A five-mile (8km) section of the Mississippi River near St Louis, Missouri, has been closed to vessels as rising water levels caused “hazardous conditions”, the US Coast Guard said.
Cars stranded in the flood
Storms and tornadoes have lashed the region in recent days, swelling rivers and causing flash flooding.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said 13 people in the state had died in the floods.
He said the National Guard had been called in to help local authorities.
Aerial footage showed water from the Mississippi River engulfing buildings in the evacuated town of West Alton, north of St Louis, on Tuesday.
In the town of Union, about 50 miles (80km) west of St Louis, buildings were partly submerged by severe flooding from the Missouri, Meramec and Bourbeuse rivers.
Coast Guard spokesman Capt Martin Malloy said the high water levels and fast currents had led them to close the section of the Mississippi near St Louis – a busy route for commercial shipping.
River levels are forecast to peak on Thursday and Mr Nixon warned that the situation could get worse before it gets better.
He said the National Guard would provide security in evacuated areas and direct traffic away from closed roads.
“These citizen soldiers will provide much-needed support to state and local first responders, many of whom have spent the last several days working around the clock responding to record rainfall and flooding,” he said in a statement.
Nr Nixon added that three new flood-related deaths had been discovered on Tuesday, raising the death toll in the state since the storms began over the weekend to 13.
Many of the victims have been trapped in vehicles swept off flooded roads.
South-west of St Louis, a section of Interstate 44 was closed by flooding near the town of Rolla while part of Interstate 70 was also closed in the neighbouring state of Illinois.
Many other smaller roads were also closed across the two states, where flood warnings were in effect.
Floods also inundated a wastewater treatment plant south of St Louis on Monday, causing sewage to flow directly into rivers and streams.
The flooding in Missouri and southern Illinois began over the weekend after as much as 10ins (25cm) of rain fell in some areas in a matter of hours.
It came after severe storms over the Christmas holiday claimed at least 49 lives across southern and western states of the US.
Parts of eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas and Illinois are still subject to flood warnings.
Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, has said the new universal agreement reached at the recently concluded 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris, France offers a brighter future for Nigeria, Africa and the world at large.
Mohammed, who stated this recently while interacting with a team of journalists in Abuja, hinted that nearly 200 countries have committed to the new legally binding deal to address climate change and to serve as a pivotal role for humanity as the world agrees to turn words into actions.
She said: “The Paris Agreement has created a veritable global platform for President Muhhamadu Buhari’s bold change agenda that focuses on a new roadmap with emphasis on green and inclusive growth at its heart. Nigeria’s ambitious Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) aims at reducing emissions by 20% by the year 2030 with support from the international community.
“The agreement provides a framework for delivering the ambitious emission reductions that the world needs, recognises the importance of keeping average global temperature below two Degree Celsius (2.00 C) and, crucially, confirms that developed countries must continue to increase their financial support for developing countries as the world embarks on this transition.”
She further explained, “We now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the way we do things, and Nigeria will be at the fore-front, demonstrating what initiatives can work. Nigeria is willing to take a regional lead by implementing its bold and courageous INDCs that seek to ensure that our economy continues to grow while reducing our carbon emissions.
“We have shown that we are willing to work with our neighbours, such as those in the Lake Chad basin to restore the once fertile land and well stocked fisheries so that peace and security can return.”
As the administration of Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, marks its seventh month in office, Steve Ayorinde, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, lists several reasons that suggest that the Epe-born cerebral technocrat may be an overnight success.
Akinwunmi Ambode, Governor of Lagos State. Photo credit: ecomium.org
Security
As Nigeria’s economy suffers a near recession due to the falling oil prices, with 27 out of 36 states in the country needing bail-out funds to offset salary arrears, Lagos has been witnessing an unprecedented influx of people from far and near, thereby putting pressure on social infrastructure and security. Crime rate naturally increased momentarily but Governor Ambode rose to the occasion with an unprecedented donation of assets worth about N4.8 billion to the Nigeria Police. With three patrol helicopters, two gun boats, drones, patrol vehicles and powerbikes, armoured personnel carriers, bullet-proof vests and other security gadgets while also rebranding the Rapid Response Squad as the “good guys” with insurance schemes against incidentals. Ambode’s gesture has returned confidence to Lagosians and investors alike. He has taken the state’s Security Trust Fund to a new height and has smartly shifted the burden of responsibility in terms of policing Nigeria’s most-populated and prosperous state to the Police, which is no longer expected to offer excuses of being ill- equipped.
Roads
One of Ambode’s greatest assets is that he listens and is very responsive. He inherited a state whose inner roads were in a very bad shape. In an election year, road infrastructure tends to suffer since attention is usually given to political campaigns. The rains also compounded the woes in a state that is already below the sea level. There were complaints and they got to Ambode. Rather than fret, however, he responded swiftly, first through Operation Zero Tolerance for Potholes across the states and then by reconstructing hitherto abandoned roads. He has fully delivered the Ayobo-Ipaja Road and Ikotun-Ejigbo Road. Brown Street at Oshodi is half-way done; while a lane of the Okota-Ago Palace Way is ready for use this week, preparatory to its full completion in February 2016. More than 300 roads have already been repaired and rehabilitated across the states through the Public Works Corporation, thereby easing off traffic. Nowhere is neglected, from Akilo Road in Ogba to Opebi Road in Ikeja and then all the way down to Oyinkan Abayomi Drive in Ikoyi, Ambode’s “roads to greatness” are visible. Together with the 57 Local Council Development Areas, a total of 114 inner roads – two per LCDA – have been awarded for completion next year and to crown it all, the governor has approved the construction of flyover bridges at two of Lagos’ most problematic traffic zones – Ajah and Abule Egba.
Economy
One key antecedent of Governor Ambode is the fact that he was instrumental to the frog-leap of the state’s Internally Generated Revenue from a paltry N600 million to N6 billion while he was Accountant General. And so, a competent manager of resources is expected of this Fulbright scholar. In seven months, he has sufficiently demonstrated his mettle in this regard, by first restructuring the state’s exposure to commercial banks, thereby saving the state about N3bn monthly in debt servicing. He has re-jigged the Lagos Internal Revenue Service to do away with multiple taxations but expand the tax net instead so that those hitherto not captured will be brought on board. He has sent to the House of Assembly the Employment Trust Fund Bill through which the newly created Ministry of Employment and Wealth Creation will administer a yearly N6.3 billion intervention soft loan to stimulate to economy, sustain small businesses and create jobs. Lagos Global, the office saddled with investment drive in the state has demonstrated capacity in making Lagos the bride to which every global investment suitor is attracted. Ambode has paid more than N11 billion in pension arrears and benefits to retirees and has streamlined the issuance of Certificates of Occupancy to land owners. And, in ending the year, the governor practically wowed Lagos with a budget proposal of N665.588 billion with a capital to recurrent ratio of 58:42 that proposes N383,678 billion for capital expenditure. No other state, not even the Federal Government, has been this proactive with capital expenditure ratio in their budget forecast.
BRT Expansion
Social infrastructure has always defined the success of successive administrations, particularly in Lagos State. Ambode is on a smooth ride here with the commissioning of Bus Rapid Response (BRT) extension from Mile 12 to Ikorodu. Through the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Ambode in November commissioned a project that included the widening of the 13.5km road with two additional lanes and the placing of BRT lanes in the middle of the road with over 400,000 passengers now being transported daily on the more than 400 brand new, high-capacity buses (which residents now joyfully call Ambode’s Buses) which now ply the corridor from Ikorodu to CMS.
Street Light Projects
When words filtered out that Governor Ambode might not approve the staggering N500 million for Christmas decoration contract this year since the economy is such that requires prudent management, many thought he would be seen as not keeping faith with his promise of continuity. But it has turned out that not only is the governor a prudent manager of resources, he is also getting his priorities right. He encouraged corporate players like banks to beautify Lagos with Christmas decorations as their own Corporate Social Responsibility while he chose to focus on an enduring beautification project for Lagosians – to light up the city-state. And to fulfill his promise, the Lagos metropolis has been lit up in the past week with Ambode’s street light project brightening up major parts of the metropolis from Victoria Island to Ikoyi, all the way down to Third Mainland bridge, down to Alapere, Berger and Ikeja-Ogba environ.
One Lagos Fiesta and inclusive government
One of the campaign promises of Governor Ambode is to run a government of inclusion and bring governance back to the people. He demonstrated this in September when he flagged off his quarterly town-hall meetings that saw him render account of his stewardship directly to the people. He has promised that the town-hall meetings will move from one senatorial district to another in order to constantly feel the pulse of the electorates. But the governor has added to the layer in this yuletide season by expanding the erstwhile Lagos Countdown Concert to a five-day, five-venue all-inclusive celebration tagged One Lagos Fiesta. Rather than have it in one day and at the Bar beach as was previously the case, Ambode has creatively decentralised the concept of fun, entertainment and culture. Each division in Lagos-Epe, Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja and Lagos Island – are now experiencing simultaneous end-of-the-year merriments with local as well as popular artistes sharing the state. Even politicians, traditional rulers and every stakeholder are now taking ownership of the project in their zones. ‘One Lagos’ has since become the buzzword all over town with the governor, who has now finally taken up residence in his official Alausa, Ikeja abode, personally witnessing the flag-off of the fiesta on Sunday at the Agege stadium where the Ikeja zonal fiesta is holding.
Healthy Lagos, healthy workforce
Governor Ambode recognises that health is wealth and here is one area where his impact is being felt in spite of the huge challenges occasioned by the influx of people from other states and neighboring countries on Lagos hospitals. The governor has improved on healthcare facilities in the state by injecting additional 46 ambulances to the existing pool with an additional 14 new ambulance points thereby bringing existing ambulance points to 25 all in a bid to reduce maternal mortality and tackle emergencies. The governor has brought peace to the lingering crisis within the medical circle. He has stopped the contentious casualisation of medical doctors who were employed some years ago as casual workers by regularising their employment status in the state civil service. But he’s also aware of the need for a healthy and motivated workforce which is why he has also extended the Accident Insurance Policy for its workforce to cover accidents recorded outside working hours.
The Bonga North West deep-water development has won prestigious awards in the United States and Qatar. It was named Engineering Project of the Year 2015 at the Platts Global Energy Awards in New York, and it also picked up the silver prize for the Project Integration Excellence Award of the International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC) in Doha, on 6 December. The project, which Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) and its partners brought on stream in August 2014, is an important milestone for Nigeria’s deep-water industry and has generated jobs and businesses.
The Bonga Floating Production, Storage and Offloading Vessel
“We are pleased that the achievements at Bonga North West have been accorded global recognition,” said SNEPCo Managing Director, Bayo Ojulari. “Bonga North West is a testimony to an effective approach to project delivery with focus on safety, cost and an efficient contracting process.”
Bonga North West ties into the existing Bonga vessel, one of the largest floating production, storage and offloading vessels in the world. The project team safely drilled and connected new wells in a highly-challenging environment more than a kilometre below the ocean’s surface. Through close collaboration – including with co-venturers, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and industry regulators – the project has unlocked new energy resources to help meet the world’s growing demand.
In some of the highlights on Nigerian content development, 90% of the people who worked on the Bonga North West project during its four-year development were Nigerians. SNEPCo awarded the major engineering and construction contracts for the project to companies that were either indigenous, have local staff, or possess domesticated capabilities in the country. And a number of new production manifolds, subsea umbilical systems, oil production and water injection flowlines and subsea tree systems were installed on the seabed around 1,000 metres below the surface.
SNEPCo operates Bonga North West in partnership with Esso Exploration & Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Total E&P Nigeria Limited and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited under a Production Sharing Contract with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in York after flood gates protecting the historic city were deliberately opened by the Environment Agency – sending raging torrents through the streets.
Cars were submerged as flood water made its way through Guildford Surrey. Photo credit: www.express.co.uk
The authority took to the decision to open the Foss Barrier – a flood defence which protects the city – amid fears water had got inside the main building, putting pumps in danger of suffering electrical failure.
It was feared that if the electrics stopped working, the Environment Agency would not have been able to pump floodwater out of the town – potentially putting even more lives at risk.
There were also fears the flood barrier could have become stuck in the “down” position, which would have made it impossible to discharge excess water into the River Ouse.
The gates were lifted Saturday night prompting Army personnel and mountain rescue teams to evacuate thousands of people from their flood-hit homes, with up to 3,500 properties now at risk of further flooding.
While York is among one of the worst-hit areas in the latest wave of flooding to reach northern England, communities across Leeds, Greater Manchester, Cumbria and Lancashire are also suffering.
More than 7,500 homes in Greater Manchester and Lancashire were without power on Sunday, and some properties are expected to be without electricity until Monday. Engineers have restored power to around 14,500 homes in Rochdale alone, but almost 6,000 more remain without electricity.
Residents have now been asked to switch off their Christmas lights and not use household appliances to conserve power and help the network cope with the power demands.
While 40 generators have been sent out across the region and staff from Electricity North West work to repair damaged substations, around 300 homes have lost power in the last few hours due to demands on the network.
Mark Williamson, operations director for Electricity North West, said: “Our engineers have worked through the night and will continue to work today in extremely difficult conditions to restore power to the remaining 7,800 customers in Lancashire and Greater Manchester.
“We are asking our customers in Rochdale to reduce their energy use to prevent further power outages while our engineers repair the damage. Simple things like turning off your Christmas lights or not using your washing machine or dishwasher for a while would make a huge difference.
“We are doing everything we possibly can to access our substations, assess the damage caused by severe flooding and restore supplies.
“I’d like to thank customers for their understanding and their goodwill to our teams during what continues to be an enormously challenging time for everyone involved. We are immensely proud of the area and the people we serve in the way they have dealt with this incident.”
The company on Sunday sent out food vans to provide hot food for customers who have been left without electricity, with vans due to visit Radcliffe, Padiham, Rochdale and Bury.
The movement against subsidising the fossil fuel industry continues to grow and is an integral part of the keep-it-in-the-ground struggle. However, in places like Nigeria, contentious subsidies are those related to the importation of petroleum products. The debate is yet to fully focus on the cost of production and related malfeasances.
Nnimmo Bassey
The last mass national mobilisation in Nigeria happened in January 2012 when the pump price of petrol was raised from N65 to N141 per litre. The reasons given by the government then was that the increase in pump price of petroleum products was necessitated by a removal of subsidies.
The mobilisations lasted a full week and literally brought the government to its knees. The debates during and after the protests threw up many questions:
Why should Nigeria export crude oil only to import refined products?
Why are the refineries not functioning as they should despite heavy investments in their maintenance?
What is the value of the subsidies and would government need to subsidise if the products were refined in Nigeria?
Is there in fact any subsidy?
What volume of products actually imported into Nigeria?
What quantity of petroleum products are consumed in Nigeria?
Official responses to the questions were varied – depending on which official was speaking. The public believed there was an unbridgeable gap between the amount of money spent on subsidies and the volume of products actually imported. The questions still remain to be answered.
Eventually the pump price of petrol was brought to N97 (then about $0.60) per litre. The price hike was moderated to N87 per litre in January 2015 due to a downward slide in the price of crude oil.
When President Buhari announced the 2016 national budget on 22 December 2015, he told the nation that the pump price of petrol would remain at N87 per litre in the new year. If there is already a negative subsidy due to the drastically reduced price of crude oil it appears that right now the Nigerian people are the ones doing the subsidising. Put it another way, the people are being taxed for what they are not consuming.
Keeping the pump price of petrol price at N87 per litre and still paying subsidies in a situation when crude oil price hovers around $36 per barrel compared to about $90 at January 2012 and $47 by January 2015 is not easy to explain. To add to the consternation of many, an official of the NNPC recently stated that the pump price of petrol is higher than it ought to be and that there are many inefficiencies in the system.
The Group General Manager, of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) told journalists in Abuja on 18 December 2015 that petroleum products were overpriced in Nigeria and that subsidies would not find a space in the 2016 budget. According to him, “Our review of the current PPPRA (Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency) template suggests that there are significant inefficiencies in the current template.”
Earlier in that week the Minister of State for Petroleum spoke of similar inefficiencies but announced that the Nigerian government plans to revert to the old pump price of N97 per litre for petrol in 2016. What are we to believe?
True cost of crude
It is obvious that crude oil is cheap because the true cost of crude oil is not being paid. The environment and the people continue to subsidise crude oil extraction, refining, transportation and consumption. This subsidy manifests in extreme pollution as land, sea and air, including as evidenced in the Niger Delta, the Amazonia, the Alberta oil sand fields and the fracking fields of the USA. The environment and the people have absorbed enough beating by the petroleum sector. Lives have been decimated and now the planet is being set on fire.
This mother-of-all-subsidies can only be halted by keeping the fossils in the ground. The challenge is for all humankind. Mother Earth deserves a Sabbath of rest to recover from the abuses that continue to be inflicted on her.
By Nnimmo Bassey (Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation – HOMEF)
Scientists say flooding in Britain, record US temperatures and Australian wildfires are linked to El Niño, making effects of man-made climate change worse
Fire and rescue services evacuate a woman from her flooded home in Littleborough, Greater Manchester. Photo credit: Demotix/Corbis
From some of the worst floods ever known in Britain, to record-breaking temperatures over the Christmas holiday in the US and forest fires in Australia, the link between the tumultuous weather events experienced around the world in the last few weeks is likely to be down to the natural phenomenon known as El Niño making the effects of man-made climate change worse, say atmospheric scientists.
El Niño occurs every seven to eight years and is caused by unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean. This year’s event is now peaking and is one of the strongest on record, leading to record temperatures, rainfall and weather extremes.
“What we are experiencing is typical of an early winter El Niño effect,” said Adam Scaife, the head of Met Office long-range forecasting.
“We expect 2016 to be the warmest year ever, primarily because of climate change but around 25% because of El Niño,” said Scaife, who added that the phenomenon was not linked directly to climate change but made its effects worse.
Scientists have warned for years that extreme weather would become more common as a result of climate change, but have until recently fought shy of attributing single events to global warming.
But researchers at Oxford University and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) calculated earlier this month that man-made climate change was partly responsible for Storm Desmond’s torrential rain, which devastated parts of Scotland, the Lake District and Northern Ireland. The scientists ran tens of thousands of simulations of the flooding event and found it 40% more likely with climate change.
A wildfire burns out of control on Christmas Day in Victoria state, Australia. Photo credit: Keith Pakenham/AFP/Getty Images
The UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) also expects 2015 to be the hottest year on record worldwide, with Europe experiencing its second hottest year. It was marked by heatwaves in India, Pakistan and elsewhere.
The latest floods, droughts and extreme weather are what might be expected of a strong El Niño, according to the WMO. “Severe droughts and devastating flooding are being experienced throughout the tropics, and subtropical zones bear the hallmarks of this El Niño,” said the organisation’s chief, Michel Jarraud.
“Much of eastern Europe has been exceptionally warm, with temperatures higher than in 2014. Only in parts of Ireland were temperatures lower than the 1981 to 2010 long-term average, according to the climate indicator bulletin from WMO’s European regional climate centre.
The widespread El Niño effects are now being felt in Africa, Latin America, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, the WMO said.
In Central America, one of the most severe droughts on record has left 3.5 million people in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador in need of food aid. The UN says that more than 2 million people have been affected in Peru and Ecuador.
“Over 39 million people in Africa are expected to face food insecurity by January 2016, an increase of more than 70% on January 2015,” said a spokeswoman at the Department for International Development (DFID).
The warm Pacific temperatures have also led to a record number of hurricanes and cyclones. According to the US government’s national oceanic and atmospheric administration, there were 18 named storms in 2015, including 13 hurricanes, nine of which were category three or higher. This is the highest number recorded since reliable measurements started in 1971.
“Extreme weather will increase with global warming and thus climate adaptation measures, like flood defences, need to constantly be updated. What may appear to be sufficient to withstand a 1 in 100-year event can become quickly out of date as the incidence of extreme weather ramps up and becomes more unpredictable,” said Gail Whiteman, the chair of the Pentland centre for sustainability at Lancaster University.
By John Vidal (Environment Editor, The Guardian of London)
The United Kingdom has of recent experienced intense downpours, leading to rivers bursting their banks and leaving hundreds of homes submerged in floodwater. Residents in the UK continue to be evacuated as the nation comes to terms with the horrific widespread flooding.
Floodwater rises as the River Calder bursts its banks in the Calder Valley town of Mytholmroyd on December 26, 2015. Photo credit: www.ibtimes.co.ukThe River Ouse in York floods riverside business premises after heavy rain caused severe flooding in the city on December 27, 2015. Photo credit: www.ibtimes.co.ukMembers of Cleveland Mountain Rescue and soldiers from 2 Battalion The Duke of Lancasters Regiment assist members of the public as they are evacuated. Photo credit: www.ibtimes.co.ukHomes evacuated amid heavy rain. Photo credit: www.bbc.comRoad signs are half submerged after the River Calder burst its banks in the Calder Valley town of Mytholmroyd on December 26, 2015 in Mytholmroyd, England. Photo credit: www.ibtimes.co.ukFloodwater around Cawood, North Yorkshire on 27 December 2015 after the River Ouse burst its banks. Photo credit: www.bbc.com
A Nigerian journalist, Augustina Armstrong-Ogbonna, has been awarded the United Nations Foundation Gold Prize for Development and Humanitarian Reporting.
Augustina Armstrong-Ogbonna and UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon
Armstrong-Ogbonna, a freelance journalist with Radio Nigeria (Radio One), won the Gold medal for her reportage on neglected coastal communities along the Lagos coastline that are bearing the drastic impact of sea rise as well as threats of displacement.
She was awarded the United Nations Foundation Gold Prize for print (including online media) and broadcast media (TV & Radio) for Development and Humanitarian Reporting.
The award/gold medal was presented to her by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, on Monday in New York at the 20th United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) Annual Awards for the best print, broadcast (TV & Radio) and online, web-based media coverage of the United Nations, U.N. agencies and field operations.
The prize was awarded for her report on how climate change and rapid urbanisation are affecting coastal communities such as Okun Alfa, Otodo-Gbame in Lagos with extinction and eviction respectively.
According to the UNCA, “Augustina Armstrong-Ogbonna braves dangers to report on Nigeria’s coastal communities ravaged by conflict and degrading environment that affect development and human lives.”
With almost 10 years of experience as a multimedia and environmental journalist, Armstrong-Ogbonna has focused her reportage on neglected communities across Nigeria such as Okun Alfa and Otodo-Gbame in Eti-Osa Local Government Area, Sagbo Kodji Island and Makoko in Lagos State. Sagbo Kodji, for example, has never had power supply despite being located on an island that overlooks high rise of commercial Lagos Island as well as the Apapa sea port.
The report was picked online by a renewable energy company owned by two young Nigerians, whose company approached the community and provided solar power panels and battery to some homes and ventures on the island, thereby lighting up the community for the first time in over a century of its existence.
Reacting to the prize, Armstrong-Ogbonna said: “I am completely humbled by this recognition from the United Nations. It is a major encouragement for me to persist with impacting journalism that affects the common man and development of the environment. I am most obliged for this.”
Until recently, Tina produced and presented a weekly environmental programme on community development called Community Diary on Radio One 103.5 FM in Lagos. She has also produced content for REUTERS, CNN, German Information Center GIC and EnviroNews Nigeria.
Nigeria’s low level of success with the Great Green Wall project has been attributed to a lack of political will.
Coordinator of the Great Green Wall Project, Dr. Elvis Tangom, stated this during an interview at the United Nations Climate Change Summit (COP21) in Paris.
The project entails planting a wall of trees across Africa at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert as a means to prevent desertification.
Dr. Tangom said though Nigeria was the initiator of the project during the administration of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, the project is yet to achieve its aims in the country.
He said: “You should understand that the Great Green Wall was a Nigerian initiative but Nigeria went down because she was not active. But, until recently, Nigeria became active again. Many countries were not active including Nigeria.
“The past administration allocated 15% of the federal budget to the Ministry of Environment for the project. That was fairly recently and that was last year.
“If you go to Senegal, Chad and Niger, they have advanced very much under the project. Senegal has reclaimed about four million hectares of land; Niger in the Zinder region with Nigeria has planted 50 million trees and reclaimed about one million hectares of land. Nigeria started this initiative but the national government was not actively engaged until recently. There are projects here and there by Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and other agencies.”
Dr. Tangom expressed optimism that the new administration would come on board and Nigeria will be able to achieve the aims of the project. “I am very positive that, within the next two to five years, the story will no longer be the same.”
Not just about trees
The Great Green Wall initiative is believed to be a Pan-African proposal to “green” the continent from west to east in order to battle desertification. It also aims at tackling poverty and the degradation of soils in the Sahel-Saharan region, focusing on a strip of land of 15 km (9 mi) wide and 7,100 km (4,400 mi) long from Dakar in Senegal to Djibouti in Eritrea.
According to the project coordinator, “the popular belief that the Great Green Wall is about trees only is a limited perception to the project.” Dr. Tangom said the project is also about improving the livelihood of the people living in degraded lands.
He adds: “The use of Great Green Wall is metaphoric. It is far from being about trees. It is a development poll. It is about creating development poll. It is about keeping people in their land. It is about making people love their land, to stay in their land to create wealth. To be able to have a good life and get rich in their land.
“In Nigeria, we have income generating schemes and startups giving to women. We have boreholes; we have firefighting, forestry and agro-forestry, afforestation programmes. The Great Green Wall project is a mosaic of many activities. What we call sustainable land and water activities.
“The biggest achievement of the project is that countries develop a harmonised regional strategy for the implementation. Countries developed and adopted their planned line of action for the implementation of the Great Green Wall Project. Those countries have now decentralised these strategies and include it in their local economic development plan. That is where sustainability comes from and a sense of ownership.”
Migration and insurgency
The coordinator states: “Many of the young people leaving Africa in search of greener pastures and dying in the Mediterranean Sea are from the dry lands of Africa. They are from Nigeria, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan Mali, Senegal and Burkina-Faso.
“If those young people were sure they were going to be able to stay in their land, and their lands can provide them with employment, they will have value for themselves. Look at Lake-Chad from 25,000 sq. km to 2.5 sq. km. What about the young people who were fishermen? If you are a young man and you are watching television and you see the way other young people are living. What will you do? You either fight or flee. When you fight, you join Boko Haram or become a trafficker. Or you travel by road then sea through the Mediterranean Sea and die. By the way, you are dead, and you can’t provide for your family. And in Africa that is a very important issue.”
Additional funds and countries
Dr. Tangom said the $4 billion pledged recently through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the Great Green Wall Project at COP21 would be utilised for projects on the ground.
“We have the structures, national and regional programmes already and it will be channeled to those projects,” he disclosed, adding that 15 countries in the Southern Africa region have been included in the Great Green Wall Project.
“These new countries will work on projects that fight land degradation in Southern Africa. They will work on improving the quality of the dry lands in their region. It is a Pan-Africa project aimed at reducing land degradation.”
A Director in Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Environment who spoke on condition of anonymity said seven states affected by land degradation such as gully erosion have been added to Newmap Nigeria, a project funded by the World Bank aimed at curbing the spread of erosion in affected states.
She added that the selected states will choose areas affected by erosion based on priority and such areas are among the next phase of reclamation under the land improvement component of the project.
Observers believe that the failure of the Nigerian government to comprehensively implement the Great Green Wall Project will worsen food insecurity, rural migration and conflicts among farmers and herdsmen.
