Parties to the Paris Agreement (or nations that end up signing the agreement) are expected to communicate their first nationally determined contribution (NDC) no later than when the respective instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession has been submitted.

Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary
Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary

A feature of the Paris Agreement entails a change in status of the intended national climate action plans which almost all countries submitted to the UN ahead of COP21 in Paris. These intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs), which detail what each country intends to contribute towards reducing global emissions, are set to become nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

“If a country has already submitted its INDC before joining the agreement, then that INDC will be considered the country’s first NDC, unless it indicates otherwise,” stated Nick Nuttall, the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) spokesperson.

According to him, a country has the opportunity of submitting a more ambitious NDC before it submits or when submitting its respective instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

Prof Olukayode Oladipo, a climate change expert, the NDC doesn’t have to be a fresh version of the INDC or something totally different from the initial INDC.

“Since its no longer ‘intended’, the NDC could just be a short report detailing and stating clearly how a nation will implement statements or proposals in the INDC,” he disclosed, adding that Nigeria is expected to initiate a plan of action to be taken to implement the NDC.

According to Nuttall, the authentic text of the Paris Agreement in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, will be transmitted by the UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Christiana Figueres, to the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations in New York as soon as it becomes available.

“Following this, certified true copies will be distributed to all Parties to the Convention and the Paris Agreement will open for signature at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 22 April, 2016 to 21 April, 2017,” he said, adding that the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, is convening a high-level signature ceremony for the Paris Agreement on 22 April, 2016 and is inviting all Parties to the Convention to sign the agreement at this ceremony, or at their earliest opportunity.

The Agreement shall enter into force on the 30th day after the date on which at least 55 Parties to the Convention accounting in total for at least an estimated 55 % of total global greenhouse gas emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Depositary. The Secretary-General of the United Nations will act as the Depositary of the Agreement.

“To this end, the UNFCCC secretariat has made available information (http://unfccc.int/ghg_data/items/9354.php) on the most up-to-date total and per cent of greenhouse gas emissions communicated by Parties to the Convention on the website on the date of adoption of the Agreement.”

On 12 December 2015, countries under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adopted the Paris Agreement.

The Legal Affairs programme of the UNFCCC secretariat has prepared a legal version (http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/paris_nov_2015/application/pdf/paris_agreement_next_steps_post_adoption.pdf)  of these steps for readers who require the important, detailed formal wording and terminology that relates to this major international agreement.

The text of the Paris Agreement (http://unfccc.int/documentation/documents/advanced_search/items/6911.php?priref=600008831) is found annexed to the decision that officially adopted the agreement at the UN Climate Change conference in Paris (COP 21) and is available in all six official UN languages.

The English version of the final report of COP 21 is expected to be published shortly and this will be made available on the UNFCCC website and also announced through the UNFCCC Newsroom. The report is expected to be available in the other UN languages by the end of February.

Concern as Zika virus spreads alarmingly

admin
-
0
Concern as Zika virus spreads alarmingly

As the Zika virus outbreak spreads across Central and South America, it appears to have landed in North America, where 31 people have been reportedly infected in the US. The infection has been linked to birth defects in newborns

Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae are seen in a lab at the Fiocruz institute, Jan. 26, 2016 in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil. Photo credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images
Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae are seen in a lab at the Fiocruz institute, Jan. 26, 2016 in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil. Photo credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images

There are currently 31 people in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with the Zika virus, including three pregnant women – two in Illinois and one in New York.

Those infected are spread across 11 states and Washington, D.C., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All of those infected contracted the virus outside of the U.S. before returning, according to health officials.

Another woman in Hawaii is believed to have had the Zika virus after her infant was born with the associated birth defect called microcephaly – characterised by an abnormally small head and brain, which can lead to developmental delays. The birth defect has been associated with the virus in Brazil, where more than 4,000 children have been diagnosed with the condition.

 

Houston Woman Recounts Zika Infection

A Houston woman described what it was like to be infected with the Zika virus during a trip to El Salvador over Christmas.

Lizzie Morales told ABC’s Houston station KTRK-TV that she spent a week experiencing the extreme fatigue, nausea and a large rash that covered her body.

“You have no strength or energy to sit down. You just want to lay down and sleep,” she told KTRK-TV.

Morales said she had fatigue for a week and nausea towards the end of her virus.

“Christmas Eve, I was scratching. My chest, bumps on my lips, eyes, ears,” she said.

 

Origin of Zika Virus Outbreak in Brazil May Be Linked to Major Sporting Events

Scientists have traced the Zika virus spreading through the Western Hemisphere to a strain from French Polynesia. The virus was first confirmed in this hemisphere in Brazil last May, but quickly spread leading to more than 1 million estimated cases in Brazil by the end of 2015.

In a research paper, scientists said the outbreak might have been linked to major sporting events that brought together thousands of people across the globe to Brazil. This revelation raises concern over the safety of athletes at the forthcoming Olympics game scheduled to hold this year in Brazil.

“It is very likely an infected traveler from French Polynesia that traveled to Brazil was likely the source of the Brazilian invasion,” Dr. Peter Armbruster, professor of biology at Georgetown University, who was not involved in that study, told ABC News. “Whether it is someone associated with the [World Cup], we do not know for sure.”

 

Where Is the Zika Virus Outbreak Happening?

The virus has been reported in Africa, South Asia and Polynesia but now it’s also being found in Central and South America.

An outbreak of the disease in Brazil lead to an alert by the Pan American Health Organisation last May. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued a travel alert for 24 countries and territories where the virus transmission is ongoing.

Those countries and territories are: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Guyana, Cape Verde and Samoa.

 

What Does the Virus Do?

Common symptoms of the Zika virus include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, according to the CDC. Approximately one in five people infected with the virus show symptoms. Severe complications from the virus that require hospitalisation are rare, according to the CDC.

The virus has also been associated with a rise of microcephaly birth defect cases.

The CDC is also investigating if a rare paralysis syndrome called Guillain-Barre is related to the virus. The syndrome is an immunological reaction that can also occur after other viral or bacterial infections.

Matheus Lima,22, and Kleisse Marcelina,24, tend their two-month-old son Pietro suffering from microcephalia caught through an Aedes aegypti mosquito bite, at the Obras Sociais Irma Dulce hospital in Salvador, Brazil on January 27, 2016. Phto credit: AFP/Christ Photo
Matheus Lima,22, and Kleisse Marcelina,24, tend their two-month-old son Pietro suffering from microcephalia caught through an Aedes aegypti mosquito bite, at the Obras Sociais Irma Dulce hospital in Salvador, Brazil on January 27, 2016. Phto credit: AFP/Christ
Photo

 

Virus Spreading Explosively

The Zika virus is “spreading explosively” in the Americas, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Thursday, as the global health body warned that it expected up to four million cases of the disease.

WHO chief Margaret Chan called for an emergency meeting on February 1 on the outbreak of the virus, which has been blamed for the birth defect microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with an abnormally small head.

“The level of alarm is extremely high,” Chan said, adding that the meeting of WHO’s Emergency Committee on Monday will seek to determine if the outbreak qualifies as an international public health emergency.

The virus “is now spreading explosively,” in the Americas, where 23 countries and territories have reported cases, the WHO chief said.

Marcos Espinal, the head of communicable diseases and health analysis at the WHO’s Americas office, said the region should expect “three to four million cases” of Zika, without proving a timeframe for the outbreak to ramp up to that level.

Following its initial discovery in a monkey in Uganda’s Zika forest in 1947, the disease “slumbered” and “occasionally caused a mild disease of low concern,” in humans, Chan said.

“The situation today is dramatically different.”

Chan highlighted the growing concern over Zika’s possible link to microcephaly and a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome.

“A causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth malformations and neurological syndromes has not yet been established, but is strongly suspected,” Chan said.

The emergency meeting will seek advice on the severity of the outbreak and what response measures might be taken.

It will also aim to identify priority areas for urgent research, Chan said, after US President Barack Obama called for swift action, including better diagnostic tests as well as the development of vaccines and treatments.

Espinal warned that Zika “will go everywhere the mosquito is.”

“We should assume that. We should not wait for it to spread,” he said.

Drawing a contrast with Ebola, Espinal stressed that Zika needs a carrier to spread and that controlling the mosquito was therefore crucial to controlling the outbreak.

WHO has previously said that it expects Zika to spread to every country in the Americas except Canada and Chile.

Brazil has been the country hardest hit so far, and concerns are growing about this summer’s Olympics, which is likely to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to host city Rio de Janeiro in August.

Zika originated in Africa and also exists in Asia and the Pacific, but has not been associated with microcephaly there. It first came to prominence in Brazil in October.

Microcephaly can cause brain damage or death in babies.

In Brazil, cases of microcephaly have surged from 163 a year on average to more than 3,718 suspected cases since the outbreak, according to the health ministry.

Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica have warned women to avoid getting pregnant for the time being.

By Gillian Mohney (ABC News)/AFP (Seychelles News Agency)

The online warriors, by Reuben Abati

admin
-
0
The online warriors, by Reuben Abati

My criticisms of the excesses of the online phenomenon in terms of its brazen abuse in an unregulated environment has often made me the target of attacks, with many insisting on quoting the opening paragraph of a piece I once wrote along these lines as if it is a memorial verse, but further developments have shown that indeed, liberal, accommodative, useful and open as the growth of the new media may seem in Nigeria, we may well, if care is not taken, be dealing with a dangerous tool in the hands of the unscrupulous which could drive society towards the lunatic fringe.

Dr. Reuben Abati
Dr. Reuben Abati

The beauty of the new media is its democratic temper. With any electronic device, anyone at all, can set up a communications unit, using a phone, a tablet, a laptop, a desktop, and simply occupy the social space and broadcast information which in a matter of minutes may go viral and condition public opinion. It grants the person involved absolute freedom, even anonymity, dangerous anonymity of self, space and location, but the worst part of it is the freedom from decency, responsibility and conscience. And so while so much good can be done by persons exchanging information, and as has turned out, creative jokes and skits which entertain and amuse, a lot of evil can be committed through resort to blackmail, abuse, and mischief.

This dangerous dimension is beginning to grow in different directions and the latest that I have seen is what seems to be the emergence of cartels, or perhaps cabals in the online industry, with various persons organising themselves into groups, and if this were to be a sign of freedom of association exercised by like minds, it would be commendable. But rather what is emerging is bitter rivalry among the various groups, a fierce struggle for territory, unhealthy, cut-throat competition, and a desperation to out-do each other. The group warriors are not necessarily fighting for any great ideal, but ego, power, privilege and access to the corridors of power.

I happen to have suddenly become a victim in the midst of this turf-fighting, as my name this week was drawn into a cat fight between two groups: the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) and the Online Publishers Association of Nigeria (OPAN). These are two of the emerging groups but there are others: Association of Online Bloggers, Association of Nigerian Online Publishers (ANOP), the Online Magazines Publishers Association (OMPA). And who knows, there may well be the Association of What’s App Users, the Nigerian Association of Twitter Voltrons, Association of Nigerian BBM Users, National Association of Chat Group Administrators, all of them fighting over influence, space, and patronage. This politicisation of the online business can only in the long run diminish its influence and promote opportunism.

The case that I refer to was triggered by a meeting in Lagos, between the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and a group of online publishers under the umbrella of GOCOP. This prompted a rival group, the OPAN to issue a statement accusing Alhaji Mohammed of meeting with the wrong group and ignoring the main stakeholders. There has been serious “blood-sharing” since then. GOCOP issued a rejoinder in which it attacked OPAN.  And my name was brought in.  I was accused of being the spirit behind OPAN, and an attempt was made to set me up against Femi Adesina, my successor as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President of Nigeria. Femi was given special praise, he being a Trustee of GOCOP, so the whole thing is projected as OPAN being pro-Jonathan and GOCOP being pro-Buhari.

I was also accused of having influenced the Corporate Affairs Commission to block the registration of NOPA, the first name that the other group had chosen when it sought formal registration. I was alleged to have used the powers of the Presidency to victimize members of then NOPA, who eventually adopted a new name and got registered. But obviously, the aggrieved were looking for an opportunity to go after me. And they believe the time is now right and that their facts are right, hence they threatened to release “documents”.

They are wrong. Here are the facts:  I was invited to be a Trustee of OPAN in 2010 when I was still Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Guardian. I was at the time involved either as a Trustee or contributor to many social causes – motherless children’s homes, special children, book reading clubs, girl child education projects, and hence, adding to that list a group that defined its objective as developing standards in the emerging online space was not a problem for me. I agreed to be a Trustee of OPAN and I made inputs into the drafting of the philosophy of the group. It had become clear by then that the online space was bound to grow and that there was a need for an articulation of ethical and professional standards, which may not be officially imposed but which could provide a basis for the insistence on a responsible use of the internet to promote serious issues. OPAN secured registration with the CAC, but it remained in a formative stage throughout the period I was in office, and was only formally launched late 2015. I did not even attend the launching ceremony. Having seen that the group had finally found its rhythm and its objectives properly defined, I offered to step down from the Board of Trustees. I got to know of the bitter fight over CAC registration between GOCOP and OPAN in the press release issued by the former.

Let me make this clear: I could not have been involved in that fight. The CAC is a statutory body and I believe it is in a position to defend its integrity. Anyone knows that the CAC conducts name-search before registering any organization and where any conflict in identity is subsequently reported, it has its own mechanism for resolving such. If NOPA and OPAN were fighting over nomenclature, it was the job of the CAC to resolve that, not the Presidency. In any case, my office could not have supported one group of online publishers against another, because that would have been counter-productive.  My assignment required me to relate regularly with website owners, bloggers, and all categories of journalists and they all published our materials. I have made it clear privately that I probably received more support from members of GOCOP, many of whom I had always known and with whom I had shared happier moments, particularly at the St Bottles’ Cathedral in Lagos: our hang-out in those days.

But I see that twice in the past eight months, there have been curious attempts to pitch me against my successor, Femi Adesina. In the imagination of a dubious minority, I am supposed to be fighting him and make his work difficult. I can imagine the kind of stories that may have been going back and forth, invented by persons looking for what to eat. I have been there and I know how it is. But Femi and I have never fought over anything and we have absolutely no reason to fight. I am out. He is in. Life goes on. I have nothing against him or the PMB government. In 2015, the Nigerian people made a choice and spoke. It is a choice that we respect.

But as if all that is not plain enough, the latest that I have seen is a 2012 private e-mail “document” purportedly leaked to Sahara Reporters giving the impression that I worked with an online group to undermine Sahara Reporters in defence of the Jonathan Government, and of course the sub-text is to link me with the current war of the online publishers. This has to do with an e-mail, which the Association of Nigerian Online Publishers (ANOP) sent to a third party which was forwarded to me. I was then hearing about ANOP for the first time.

I forwarded the mail to the main promoter of OPAN, the only one of such groups that was known to me then and I only wanted to know if this was the same group, given the striking similarity. The leaked mail is one of many such unsolicited proposals and suggestions that came to my desk. Nothing came out of it thereafter, and I had no reason to worry about that innocuous incident until now. I took an oath of office to defend the interests of the people, President and Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I did my bit, but it was not the style of that administration or my office to intimidate, gag, frustrate or undermine the free media. I had direct access to Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters.

Throughout my four years on the job, he used every single press release that we issued and always listened to my many protestations. He always insisted however, that he had his facts, and that he knew more insiders than I could ever imagine. I was always shocked how State House documents and inside stories regularly found their way to his desk, and how on the day the President’s brother died, he had published the story even before anyone in Aso Rock knew. If the leaked e-mail proves anything, it is that he and his own colleagues are involved in a bitter rivalry, and that there is indeed a war of online operators and this can only get worse with everyone these days, becoming a blogger or online publisher.

This poses a serious challenge for media, reputation, and perception managers who must continuously swim in an ocean of sharks, alligators and piranhas. If you relate with A, you could offend B. And if you receive a mail from C, you could get into trouble, not knowing which cartel or cabal you are dealing with.

The truth, if we must say so, is that the social media in Nigeria has become a battle-ground for survival. It is no longer about young people playing with a phone or a laptop, it is big business, and where the stomach or sheer rivalry, is involved, we can see that persons are ready to shed blood, shred reputations and break jaws. It is most unfortunate that this positive force that could be used for the good of society is finally going the way of all things. The other truth is that the big war of communications is no longer fought on the pages of newspapers, but online and all the bad habits of old have been transported, without any ethical restraint. This is where the real danger lies.

The challenge is to insist that online journalists, publishers, bloggers and tweeters must be held down to certain prudential standards of practice. The in-fighting is unnecessary. The various associations can be useful as vehicles of self-regulation, and for promoting values and best options. They should not become special purpose mechanisms for patronising politicians and political office holders.

  • Dr Abati was Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Goodluck Jonathan

UN, US support Nigeria’s piracy, maritime crime war

admin
-
0
UN, US support Nigeria’s piracy, maritime crime war

Efforts are underway to prosecute and convict criminal gangs involved in piracy and maritime crime in Nigeria, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said.

Pirates
Pirates

The UN body made this submission just as it disclosed that, with financial supports from the United States’ Department of State, it trained more than 30 participants consisting of Federal High Court Judges, Federal Prosecutors, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) legal officers, Nigerian Navy on international legal framework on piracy and maritime crime.

The four-day capacity building workshop aimed at building the capacity of relevant officers connected with investigating, prosecuting and adjudication of piracy and other maritime related offences and the need to forge regional cooperation among nations in the Gulf of Guinea. The workshop was anchored by two international legal experts appointed by UNODC: Mr. Phillip Drew from Canada and Mr Giuseppe Sernia, the Programme Officer from the Global Maritime Crime Programme at the UNODC Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal.

While damages from piracy in 2014 is estimated to be about $1 billion for the international community in the Gulf of Guinea with more than 1000 sailors attacked by pirates in the same region, prosecution for piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is currently almost absent as most states lack the relevant legal framework to handle such matters. In West and Central Africa, and particularly in the Gulf of Guinea (home to some of the biggest offshore oilfields in the world), maritime crime involves the hijacking of petrochemical tankers and attacks to other oil and petroleum storage and transportation platforms.

In her opening remark, the newly appointed Representative for the Nigerian office of UNODC, Ms. Cristina Albertin, called on participants to take advantage of the capacity building workshop and work together against piracy and maritime crime in line with international legal frameworks and conventions.

Declaring the workshop open, the Director of Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Saidu Diri, stressed the need for capacity building of prosecutors, investigators and judges to prepare for the challenges ahead; even as he observed that the paucity of judicial precedents on piracy in Nigeria suggests clearly that the prosecution of such offences is nearly absent. Adding that, “The challenge of narrowing facts of particular offences of piracy to existing law is most harrowing for the prosecutors. In some cases, the facts may have to be used to state lesser offences and the suspect escapes appropriate criminal sanctions. This consequently erodes confidence of the public.”

The Director of Prosecution who was represented by Mrs Nkiruka Jones-Nebo called for speedy passage of the NIMASA Bill on the suppression of piracy in Nigeria and praised the “the technical assistance being rendered by the UNODC, the United States Government and other development partners”, assuring all that “this workshop will bear fruits that will last.”

On his part, the Adviser on Maritime at the US Embassy in Nigeria, Mr. Ayodele Olosunde, said the US Government will like to see “Prosecution of piracy and maritime criminal activities prosecuted domestically and internationally.”

Currently with the financial support of United States of America, the Global Maritime Crime Programme of UNODC particularly assists in legal reforms, coordination and awareness raising for prosecutors, judges and legal experts in Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon and Cameroon.

While mornings were dedicated to lessons on the different subjects, during which participants were stimulated to intervene with questions or comments, afternoon sessions were dedicated to mock trials. These mock trials were based on some of the most important cases by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), or fictional, addressing the application of all major maritime conventions and the weak spots in prosecution when a maritime crime is involved, including evidence collection and chain of custody and jurisdiction.

New UNODC Rep, Cristina Albertin, commits to tackling Nigeria’s challenges

admin
-
0
New UNODC Rep, Cristina Albertin, commits to tackling Nigeria’s challenges

Newly appointed Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria, Ms. Cristina Albertin, has promised robust engagements with stakeholders towards successful delivery of the global mandate of her agency in the country. This she intends to do by ensuring timely and successful delivery on-going projects while also working closely with the media to create appropriate visibility and awareness.

Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria, Ms. Cristina Albertin
Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria, Ms. Cristina Albertin

She promised to increase awareness about the risks and impact of trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, drugs and related organised crime, corruption, the rule-of-law and counter and security of the people in Nigeria, and to build capacity towards ensuring comprehensive implementation of the UN Conventions to counteract these threats.

According to her, “At the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, we assist countries in the implementation of various UN conventions and universal instruments related to preventing and controlling drugs, crime, corruption and terrorism. All over the world, we partner with institutions and organisations to enhance legislation, conduct research, collect and analyse statistics, build and strengthen institutions and capacities through expert advice, dissemination of our tools, publications, and sharing of international good practices.”

Ms Albertin who, from April 2009 to early 2016, headed the UNODC Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) in New Delhi, India covering six South Asian countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka – resumed office in Nigeria two weeks ago. She brings to her new assignment 25 years of extensive practical experience in developing, negotiating, implementing and supervising the implementation of UNODC technical assistance programmes, as well as in forging and maintaining close partnership arrangements with all relevant stakeholders.

Prior to her deployment as UNODC Regional Representative in South Asia in 2009, in which capacity she played an instrumental role in maintaining UNODC’s agenda, she served as Representative, UNODC Country Office in Bolivia for two years. Cristina also occupied the positions of Assistant Representative, UNODC Country Office in Peru; Programme Manager, Regional Section for Latin America and the Caribbean; and Chief, Regional Section for Latin America and the Caribbean in Vienna. Before joining UNODC in 1994, she was a Junior Professional Officer with the World Food Programme in La Paz, Bolivia.

She then joined the United Nations Drug Control Programme (which later came to be known as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime – UNODC) in Lima, Peru as Assistant Representative. In 1997, she moved to the UNODC Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, where she first worked as a Programme Manager for South America and later became the Chief of the Regional Section for Latin America and the Caribbean, working on technical cooperation projects in drug control and crime prevention. In early 2007, she joined UNODC in La Paz, Bolivia as Representative, where she worked with communities on different projects.

Cristina holds a Master’s Degree in Agronomy from the Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Germany, as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Development from the Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik in Berlin.

Oil firms influenced shifting of gas flare-out date – ERA/FoEN

admin
-
0
Oil firms influenced shifting of gas flare-out date – ERA/FoEN

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has described the Federal Government’s decision to further extend the gas flare-out date by International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in the Niger Delta to year 2020 as the extension of an illegality that started with previous administrations.

Gas flaring in Ogoniland, Nigeria. Photo credit: premiumtimesng.com
Gas flaring in Ogoniland, Nigeria. Photo credit: premiumtimesng.com

ERA/FoEN’s position is premised on media reports which indicated that the Group General Manager, Nigerian Petroleum Investment and Management Services (NAPIMS), Dafe Sajebor, and his National Petroleum Development Corporation (NPDC) counterpart, Sadler Mai-Bornu, made the pledge when they appeared before a Senate panel investigating the activities of oil and gas agencies in the country.

Both blamed government agencies for the worsening gas flaring in the country, particularly the inability to enforce payment of stipulated penalties on erring IOCs which had in turn led to increased flares. They also promised to work to achieve the 2020 date.

But in a statement by ERA/FoEN, the group said the government was setting new deadlines on flare-out and bowing to IOCs pressure “in breach” as a subsisting deadline exists which must be adhered to by Shell and other oil corporations still flaring in the Delta.

ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Godwin Uyi Ojo, said: “While we welcome every effort to make the IOCs obey our laws to the letter, the federal government is in-avertedly creating an atmosphere that will allow the corporations to continue the obnoxious practice”

Ojo insisted that while the practice in most parts of the world is to harness associated gas for productive purposes so that very little is vented or flared, the IOCs operating in the Niger Delta have latched on to the un-seriousness of successive administrations in the country that permitted extensions of flaring, to make a nonsense of the nation and the people of the Niger Delta that are chiefly impacted.

“The Niger Delta today is dotted with gas flares of varying sizes and intensity that burn 24 hours every day, every day of each month, and every month of each year for several decades. Not only is the nation losing revenue, experts have calculated that some 45.8 billion kilowatts of heat are discharged into the atmosphere of the Niger Delta from flaring over 1.8 billion cubic feet of gas every day.”

The ERA/FoEN boss stressed that the roaring flames very often in close proximity to homes pose both physical and psychological dangers and constitutes a violation of the human rights of the people.

“We are not satisfied with this attempt to allow the IOCs continue playing yoyo with the lives of our people. They are very comfortable paying the meagre fines imposed on them. Nigerians are fully aware that the same companies committed to extinguishing all flares by 2008 after breaching the 1979, 1984, 2007 and 2008 deadlines. Unfortunately, government policy statements have varied till date on the flare out issue.”

Going further, he remarked: “Gas flaring is a violation of the fundamental right to life and healthy environment of local communities. This much was asserted by stand by retired Justice V. C. Nwokorie in a judgment brought against Shell by the Iwherekan Community in Delta State, on the company’s continued flaring in the community.  At a Federal High court sitting in Benin on November 14th 2005, Nwokorie had ordered Shell to stop gas flaring in Iwherekan by April 2007, saying it violates the fundamental right to life and dignity. We stand by that ruling.”

“Our position is that the current administration rolled out well with initiatives like the $10 million take-off grant for clean-up of Ogoniland. It must not allow itself to be led by the nose by the IOCs. The deadline on gas flaring must be enforced immediately. Extending the flare-out date is an extension of illegality. We do not support this,” Ojo insisted.

Malawian communities seek to end open defecation

admin
-
0
Malawian communities seek to end open defecation

About one billion people or 15 percent of the global population, including Malawians, practice open defecation, and ignorance of the consequences

Twelve years ago today, Mitress Januwale was in great pain due to the death of her grandmother Myness Gilimoti to what was a suspected work of witchcraft, according to family members.

Gilimoti died when she was more of a bread winner, hence Januwale’s anger. Januwale – a mother of a five-year-old boy Timothy Banda – lives in Mtanda, Group Village Head (GVH) Madzumbi, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mazengera in Lilongwe in the Central Region.

“She vomited, felt cold, pugged for two days and later died. This happened before we decided to take her to Nkhoma Mission Hospital of the CCAP Synod for treatment,” Januwale recalls.

Mitress Januwale
Mitress Januwale

Januwale, who was 18 years old by then, likewise her siblings and parents blamed everyone in the area for the death of their relative.

“She died suddenly and all fingers were pointing at our neighbours. We did not have peace of mind because of the circumstances leading to her death. What I remember is that she had frequent visits to the bush to assist herself as we more often did,” narrates Januwale.

What is clear here is that Januwale and her relatives did not think about a suspected waterborne disease and Malaria to have led to the demise of Gilimoti. Other onlookers had similar expressions.

About one billion people or 15 percent of the global population including those in Malawi, practice open defecation, without knowing the consequences.

 

Open defecation solution

Based on such explanations, little did communities in Nkhoma, Chigodi and Chilenje know that what they were doing is open defecation which Malawi government wants dealt with to avoid waterborne diseases.

United Nations (UN) and other international organisations such as World Vision have established that extreme poverty and lack of sanitation are statistically linked; and eliminating open defecation is a vital part of development efforts since it is correlated with a high child mortality, under nutrition, poverty and disparities between the rich and poor.

This is why World Vision and the Malawi’s Ministry of Health have been training communities since 2004 to ensure that good water, sanitary and hygienic measures are followed to deal with the waterborne diseases, including the number killer Malaria.

World Vision is also empowering them with basic skills and needs of owning locally made facilities that will champion water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects within its areas of operations.

With such initiatives, Januwale can now afford to admit that in the previous years, their house had no toilet, enough a sign that they were prone to waterborne related deaths and Malaria.

“Washing hands with soap before eating or after visiting bushes or using protected water was not a priority, but we are now a changed community,” says Januwale, adding that their surroundings usually had uncut grasses – home for the breeding of mosquitoes.

She now explains that they have dug toilets, rubbish pit, clean surroundings and put in place sanitary tools such as soap and water within the vicinity of the toilet for use.

“We wash hands with soap, drink protected water, clean fruits before eating, among others to avoid a replica of what happened to our grandmother and other relations. If we had known we could not have lost her,” she states.

Mother of two, Esnart Kamutu (53) from Malindi in Village Head (VH) Kaphiri in Traditional Authority (T/A) Chitekwere in Malindi, also shares the same story. She says her family was also a staunch believer of the bush and not washing hands with soap.

Esnart Kamutu
Esnart Kamutu

“We felt pains, suffered from waterborne diseases without ceasing. My children were usual suspects in school in terms of absenteeism because of such diseases,” says Kamutu, adding: “We used unhygienic utensils. This affected our family in terms of farming and other engagements.”

Kamutu states that 1978 was the worst year as she suffered from abdominal pains, her children complained of continuous fever, a development that affected their education. Kamutu says, when things got out of hand, they went to a nearby hospital only to be diagnosed with malaria and cholera.

“Since World Vision and Government came in with WASH projects, life has changed for the better as you can see that we have toilets and clean surroundings,” enthuses Kamutu.

For the Area Sponsorship Analyst (ASA) Nkhoma, Thokozani Chibwana, World Vision seeks to protect communities from waterborne related deaths by ensuring that water, sanitation and hygiene measures are adhered to at all times.

“At stake is the life of children. Children are the future leaders and we can afford to subject them to poor hygiene and that is why we have different projects. We as World Vision believe in team work with our partners like government in dealing with the vice,” justifies Chibwana.

 

Clean Village competitions sustain hygiene

In a bid to ensure results, WASH project in Nkhoma-Chilenje Area Programmes in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Water sectors have embarked on Clean Village competitions that do not only help to achieve open defecation, but motivates villages to meaning sanitation and hygiene in homes.

Clean village competition involves verification of the villages that have entered into the competition by the village health and water point committees. This is done to establish an element of ownership, leadership and power in the committees that WASH is working with.

Secondly, the data is analysed by the Health Surveillance assistants and the District Coordinating Team where the team plans to verify the results that have been brought forward on the ground.

After verifying, the two teams meet again to select villages that have won and categories. Certification and presentation of gifts are done in honor of the villages that have done well in the competition.

Benchmarks for the competition are the seven basic elements that sanitation and hygiene checks. These include latrine, drop-hole cover, hand washing facility, dish luck, kitchen, bathroom and rubbish pits.

Nkhoma-Chilenje AP is measured on 89 percent when it comes to sanitation and hygiene.

In this case, Nkhoma Area Program has a population of 20 000, but specific in the five group village heads (GVHs) there are about 15 000 people. Out of the figure, about 13 730 practice improved sanitation and hygiene which is a positive reaction to the project.

Close to 122 villages in Nkhoma out of 140 are open defecation free, according to the environment authorities and World Vision due to clean village competitions.

“These activities come at a time when the issue of eliminating open defecation remains the main aim of improving access to sanitation globally as a proposed indicator for the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations,” says Wash coordinator for the APs Eunice Nafere.

As it stands now also, Malawi is among the eight African countries which are creatively achieving the goals of community led total sanitation programmes (CLTS). This includes one idea in Malawi where handwashing is monitored based on the health of tree seedlings planted beneath water outlets.

By George Mhango

Youthfulness and 21st century Yoruba kingship

admin
-
0
Youthfulness and 21st century Yoruba kingship

For about six years now, tradition and youthfulness have been cohabiting in some notable Yoruba kingdoms, and the result of this is visible civilisation within these environs. The practice, which commenced with the enthronement of Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi (Kesenla III), was not without initial criticisms because no one would have thought that a ‘youthful’ mind capable of the vast intelligence and maturity that became manifest in the Elegushi’s ability to continue to keep Ikateland together, and attract development to the kingdom.

Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife (right). Photo credit: politicoscope.com
Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife (right). Photo credit: politicoscope.com

The enormous responsibilities of kingship is enough reason to inspire doubts about the aptitudes of new generation of Yoruba Kings to act as custodians of our traditions, and perhaps consider them unworthy of ascending the thrones of their forefathers.  Although time has come to establish as myopic, our thinking that youthfulness could rob these middle-aged kings of the capacity to provide appropriate leadership and exercise sound judgement. Our blinkered minds, predicated on deep-seated attachment to culture and tradition, have changed dramatically to embrace the freshness of youthfulness.

Like other people, I had thought that his Master’s degree in Economics and extensive public service experience could not have sufficiently prepared him for a reign over three million people – a kingdom which is almost the size of Kuwait, although not as endowed, but as demographically diverse as Kuwait. It was natural to reason that ‘Demola (Kabiyesi ooo!  Omo Iroko lawe. Omo Kusenla. Mi o r’ Oba fin o, aroba fin, l’Oba n pa) might not fittingly glide into the expansive shoes of the former Elegushi, Oba Yekini Adeniyi Elegushi, his father whose influence cut across ethnic and religious barriers.

Alas! Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi (Kusenla III) has demonstrated that youthfulness midwifes innovation. His reign over Ikateland has shown that Nigerian youths are ready for leadership responsibilities. As the mascot of his generation of Kings, Kusenla III’s selfless and practical outlook is telling of the depth and resourcefulness of our generation of Nigerian youths. In realistic terms, the perceived risk of entrusting Ikateland, a historically significant town, into the hands of a 34-year-old man six years back, is now widely adjudged an advantage.

Ikateland would have lost the benefits of Oba Ademola Elegushi’s mental agility to a cosmetic barrier mounted by age, but the progenitors of Ikateland would not renege on their covenant of development and progress. Accordingly, they made possible his ascension to their throne for activation of the age-long agreement of advancement and relevance cut with his predecessors.

Just as Oba Ademola Elegushi, fate singled-out youthful Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi for rulership of Ile-Ife as the Ooni. The new Ooni, a self-made and hardworking young man, is not just expected to steer the affairs of Ile-Ife as seamlessly as the enigmatic and stylish Oba Okunade Sijuade (Olubuse II), he also has a divine mandate to foster the unity of the Yoruba race.

Oba Adewusi’s ascension to the supreme throne of Ooni comes with huge responsibilities. His tasks are herculean and compounded by some deep cultural issues with complicated age-long rivalry amongst Yoruba Kings. But in his ‘youthful’ wisdom, the Ojaja II from Giesi Ruling House has signalled the birth a new Yoruba race with his unscheduled visit to the Alafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi on his 45th coronation anniversary. As the first Ooni to visit Oyo town since 1937, it is clear that the Arole Odua is a different kind of King and a man of great wisdom. Ooni Adeyeye is a youthful royal father gifted with the wisdom of King Solomon, like his royal brother, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi (Kesenla III).

Now, Ile-Ife will have more than heritage and Obafemi Awolowo University, my alma mater, as attractions. With the N7.2 billion estate and resort centre which will potentially employ 5,000 indigenes and empower 20,000 widows, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is turning my late mother’s hometown into a major tourist attraction.  Should I ask if you perceive the socio-economic development championed by these young Kings? Okay, wait till Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi unfolds his transformational plans for Ikateland in the coming months!

Iwo town is the new centre of youth empowerment. The newly installed Oluwo of Iwo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Rasheed Adewale Akanbi is another man from this generation of youths who signposts our collective vision to take Nigeria to the next level.  After his coronation, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Akanbi (Ilufemiloye Telu1), announced that his reign would take Iwo to the “Promised Land”, and his subjects understood that the ancient town of Iwo has commenced a journey to renaissance.

This theme vibrates across the land because it is the song on the lips of every Nigerian youth. We need to involve youths more in governance and social administration for better results. Now is the time to take advantage of youthfulness for national growth, economic development and better infrastructure. The energy, resources and knowledge to take Nigeria out of doldrums abound in this generation of youths.

The soothing wind of transformation is blowing across the land. Even though the esteemed throne of Olubadan might not immediately be available for manning by a middle-aged man because of the town’s unique traditional system of governance. The route to the throne is hierarchical ascension from two lineages (Egbe Agba and Egbe Balogun) through alternating system and each lineage has 23 positions before the throne.

From the records, it takes between 38 and 40 years, for a Mogaji (the next-in-line to the Olubadan) to become an Olubadan, and progression to Mogaji also takes about 40 years too. Therefore, the probability of a young man being King over Ibadan is slim. However, with Chief Abiodun Kola Daisi, the Ekarun Olubadan, rumoured ceding of his position to one of his sons who is a little over 40, Ibadan might just be getting ready for an unusually young Olubadan. This indicates belief in the capacity of this generation of youths to lead transformation, and champion developmental initiatives.

The young Elegushi of Ikateland, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi (Kusenla III), has proven through his conducts that youthfulness is an ingredient of social development. Thereafter, Arole Odua, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, showed the world that this generation is about peace, progress and unity, just within that frame, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, amplified the aspiration of every Nigerian youth to turn Nigeria into the promised land.

Except we want to shy away from the truth, culture is more delicate and complex than governance, and youths are acting as better custodians and harbingers of our traditions. I reckon that for Nigeria to record the long-sought transformation that will bring happiness to every citizen, youth empowerment and involvement in social administration, might just be the key.

 By Olusola Mathew Fafure (youth empowerment advocate. Based in Lagos, he can be reached via omf4us@gmail.com)

1...1,8681,8691,870...2,033Page 1,869 of 2,033

TV Report

Archives

2024 EnviroNews Nigeria. All Rights Reserved.

×