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Lagos to sink N27b in shoreline protection

Michael Simire
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The Lagos State Government is to spend a whopping N27 billion to protect choice properties lined along its restive Atlantic Ocean shoreline from Oniru Estate to Alpha Beach area within the next three years.

Over the years, extensive ocean surge and coastal erosion have collaborated to wash away acres of coastal land, threatening the array of real estate and tourism/hospitality functions close by.

But Governor Babatunde Fashola, in a presentation on Wednesday in Victoria Island while officially opening the state’s 5th Climate Change Summit, said the authorities have so far committed about N6 billion to the project that is already ongoing. He added that the initiative is aimed at finding a lasting solution to the frequent ocean surge and protect the state’s shoreline from being washed away.

Recalling the ocean surge that hit Kuramo Beach last year, he said that government was taken unawares, as there was no budgetary provision to mitigate its effects.

“In the implementation of last year’s budget, we did not conceive that the uncompleted part of the Eko Atlantic City would be overrun by the ocean. The Kuramo surge late last year came and took away walls of properties from the end of Ahmadu Bello Way, right down to Alpha Beach,” he said.

The governor called for a change of attitude in the way things are presently being done so as to protect the planet. According to him, the cost of adapting to the challenge is huge.

Fashola said climate change is not new but that what is new about it is the knowledge. He stated that modern trends such as innovations in air transportation and air conditioning interfere with nature.

“We must slow down some things. It requires all of us to be flexible to protect our houses and the entire planet.

The governor described the Eko Atlantic City project one of the adaptation and mitigation programmes of the government to protect properties and inject fresh life into Victoria Island.

He noted that government had consistently hosted the climate change summit in the past couple of years as part of its commitment to continuously break new grounds in order to save mother earth from further destruction from the scourge of climate change.

Fashola went further: “These summits have availed us great opportunity to share experiences and better practices to the transboundary challenges that require our collective effort. The deliberations have impacted on our policies and have contributed a great deal to our efforts at achieving a sustainable environment in our state.”

Environment Commissioner, Tunji Bello, described this year’s summit as a continuation of the review of the vulnerability and adaptability of various sectors to climate change in the state, which commenced at the last event when focus was on agriculture, industry and the health sectors.

This year’s forum examined transportation, housing and infrastructure. Bello said the issues are in tune with the policy thrust of the present administration.

He said: “There is no gainsaying that climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time. Receding forests, changing rainfall patterns and rising sea levels have exacerbated existing economic, political and humanitarian stresses, thereby affecting human development in all parts of the world.”

The British Deputy High Commission to Nigeria, Peter Carter, commended the Lagos State Government in her leadership role in the country to address the challenge of climate change. He declared Britain’s readiness to work with Lagos to address the climate change challenge.

Former Minister of Energy in Sierra Leone, Professor Ogunlade Davidson, in a lead paper, commended state officials and urged them to continue to devise means to mitigate and adapt to the climate scourge.

Business in the fast lane

Michael Simire
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Fast food outlets or eateries have become a major feature of urban centres in the country. The development has considerably impacted the real estate sector and, of course, the environment.

In Lagos, the phenomenon has in the past decade been pronounced, signalling an increase in demand for apartment space and landed property, thereby pushing up rental and sale value. The operators seek vantage positions, such as petrol stations and a highly commercialised area, or where there is a back-up residential population that will impact on products’ demand.

While increasingly becoming a notable employer of labour, they now compete with banks in the demand for space in the desire to be located along major roads.

However, the business is contending with issues related to the outlets’ location, car parking, land use and waste disposal. The authorities are worried that the cluster or location of several outlets within an area as well as a disturbing tendency towards inadequate provision for parking is recipe for vehicular congestion. They also frown at the indiscriminate conversion of hitherto designated residential property for commercial use, along with the disposal of liquid and solid waste.

A government official in Lagos alleges that some of the operators develop and renovate properties illegally, adding that even when applying for approval, they (fast food operators) do not wait for the final verdict before commencement of work but build while approval is still in progress.

Also, they are supposed to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study meant to address some of the problems their location and activities are likely to constitute. But, in most cases, they do not do so, says the official.

The parking standard provides for a car slot for every 60 square-metre (m2) of eatery space, or a minimum of 20 car slots for an average size eatery. But a staff of a popular eatery claims that his firm provides even much more than that.

“We’ve been building on vacant land to solve some of the problems. When cost is high, we lease for about 30 years. We addressed the issue of waste disposal by having a central kitchen at Oregun, where everything is done. The products are then sent to the outlets. At Oregun, there is a proper waste disposal, and water treatment process, among others. That is why we have smaller outlets,” he discloses.

A consultant to one of the eateries insists that the eateries should be given physical planning permit, prior to ensuring that each eatery submits its EIA report. It is on the basis of this EIA that the ministry will decide if the place is good for eatery business or not, he adds.

He stresses: “The permit will have to come with conditions. A lot of these joints have problems of parking and others. These conditions on how such problems will be tackled must be attached to the permit, which is renewable annually.

“If the eatery does not comply with the condition, then the permit should be withdrawn the following year in order to ensure that the company will not operate there again. The permit should not be issued without an EIA report.”

The Lagos State Government several years ago put a halt to change of use on plots, apparently to ensure that developments conform to the existing master plan provision. But cities are dynamic and changes in their structure are bound to occur. The realisation of this fact was somehow reflected in the recent emergence of some Model City Plans in the state, which seem to reflect current realities.

The Model City Plans are planned as a foundation to development of a functional city of Lagos. Plans are being prepared for areas like Lekki, Alimoso, Ikeja, Victoria Island, Apapa, Ikorodu, Badagry and Mainland Central.

Apart from the utilising of petrol stations, eateries are now adopting the drive-through (or drive-thru) service, which allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars. The format was pioneered in the United States in the 1930s but has since spread to other countries including Nigeria. The cars create a line and move in one direction in drive-throughs, and do not park. A popular American fast-food chain is popularising this concept in Lagos.

Government is providing for free a service whereby an aspiring investor or developer can obtain information on a landed property’s so as to make the most reasonable decisions as regards the development of the property. This is can be helpful to fast food chain operators seeking to remain profitable and environment-friendly.

Bayelsa backs assessment study of polluted sites

Michael Simire
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The Bayelsa State Government has announced its readiness to support the commencement of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study of communities devastated by oil pollution in Bayelsa and other states in the Niger Delta region by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources with the donation of an office complex in the state capital.

The assessment of the impacted communities of Bayelsa State and others is expected to be conducted under the National Hydro Carbon Restoration Project (HYPREP) led by the National Coordinator, Joy Nunien-Okunnu.

Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral John Jonah, while speaking in Yenagoa during a call on him by top members of the HYPREP which also coincided with the handing over of the office complex, said though the state government and the people have longed for a detailed assessment of the environmental effects of the incessant pollution caused by oil spillages and illegal oil bunkering in communities in the state, the decision by the Petroleum Ministry to set up the HYPREP is timely and will put an end to controversies between communities and oil multinationals over spillages and pollution.

According to Jonah, aerial tour of impacted communities showed massive oil spillages on waters and farmlands in various Bayelsa Communities. “The Bayelsa environment is highly polluted with lots of oil residue on waters and farmlands. They are mostly caused by spillages and illegal oil bunkering. We drink from these rivers. But when you fly helicopter over the sites, you will see heavy layers of oil. The resultant effect won’t be felt now but later with generations coming behind.”

Nunieh-Okunnu explained that the decision of the Federal Government, through the office of the Minister of Petroleum Resources, to conduct a detailed and professional impact assessment of devastated communities in the Niger Delta was based on the need to redress some past anomaly and improve the socio-economic and health standards of indigenes of oil producing communities.

Her words: “The assessment to be conducted by experts from all over the world is to ensure that the environmental rights of indigenes of oil bearing communities are protected and improved upon. The assessment will cover the socio-economic and health lifestyle of the people. We will work directly with communities along the land and the coastal shorelines. We will ensure the re-vegetation of the mangrove of the impacted communities.

Similarly the Bayelsa State Government has expressed concern over the 2013 Nigeria Meteorological Agency’s (NIMET) weather forecast and stressed the need for residents to take precautionary measures towards preventing a recurrence of the 2012 ugly experience.

The NIMET in its forecast, predicted heavy rain in 2013, higher than the one experienced last year, which rendered some families in some states of the federation homeless while farmlands were washed away. Bayelsa State was severely affected. Disturbed by this trend and in order to avert a recurrence of such experience despite the prediction of NIMET, the state governor, Seriake Dickson, met with the leaders and members of relevant committees including Post Flood Management Committee and Infrastructure Advisory Committee (PFMCIAC) set up in the wake of the crisis to nip in the bud the likely occurrence of such incident in the state.

Dickson called on the committees represented at the meeting to carry out more technical assessment to identify the flood level, saying this would assist his administration in ascertaining the foundation height of public infrastructures.

“We are here to discuss the subject matter that is of interest to the people of our state. We are all aware of the devastating effects of the flood last year on our state and we have reason as a result of the magnitude of the damage and destruction that we suffered to set up a committee of our very best hands to come up with ways and means of effectively managing the aftermath of the flood in several ways.

“I am aware that the committee has swung into action. Let me on behalf of a grateful state government thank its chairman and members of the committee for their sacrifices and contributions. I summon this meeting firstly to have a report of how far the two committees have gone and their work plan. We have cause to summon this meeting based on the weather forecast for 2013 and knowing what we suffered in this state last year when we were notified about the weather forecast by NIMET.

“The forecast reveals that the rain fall projection by this year will be higher than that of last year with the likelihood of flood, I got very worried as your governor, and this is the reason why we gather here to see that we do everything possible to prevent a recurrence of last year’s flooding that ravaged the entire state. It has already started raining and that is worrisome. You are aware that the entire state has been turned into a construction site. We are not through yet. We are very worried with the weather forecast this year,” the governor said.

Meanwhile, the PFMCIAC says about N20 billion is required to solve flooding problems in the state, and stresses the need for government to supply more relief materials such as food and cement to affected communities.

 

By Oyins Egrenbido

Worry over level of sensitisation in Niger Delta

Michael Simire
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An environmental expert and rights activist in the Niger Delta, Alagoa Morris, has expressed dissatisfaction over the level of sensitisation on climate change education in the Niger Delta, warning that it would be catastrophic should the trend persist.

Morris says there is low sensitisation in the region especially at the grassroots level, adding that workshops and seminars should be conducted to campaign against the burning of economic trees, raffia palm, timbers as well as other valuable components in the forest.

“The issue of climate change, apart from discussing it in workshops and seminars, I don’t think we have gotten enough sensitisation especially at the grassroots otherwise we wouldn’t allow the incessant destruction of our ecosystem especially burning of forest; when there is an oil spill, sometimes agents of some unscrupulous persons are used by some oil companies to go and set fire on such places and burn off a whole forest of economic trees,”’ he says.

Alagoa Morris, who is also the Project Officer, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria(ERA/FoEN), notes that when all the vegetation are cleared out it would become bare and empty causing extreme heat.

He urged the governors especially those of the Niger Delta region states as well as the civil society to embark on serious sensitiaation programmes on the need to plant trees and stop activities of bush burning and gas flaring in the different communities in the region.

According to Morris, “We have continued to flare the gas; one major characteristic of Bayelsa State is that as you enter from Igbogene down to Government House, you won’t see trees. We should not remove these trees from our environment, we should leave them as if we are still in the Garden of Eden, where you hear the parrots talking.”

He added that oil companies in the region would be held responsible and accountable for their continued gas flaring and setting spills sites on fire and also the local refineries which he said generates smokes from those areas which worsens the level of pollution.

‘We should encourage people not to be burning bush, if we have enough sensitisation from the community people will not be burning anyhow; they would not be clearing for nothing and the oil companies should be held responsible and accountable,” Morris lamented.

The Niger Delta region cuts across nine states in southern Nigeria which include Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo ,Ondo and River states. The region has emerged as one of the most ecologically sensitive regions in Nigeria. Oil and sas are the main source of revenue from the region, accounting for about 97 perecnt of the country’s total export.

Oil was first discovered in the region in 1958 in a tiny community known as Oloibiri in present day Bayelsa State and, since the early 1970s, oil has dominated the country’s economy. The region spans over 20,000 square kilometres and it has been described as the largest wetland in Africa and among the three largest in the world. About 2,370 square kilometres of the Niger Delta area consist of rivers, creeks and estuaries. Stagnant swamp covers about 8,600 square kilometres.

 

By Oyins Egrenbindo

Nigeria adopts advocacy campaign, braces up for 2013 rains

Michael Simire
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The Federal Ministry of Environment has stepped up environmental education and advocacy campaign across the country, ahead of the predicted heavy rainfall and floods in 2013.
Addressing the management staff of the ministry in Abuja on Monday, Minister of Environment, Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia, warned against complacency and directed that the tempo of activities relating to erosion, flood, environmental sanitation and awareness creation be stepped up to avert another round of flood related disasters in the country.
She urged that resolutions of various stakeholders meetings, as well as the recommendations of various committees set up after the 2012 floods should be implemented without further delay.
Mailafia commissioning the GIS-Remote Sensing Laboratory at the Forestry Department, Abuja.

She emphasised that educational jingles which had already been produced in English, Pidgin and three widely-spoken Nigerian languages be broadcast on national, regional and state television and radio stations to reach the broadest spectrum of the populace with appropriate messages. The jingles are on the environmental issues of flooding, desertification, sanitation, erosion and land degradation, and will run for one quarter, to be followed by documentaries in the second quarter. The programmes are billed to run on the 36 Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) stations, Channels Television, NTA Network News breaks, and select zonal and state radio stations across the country.

Out-door billboards displays in strategic places across the country will follow to reinforce the messages in the electronic media.
The national environmental education and advocacy campaign which is being pursued for the first time in the country is to give effect to the vision and passion of the minister for a national green environment movement involving all persons and groups in the country.
More proactive programmes to keep the nation on top of environmental challenges are to be unfolded in due course by the ministry with the objective of starting and sustaining a mass movement which harnesses and transforms the nation’s environmental threats into positive assets and development opportunities for job and wealth creation.
On Thursday, Mailafia commissioned the Forestry Geographic Information System (FGIS)/Remote Sensing laboratory at the Department of Forestry, Utako in Abuja.
The minister said the Department of Forestry in association with GIS/Remote Sensing which dates back to 1976 has successfully used the techniques to produce the first comprehensive Land Use and Vegetation (LUV) maps for the country under the Nigeria Radar Project (NIRAD) which provided the necessary baseline information that guided not only forestry management practices in the country, but other land-based development sectors.
The LUV Map production which was repeated in 1997 by the Forest Department provided the change matrix for land use and vegetation for a period of 21 years and the land use statistics submitted by Nigeria to international agencies within the period were based on these maps.
The facility also houses the web-based National Forestry Information System (NFIS) which is a platform where relevant information from the forestry sub-sector in Nigeria can be accessed freely through online networking as well as the sensing laboratory alongside NFIS which are interrelated through the data/information.
The minister commended the Ecological Fund Office for providing the resources for setting up the FGIS/Remote Sensing Laboratory, and also commended Forestry Association of Nigeria (FAN) for collaborating with the ministry in setting up the NFIS, which will enhance inter-sectoral cooperation and contributions of forestry to the socio-economic development of the country.
The minister in her speech said Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer-based system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage and present all types of geographical data, while remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, adding that both technologies have revolutionised forest resources assessment worldwide.
She urged the staff of the Forestry Department to ensure the facility is put to good use as well as protect and maintain it.  The minister also planted a tree to commemorate the occasion.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Taye Haruna, who was represented by Dr. Bukar Hassan, Director, Drought and Desertification Amelioration, highlighted some benefits of the laboratory, saying it would enable the Department of Forestry to obtain up-to-date information and data on Nigeria’s forest resources for the purpose of planning and sustainable management, enable the ministry to meet the regular forest resource information about Nigeria needed by international agencies; provide the much-needed information on vegetation and land use changes essential to monitoring of climate change and the GIS information produced would help to provide remedial measures to forestall or reduce adverse effects of environmental problems in Nigeria.
The Permanent Secretary also advised staff of the department trained in the use of the GIS/Remote Sensing and data management not to relent on their oars but should strive to broaden their knowledge and skills in the use of the modern techniques for national development.

Lassa fever: Watch what you eat

Michael Simire
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In this era of erratic power supply, getting home at night after a hard day’s work and retiring to darkness could be depressing. For most women, the culture of buying gifts or appetizers for the kids is a time of joy and celebration as they would gladly eat whatever you present to them.

A Lassa fever patient

But if you happen to get home and there was no power supply, endeavour to make adequate lighting available as this could save your children’s life.

In my neighbourhood I have a regular customer where I purchase most of my household needs such as toiletries, provisions and even sachet drinking water.

On this particular day, on my way to work because I knew I would work till late, I decided to buy a loaf of sliced bread which I intend to share with a colleague in the office.

I took the bread without much inspection believing it was in a good condition as I usually noticed when I buy. On getting to the office and I was about to share the bread with my colleagues, I was shocked to discover the bad state of the bread. Upon thorough inspection, I observed the bread was already eaten by rat as bite marks by the rat were visible.

The first six slices of the bread was eaten off by the rat attack. I gently repacked the bread and returned immediately to the shop, where I expressed my displeasure on why the shop owner would sell a loaf of bread in such a bad state.

He seemed shocked that the bread had been attacked by rats and replied that the bread was supplied to him like that. I took photo shots of the bread and decided to contact the company producing the bread.

I got the phone numbers written on the wrapper of the bread and made effort to call but none of the two numbers were available as I tried several times.

Many persons have been victims of contaminated packaged food or drinks with some not reported to prevent others from falling into the same situation.

It is necessary for the National Food and Drug Administration Commission (NAFDAC) with other relevant agencies to monitor and inspect the state of food and drugs being sold.

Since the beginning of the year there has been an outbreak of Lassa fever with numerous persons dying from the infection.

Lassa fever is an acute viral infection that was first discovered in Lassa Village of Borno State, North-East Nigeria, in 1969.

It is caused by infected rodents that transmit the virus either through faeces or urine droppings, or biting on exposed foods.

It has also been found to be predominant in the West African region in countries like Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra-Leone, Guinea and some parts of East Africa.

According to reports, careless and unhygienic method of preserving food has increased the level of vulnerability in densely-populated residential areas.

The old method of preserving food crops in rural communities in some parts of the country has increased its spread.

Along the highways in rural areas it is noticed that many households preserve their food crops by drying them in the sun on the expressway. Most times these food items are left for days to dry properly before they are removed.

An indigene of Edo State, Mr. Lucky Osaro, stressed that Lassa fever is more endemic in the state because of the method of preserving food produce along major roads.

He stated that, with the dry season and bush burning in preparedness for the new planting season, the rats are chased from their homes and then take refuge in people’s homes.

He advised parents to be on the lookout for avenues that would allow for free entrance of the rats. Furthermore, he urged mothers to wash and watch what they feed their families with as the rats could have infected the food either by eating or urinating on them.

The worst hit states are Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue and Ondo, with increased advocacy/awareness campaign in Lagos and some other states.

Those rats lurking around your neighbourhood could be carrying the Lassa fever virus. So, watch before you put that food or drink in your mouth.

 

By Tina Armstrong-Ogbonna

Social media and creative technologies: A recipe to save Bagega

Michael Simire
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In October 2012, when members of the ‘Follow The Money Team’ were developing their website, little did they know that the hashtag #SaveBagega was going to reach a staggering 600,000 people from over 100 countries, consequently, putting more pressure on the government of Nigeria to attend to the urgent need of this ailing community.

Bagega children

Bagega is a village community in Zamfara, Northern Nigeria, where 1,500 children awaits urgent medical attention for lead poisoning. “All we had in mind was to create a web platform integrated with social media tools, and write reports (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Storify) that could amplify the voice of these helpless communities”.

Follow The Money is a non-profit group that advocates, tracks, and visualises aid meant for local communities.

Taking a time travel to a decade ago, the story of Bagega wouldn’t have reached the next town to Zamfara. Perhaps, if the same medium was used in 2010, when about 400 children died of the same lead poisoning, an epidemic that was ‘termed the largest in the world” there would not have been much death as reported.

Everyday millions of hash tags are been created on Twitter for different reasons. “We were looking for a hash tag that could easily be related with the ailing community, and since this advocacy was directed to saving these children in Bagega, we decided to create #SaveBagega,” affirmed Hamzat.

Coordinating Tweets could be challenging at times, as such tweets were directed towards stakeholders that were concerned, and no thanks some were already using twitter! the list included President Goodluck Jonathan’s social media PR – Reno Omokri @renoomokri; also the Senator who sees to matters of Ecology and Environment – @bukolasaraki. Tweets were also directed to organisations that might be interested in children, communities, data, accountability and transparency.

Moreover, on December 6, 2012, a social media campaign was also launched with the Human Rights Watch (HRW) urging people to help write on the official Facebook wall of President Goodluck Jonathan “President Jonathan, why won’t you release the money you promised in May to clean up poisonous lead in Zamfara? Children are dying and your government’s failure to act is putting more children at risk”.

What happened afterwards? By the end of January, when Senator Bukola Saraki visited Bagega, he confirmed to the whole world, not through the terrestrial media, but through his twitter handle @bukolasaraki that “from confirmed sources the president has ordered the release of funds for the remediation of Bagega. Perhaps, a win for the use of “co-ordinated” creative technologies. Having said that, what would have happened in cases where the government has no presence on internet or the social media?

Recently, I was talking with some colleagues on how the internet not only made information open, but how it has become “a house of history.” In 30 years from now, the children of Bagega will be able to read what struck their community, some years back, and what their leaders did to save them!

As the quest to ensure transparency and accountability in the funds released to Save Bagega continues, at the last stakeholders meeting on February 12, 2013 in Gusau, the Follow the Money Team asked the Ministry of Mines and Steal Development (MMSD) on how much was made available to them? “We will get back to you before the next meeting and try to make it public” says the representative of MMSD. All these were posted our twitter handles for the world to see.

On February 26, 2013, the MMSD announced in a press release that 158.3 million was received by the ministry to encourage safer mining practices in Zamfara State.

As Follow the Money might not be the only available or possible model for advocating for open data and transparency, or tracking and visualising aid meant for local communities, it can be said that they have been able to document history, and open a new page in how creative technologies can be a tool for saving communities – maybe in this part of the world!

Hamzat Lawal is the Co-Founder/Advisor, Nigerian Youth Climate Action Network and also the Co-Creator, Follow The Money.

Teenage technician invents non-fuel generating set

Michael Simire
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Teenage technician invents non-fuel generating set

A fabrication by a roadside technician who fixes cars and motorcycles’ electric fittings may very well be the solution to an enduring use of generators in Nigeria. The country is riddled with generators usage from homesteads to business offices, shops and even government offices. This is not without certain clear and present dangers especially as it regards human health, the economy and the environment which, it seems, many users of generators are unaware of.

A prototype of the device

When this writer encountered with Christopher Chinedu Okorie, a 19-year-old electrician who works at Innoma Auto Electrical in Makurdi, Benue State, for about five years that he invented a generator that operates on battery and not fuel, doubt and disbelief almost set in.

However, when he made available the prototype generator, it became glaring that the invention, if and when properly harnessed, could considerably enhance power generation and usage in the country.

Incidentally, Chinedu is not educated and holds only a primary school leaving certificate. But that did not deter his initiative to devise a concept to aid in power generation purely with the desire to cut down the cost of running a generator on fuel.

Chinedu

Asked how he got the idea, Chinedu said he was just thinking of how to use other means rather than fuel to generate power when the wonderful idea came to him. According to him, his constant work with batteries as he charges them for both cars and motorcycles drew his thought to their ability to run a generator motor and armature to produce electricity.

This invention, although yet to go through the testing of professional electrical engineers, has the prospects of being in the fore front in the campaign to mitigate the impact of climate change generating electricity in a safe, convenient and clean way.

Due to the epileptic power supply situation in the country, generators have become a must-have and no business thrives without the use of one. This puts a strain on the economy as so much money is put into buying fuel even in the face of increasing prices of petroleum products.

Statistics have shown that, from 1999 to date, over N244.5 trillion has been sunk into the Nigerian power sector for generation and distribution of electricity to no appreciable improvement. The situation has given impetus to the massive importation of generators which are mostly not environmentally friendly. This situation sets in because generators which have two-stroke engines powered by a mixture of petrol or diesel and oil do not burn the fuel efficiently.

More so, constant fuel generator use has continued to expose humans to fumes which are very harmful and cases of people dying as a result of generator pollution abound. The fumes affect lungs and cause lasting health problems such as cancer, premature birth, low weight babies and childbirth complications (neo-natal jaundice and cerebral palsy).

So to say, generator fumes which have carbon monoxide, a noxious gas with particles that pollute the air and, mixed with water when it rains, makes it acidic and a delayed-action killer to those who consume rain water.

Generators have also been known to make noise and, for the big ones, they cause cracks in walls. The loud endless noise emitted by generators that run on fuel is capable of noise pollution and prolonged exposure to it is likely to cause loss of hearing when the noise exceeds 70 decibels

On the other hand, green house gas (GHG) from generator can act as an agent in accelerating the incidence of global warming and climate change which have become a big scare worldwide.

Christopher’s electric generator, an invention capable of addressing the major problems of the generator, may have come to the rescue. As simple as the set is, the prospects for its efficiency is high.

He outlined that he made the prototype of the electric generator using the engine of a portable fuel generator commonly known as “I pass my neighbour” with a motor. According to Christopher, he used a more powerful motor to pair with the generator engine which gave him 8-point power output which is enough to run two television sets, a clipper, a radio, and light point.

“If you want it to carry more, you will increase the capacity of the motor and battery then. If it is a big generator, it will be 20 points and can carry television, pressing iron, fridge and water pump,” he explained.

Commenting on the cost of producing an electric generator, the electrician said he can make an 8-point generating set for N45,000. Queried on the high cost in comparison to a similar type that runs on fuel which sells around N15, 000 in the open market, Christopher said he is incapable of producing the sets now at a cheap rate unless he gets help from the government or other corporate bodies or manufacturers which will subsidise the cost.

Stressing further, Christopher, who enthused that his invention would help the society by reducing the noise of generators as well as stopping the constant use of fuel, made a passionate appeal for support from any quarters in order to go to school.

Although without a secondary school education, the teenage Christopher Chinedu Okorie may be on the threshold of history with his ingenious electric generator invention to usher in a green economy in Nigeria.

 

By Damian Daga

WaterAid: 210 million more Africans lack access to sanitation than in 1990

Michael Simire
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African Governments are failing to keep their funding promises on sanitation, a new WaterAid report has revealed. The report warns that unless investment is increased, the challenges of urbanisation, climate change and most critically population growth risk turning the clock back on sanitation access even further.

Kroo Bay slum in Freetown, Sierra Leone, 2012, during the worst cholera outbreak in nearly 15 years. Credit: Tommy Trenchard

From 1990 to 2010, the population of sub-Saharan Africa grew by 340 million, however only 130 million people secured access to sanitation over the same period. In total nearly 600 million sub-Saharan Africans – 70 percent of the population – are without access to a safe toilet.

The report, titled: “Keeping promises: Why African leaders need now to deliver on their past water and sanitation commitments,” uses official Government figures from five African Governments – Ghana, Niger, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and Uganda – to show that funding on sanitation is falling short of government commitments across the continent.

In 2008 African Governments signed the eThekwini declaration, which committed them to spend at least 0.5% of their GDP on sanitation and hygiene, and to put in place separate budget lines for water and sanitation spending to improve accountability and track progress. Five years on, only one country, Equatorial Guinea, has been confirmed to have met the 0.5 percent funding commitment.

The report also highlights United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates, that the shortfall in water and sanitation services cost sub-Saharan African countries up to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) each year ($55.6 billion in 2010), more than is provided in development aid to the entire continent ($47.9 billion in 2010).

Nelson Gomonda, WaterAid Pan-Africa Programme Manager said: “Africans waste over 40 billion hours every year looking for somewhere to go to the toilet, and you can add to this the costs of illness and medical bills of those contracting diseases due to the unhygienic conditions. The total costs to African economies could be as much as $55.6 billion per year. Now is the time for African governments to meet their financial commitments on sanitation, and end sanitation and water poverty, and its daily toll on human life, health and livelihoods.”

The WaterAid report also calls on African governments to not only reach their 2008 eThekwini spending commitments of 0.5 percent of GDP, but to go further and meet the 1 percent of GDP sanitation spending recommended by a 2011 World Bank report.

According to a 2012 study, around 400,000 children under the age of five die every year in sub-Saharan Africa due to diarrhoea primarily caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.

Lagos climate summit: Proffering solution to global warming

Michael Simire
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On July 10, 2011, the heavens suddenly opened up and, for 16 hours non-stop, Lagos experienced a torrential rainfall that led to loss of lives and destruction of property.

Hadiza Mailafia, Federal Environment Minister

Then on February 13, 2012, an unprecedented storm with wind speed hovering between 75km and 100km befell bustling city, damaging numerous homes, 49 public schools, one administrative building and killed nine pupils when the boat conveying them to school capsized and they all drowned. Curiously, the rainstorm occurred in the middle of February, a month not usually associated with such an extreme weather condition.

“Gone are the days when we could succinctly draw a line between the rainy season and dry season; gone are the days when harvest was predictable and bountiful; gone are the days when select species of certain fish were readily available on the menu table,” said Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) in 2009 at the maiden Lagos Climate Change Summit.

Last year was a national disaster. Numerous communities were overrun by flood as major rivers, swollen from weeks of heavy rainfall and release of water upstream, overflowed their banks. Thousands were displaced and subsequently accommodated at relief camps established at several locations nationwide.

Tunji Bello, Lagos State Environment Commissioner

However, Lagos State did not record any disaster compared to other states, a development attributed to the year–round, state-wide anti-flooding programme put in place by the state government. This year, government has commenced massive dredging, expansion and cleaning of drainage channels across the state in readiness for this year’s rainy season.

Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Dr Anthony Anuforom, subsequently commended Lagos as the only state in the country that had a deliberate and concerted anti-flooding programme in place, which might have been responsible for its less flooding incidences.  In fact, he urged other states in the federation to emulate Lagos State.

The agency has warned that the rains will be intensive this year and that communities located along the Niger River basin should brace up for more flood.

NIMET officials gave the prediction recently while presenting the agency’s report of this year’s rainfall expectations. They put the commencement of the rains from February running through June, with a lull between early October and late December across the country.

Babtunde Raji Fashola, Governor of Lagos State

However, this and other related issues will soon be put into perspective at an international forum, courtesy of the Lagos State Government. In what appears to have become a tradition, state authorities are once again confronting the climate change challenge, albeit via a yearly forum that has received global acclaim.

The 5th Lagos Climate Change Summit holds March 13th to 15th, 2013 at the Eko Hotel & Suites on Victoria Island, with the theme: “Vulnerability and Adaptability to Climate Change in Nigeria: Lagos State Transportation, Housing and Infrastructure in Focus.”

Previous events held 24th to 26th March, 2009; 4th to 7th May, 2010; 8th to 10th February, 2011; and 12th to 14th April, 2012.

While the 2009 maiden event had “Reclaiming the Environment: Challenges and Consequences of Climate Change” as its theme, the follow-up in 2010 discussed: “Trans-boundary Effects of Climate Change.” Further, the 2011 summit focused on: “Charting a Road Map for Combating Climate Change in Nigeria”, even as last year’s gathering explored issues related to: “Vulnerability and Adaptability to Climate Change in Nigeria: Lagos State Agriculture, Industry and Health Sectors in Focus.”

All past Climate Change Summits – as well as the upcoming one – have held under the tenure of Governor Fashola, who seems committed to tackling the global environmental scourge in general and the unsavoury impact of the climate change phenomenon in Lagos in particular.

Just like that of 2012, this year’s event will also examine the burning issues of vulnerability and adaptability, which are crucial topics in the global warming discussion. This time around however, the emphasis lay on transportation, housing and infrastructure development, aspects considered high priority in the light of Lagos’ attainment of a megacity status.

Past events have produced a wide range of recommendations which, upon their implementation, appear to have helped to advance the state’s adaptation and mitigation capabilities to the impact of climate change.

For instance, government a couple of years ago declared July 14 of every year as Tree Planting Day in the state. It came under a programme aimed at planting millions of trees to beautify Lagos and also provide a carbon sink. Five million trees have so far reportedly been planted.

Similarly, the government has established the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK) to beautify and regenerate the Lagos environment from the effect of climate change, in the light of the intensity of global warming that is threatening the entire ecosystem. The agency’s effort at establishing gardens and parks all over Lagos has placed her among the notable green cities in the world today. All the Local Government Councils and Local Development Areas have been mandated to create parks and gardens.

Also, in order to address the problem of flooding arising from the increasingly high rainfall pattern, the state has committed to grow the scope and capacity of existing drainage channels in the city and the construction of new ones. Such channels are also being lined with concrete.

Described as a climate change adaptation strategy, the Eko Atlantic City project has likewise been embarked upon by government to protect the Bar Beach shoreline from the persisting ocean surge and coastal erosion. Eko Atlantic City’s “Great Wall” has brought back the coastline of Victoria Island to where it was a century ago before coastal erosion began to wash it away, says Environment Commissioner, Tunji Bello.

He adds: “As a pro-active government, Lagos State Government has devotedly implemented its resolution at these summits in the areas of intensive advocacy, annual massive tree planting exercises, and construction of effective drainage channels to contain flood, improved waste management, recycling programmes, and exploration of renewable energy sources, amongst others.”

Lagos is considered Africa’s fastest growing city, with the projection that, by 2015, it will be the world’s 5th largest megacity after Tokyo. In the light of the theme for the 2013 summit, deliberations are expected to extensively centre on the adoption of: a mass transit module for Lagos, ostensibly to reduce the use of personal cars and curb carbon emission (transportation); green, and environment-friendly dwelling units (housing); and high capacity and multi-purpose roads (infrastructure).

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