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Korea to host Green Climate Fund, LMDCs in debut meeting

Michael Simire
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The Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has selected by consensus Songdo, Incheon City in the Republic of Korea as the host city of the GCF.  Five other countries – Germany, Mexico, Namibia, Poland and Switzerland – also submitted bids. The Board expressed its appreciation to the six countries for submitting their offers.

Songdo, Incheon City, South Korea

The decision of the Board was adopted at a recent Board meeting (the second) held in Songdo by consensus following a confidential ballot process. The decision is the outcome of an open and transparent process that the Board had initiated at its first meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 2012.  The decision will be presented for endorsement to the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at its upcoming 18th session to take place on 26 November–7 December 2012 in Doha, Qatar.

Another important step expected is the launch of the selection process for the Executive Director of the Fund who will head the independent Secretariat that will be established in the course of 2013.

In a related development, the first meeting of the Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) on climate change was hosted by China at Beijing on October 18-19, 2012. The meeting was attended by the representatives of Bolivia, China, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Venezuela. His Excellency Mr. Xie Zhenhua, Vice Chairman, National Development and Reform Commission of China, hosted a reception of the participating delegates on October 18, 2012.

The participants reiterated that, as developing countries experiencing many severe impacts of climate change, they share common interests and priorities.  They noted the increase in extreme weather events, including heavy rainfall, extensive floods, storms and hurricanes which have adversely affected their own countries as well as others, and that these recent events underscore the need for global cooperation and action on climate change. They also emphasised that for developing countries the problem of climate change goes beyond issues of environmental sustainability as it also directly impacts on their survival and development aspirations.

The participants noted that the LMDC is a platform for like minded developing countries to exchange views and coordinate positions on the climate negotiations in the UNFCCC, with the view to contributing to achieving the combined goals of environmental sustainability, social and economic development, and equity. They stressed that this grouping is part of and is anchored firmly in the G77 & China (the group of 133 developing countries). They agreed to continue to work together to strengthen the unity of G77 & China and play a constructive and meaningful role in the negotiations.

The participants had a candid and useful exchange of views on the ongoing negotiations under the UNFCCC. They reaffirmed their resolve to cooperate to fight the global problem of climate change in accordance with the principles and provisions of the UNFCCC. They recalled the outcomes of the Durban climate change conference and reiterated their commitment to work for an ambitious, equitable and comprehensive outcome of the upcoming Climate Change Conference at Doha, Qatar.

The participants recalled the outcome of the recent Summit-level United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which reaffirmed the Rio Principles, including the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.  They endorsed the Summit outcome document’s, recalling that the UNFCCC provides that parties should protect the climate system “on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.”

Participants affirmed that a top priority in the Doha climate conference is the adoption of an agreement for a second period of legally binding emission reduction targets for developed countries under the Kyoto Protocol which start on 1 January 2013. In order to be meaningful, the emission reduction targets must be sufficiently deep and in line with the requirements of actions to curb rising temperatures.

Equally important for success in Doha is a meaningful and comprehensive outcome under the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA), which is responsible for implementing the Bali Action Plan launched in 2007. In order to have a successful and meaningful conclusion of its work, the AWG-LCA must make appropriate and balanced decisions on all aspects of its mandate, especially on supporting developing countries to adapt to climate change; provision of adequate financing and transfer of technology to developing countries; adequate mitigation efforts by developed countries in aggregate terms and comparable efforts for emission reduction among them;  nationally appropriate mitigation actions by developing countries, supported and enabled by financial resources and technology transfer; and a shared vision for long term global goals within a framework of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities.

The participants reiterated that successful outcomes in the Kyoto Protocol and the Bali Action plan (AWG-LCA) would contribute to progress on the Durban Platform. In their view, the Durban Platform, which was established in the Durban climate conference in December 2011, should build on the outcomes of the Kyoto Protocol and the Bali Action Plan, the two components of the Bali Road Map launched in 2007. The participants affirmed that, under the Durban Platform, they are committed to making progress on discussions for the enhanced implementation of the Convention in the post-2020 period and reiterated that the process as well as the outcome of the Durban Platform in both work-streams are under the Convention and must therefore be in full accordance with its principles and provisions, especially equity and common but differentiated responsibilities.

The participants thanked the Government of the People’s Republic of China for hosting this meeting and agreed that they would strengthen their cooperation including through more meetings in future.

GEF, UNEP in inefficient lighting phase-out campaign

Michael Simire
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New guidance for lighting efficiency programmes will save government resources, speed the transition to energy efficient lighting, boost economies, and mitigate climate change. In a recent letter, the head of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Naoko Ishii, announced the availability of the new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/GEF en.lighten initiative’s Toolkit “Achieving the Transition to Energy Efficient Lighting.”

The book is described as an unparalleled resource for providing guidance for countries to transform their markets to efficient lighting. The Toolkit highlights best practice examples that countries have successfully implemented to move their economies to efficient lighting and mitigate climate change.

Lighting is responsible for 19 percent of global electricity consumption and, if not addressed immediately, global consumption for lighting will grow by 60 percent by the year 2030. Without significant improvement in efficiency, this growth will have dramatic climate consequences. The phase-out of inefficient lamps is one of the most straightforward and cost effective ways to significantly reduce carbon emissions, according to the GEF. However, despite technological improvements most developing countries have not taken steps towards this transition. Countries that have not made the shift may be unsure about how to begin efficiency programs, or lack the necessary capacity and know-how.

In her letter announcing the Toolkit, Dr. Ishii said: “The GEF, together with UNEP and its international partners, encourages countries to use this Toolkit to protect the environment, save energy, grow their economies, and become more competitive in the global arena.”

The en.lighten initiative is currently working with 46 countries worldwide to develop National Efficient Lighting Strategies based on the best practices reflected in the Toolkit. Partners in the initiative led by UNEP include Philips, Osram, and the National Lighting Test Centre (China).

The content of the Toolkit is presented in practical, action-oriented terms to be utilized by those responsible for drafting policies – environment or energy departments or agencies – but also by public utilities, private sector and civil society organisations.

Local councils mobilised on disaster management

Michael Simire
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Against the backdrop of the devastating floods that have turned large parts of Nigeria into disaster areas, Community Conservation and Development Initiatives (CCDI), in partnership with Heinrich Boll Stiftung, has engaged local councils on “Local Governments and Disaster Management”. The idea is to prompt local governments over their obligation to form Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs), as directed by the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), and to explain the roles and responsibilities of those committees.

The engagement comes under CCDIs “Mobilising Local Governments for Climate Action” project and the three local governments involved, Eti-Osa, Lekki and Yaba,  sent members of their LEMCs to participate. Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) was represented by Olusegun Magnus-Davies Magnus and Ganiyu Wewe, the Fire Brigade was represented by George Nwanorim and the Red Cross by Ijeoma Nweke. Dr Olusegun Ojo, an urban planning and disaster risk reduction consultant and former Director of Relief and Rehabilitation at NEMA, was a resource person. Unfortunately, owing to bureaucratic intransigence, the Police were invited but did not attend.

A major role for each LEMC is to develop and update periodically risk maps for its local government and provide the information to LASEMA, the general public and the communities at risk.

LEMCs should have the ability to kick start emergency response and recovery with back up from LASEMA, participants agreed, adding that the LEMCs must work closely with agencies such as the Fire Brigade, Red Cross and the Police, who should be represented on those committees. Local governments are afforded some degree of flexibility in the composition of the LEMCs, which should ideally reflect wards within the local government.

According to Kofo Adeleke of CCDI, other recommendations from the workshop include greater emphasis on disaster risk reduction as well as management, as the level of disaster risks and vulnerability in any community is determined by the members’ capacity to anticipate, resist, cope with and recover from the impact of hazards.

LEMCs, she noted, require more assistance from LASEMA to develop plans of action which integrate disaster risk reduction into the local development planning process. Through the development of action plans, training and sensitization needs will be identified for the local governments and communities. Local governments must make budgetary allocations for the LEMCs and funds can also be drawn from revenue mobilization and the private sector.

Above all, for the successful operation of LEMCs, good governance and political will must be ensured, stressed Adeleke.

WaterAid, stakeholders observe Handwashing Day, underline need for cleanliness

Michael Simire
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Lack of access to water and sanitation would continue to increase poverty and diseases in Nigeria because poor sanitation costs Nigeria N455 billion annually. This is based on a desk study carried out by the Water and Sanitation Programme, a multi-donor partnership administered by the World Bank in 2011.

Country Representative of WaterAid in Nigeria, Dr. Michael Ojo, while addressing key stakeholders at an event to celebrate this year’s Global Handwashing Day, stressed that WaterAid is working on a five-year project to improve access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as an essential step in human development.

WaterAid projects are being undertaken in six states, which are Jigawa, Benue, Enugu, Ekiti, Plateau and Bauchi due to the needs of the people and the state governments’ responsiveness towards WASH in its programmes and policies, he added. Ojo explained that, in order to localise the global United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to sustainable development, WaterAid has introduced Local MDG Initiatives to the six focal states where it is operating.

Head of Programmes at WaterAid, Mr. Ziyok Ishaku, in a presentation pointed out that, through advocacy programmes, WaterAid is encouraging environmental health clubs in schools that promote hygiene and sanitation. He added that the group is also providing toilet and sanitary facilities to female students as it has been observed that when undergoing menstrual cycle they hardly attend school.

Head of Governance, Mrs Tolani Busari, said in communities where WaterAid has provided different types of water facilities like hand pumps, over head tanks, community taps, through monitoring and capacity building, the sustenance of the project has not been defeated. Busari pointed out that committees are set up within the communities to monitor and ensure the success of the project.

Mr Babatope Babalobi of the WASH Media Network reiterated the role of the media in strengthening public support and advocacy through special reports and programmes. According to him, the media is key in disseminating the message of WASH to create awareness and sensitise the people on the need to ensure basic hygiene which starts from the home.

Babalobi said it was necessary for water-related issues to get more support the way the issue of oil is to national development. In his words, access to safe, clean water is the right of every Nigerian.

WaterAid Communications Manager, Mrs Oluseyi Abdulmalik, called for more public support in ensuring that every Nigerian is not deprived of clean and affordable water. She highlighted that WaterAid supports three key events held globally: World Water Day, Global Handwashing Day and World Toilet Day. These global events, she maintained, are aligned towards the objectives of WaterAid.

Nollywood Stars like Bimbo Manuel, Tina Mba and Femi Brain also expressed their commitment in partnering with WaterAid in sharing the message of hope and life. Mba said she is already speaking with housewives at the community level to teach them about the importance of  basic hygiene such as handwashing, which goes a long way to reduce risk of disease infection. Highlight of the day was the handwashing event which was supported by Unilever Plc. A Unilever staff, Mr. Adeola Dexter, said Unilever was committed to partnering with WaterAid.

By Tina Armstrong-Ogbonna

Forum underlines youth-led agric initiatives

Michael Simire
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In a bid to promoting youth centre activities in raising awareness and mobilising public support for food security and livelihood protection, some 30 youths residing in the six states were recently selected to participate in an agriculture-based programme.

The youths from various backgrounds were camped in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, under a programme tagged: “Young voices for small scale farmers.” Participants visited the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan in Oyo State; Osun Farm Settlement; Epe Fishing Community, Afuye-Epe; Nigeria Institute of Marine and Oceanography Research (NIMOR), Lagos; and Osun State House of Assembly.

During a lecture on the power of the internet, a youth activist and environmentalist, Zaid Shopeju, encouraged the youths to create a buzz on the internet about the programme by using different social media platforms to share happenings with their friends and the world.

Shopeju explained that the power of the internet can cause change when applied for the right cause. In a practical session, some of the youths were introduced and made to open accounts with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and also start their blogs. A Twitter hash tag, #YV4SSF, was created and the youths tweeted daily happenings to the world about the programme.

Deputy Director, Partnership and Capacity Building at IITA, Dr. Kenton Dashiell, while receiving the youths, expressed optimism that the next level of change and development that would emerge from the agricultural sector would be based on youth-led initiatives. Dashiell pointed out that young, educated and smart people were needed to engage in agriculture as it (agriculture) is not a profession that should be downgraded. He urged the youths to join the large number of small scale farmers who are the major producers of food consumed in Nigeria.

Dashiell maintained that hunger and poverty can be totally eradicated in the country, if more young people with skills and initiative engage in agriculture, even as he expressed the IITA’s support to partner with the youths for future development.

On tour the cassava processing unit in IITA, the site supervisor, Mr Smith Ikpan, spoke extensively on different researches, strategies being formulated to better develop improved varieties of cassava.

He said: “It is a known practice in Nigeria that to produce yellow-coloured garri that palm oil is required to be added to it, but an improved cassava variety has been produced by the Institute. The Beta-Carotene fortified cassava when processed into garri is normally yellow with no need for palm oil addition. This saves money, adds value and is nutrient fortified.”

Ikpan inquired from his audience if they had ever seen or known that cassava had seeds? The youths were surprised to see the seeds of cassava as they collected some to show their family and friends.

The youths were also taken to the Osun Farm Settlement in Osogbo to interact with the farmers. One of the farmers, Pa. Isaiah Oladejo a 70-year-old mechanised farmer, said they first came to the settlement in 1963. Oladejo added that since then farming has become a way of life for him and he now manages 50 acres of farmland, where he cultivates different food crops. The farmer of over 50 years experience identified access to fertilizer and tractors as a major challenge facing the farmers in increasing their yield.

Pa Oladejo explained that farming requires passion and good sense of planning as a profession and encouraged the youths to come into it as most of the present farmers are growing old and becoming weak to actively continue. According to him, the notion that agriculture does not sustain your livelihood is untrue.

“I have seven children who are all graduates and I catered for them through farming. One of my sons has joined me in farming and we make an average of N2 million annually from maize farming alone,” he disclosed, appealing to the youths to stop considering themselves as unemployed and waiting endlessly for white collar jobs. Through farming, you will feed yourself, family and Nigeria.”

He praised the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo whose leadership as the Governor of the Old Western Region led to the creation of Farm Settlements across the region. Pa. Oladejo urged those in leadership position to initiate projects that would impact on the lives of their electorates. He called for issue-based and people-focused leadership which he said would position the country on the right direction.

Osun State Commissioner for the Environment, Professor Bukola Oyawoye, while addressing the youths  before they departed Osogbo to Lagos for the continuation of the tour, advised them to see agriculture as a solution to hunger, poverty and, unemployment. Professor Oyawoye said when young people engage in agriculture, Nigeria’s economy would grow and be among the top 10 global powers.

Co-ordinator of the programme and Project Executive, Human and Environmental Development Agency (HEDA), Mr. Sulaiman Arigbabu, said it was time for young people to engage actively in programmes and policies in the agricultural sector. Arigbabu pointed out that Nigeria can regain its past glory through agriculture, as typified in the days of the groundnut pyramid, cocoa and palm oil, which enabled a boom in the economy.

He demanded: “Do you know the impact on food production if 10,000 Nigerian graduates engage in agriculture?”

Experts in the agricultural sector posited that the nation’s economy can be diversified if more support is given to young people to encourage their engagement in agriculture.

By Tina Armstrong-Ogbonna

Odey: Why I was labelled ‘Mr. Lake Nyos’

Michael Simire
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Odey: Why I was labelled ‘Mr. Lake Nyos’

Former Environment Minister, John Odey, has revealed that his passion towards ensuring the speedy execution of the N4.2 billion Kashimbilla/Gamovo Multipurpose Buffer Dam project in Taraba State while in office earned him a nickname among his peers in the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

Odey

Odey, who served as Environment Minister between December 2008 and May 2011, said that he was labelled “Mr. Lake Nyos” because he consistently brought up the issue during the weekly FEC meetings in Abuja.

The proposed dam is actually meant to serve as a buffer upon the event of an earthquake and the collapse of the lake’s wall, freeing its large volume of water, which is expected to flow along a course from its native Cameroun into neighbouring Nigeria, where settlements will be extensively flooded.

Odey, who is still very passionate over the environment and sustainable development, wants the authorities to expedite action on the actualisation of the dam, which is under construction. It can generate 40mw of electricity with the capacity for expansion to 60mw.

“The dam will provide portable water to Taraba State and irrigation for Taraba farmers and more areas in Benue State. I studied the dam and pushed for the acceleration of the project by Council. This earned me the name Lake Nyos in the FEC when I was Environment Minister.

“I can confirm President Goodluck Jonathan’s support to have this project completed. He sent us to inspect progress of work in May 2011,” he said.

On the perceived limited budget allocation in 2013 Budget foe Agriculture and Rural Development in the light of the recent nationwide flooding, Odey remarked: “It is important for the key players who understand the effect of policy to advise Mr. President on policies that will drive private sector investment. Budget as an instrument is not enough to set the goals for the sector. Favourable policies will do more.

“The value chain and post harvest processing is not in place. This is even more important that the vote for agriculture. The flooding will affect rice yield a lot. Our farmers depend on rain-fed agriculture and swarm rice a lot. We should begin to develop small irrigation projects powered by solar pump. This will yield a lot of result. We are working under Access Nigeria for LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) utilisation for cooking across the country to reduce dependence on firewood and kerosene. This will be useful for drying agric produce to ensure post harvest storage.

“Government intervention now is short term measure. Government must plan on a medium and long term measures. The budget itself is a short term instrument, considering the way we formulate and implement our budget. It is not drawn from a long term development plan at all.”

On the switch to LPG, he noted that Africa Access Initiatives is partnering with stakeholders on the project and considering the environment and eco-friendly cooking approach.

“We had met with Oando Plc on all the key issues including safety network and affordability issues to reach the grassroot. I met with Abba Ruma and others such as Chairman, NLC; chairman, Micro Banks Association; and president, Farmers Association.”

While expressing joy that the REDD+ initiative that he began while in office “has come to a fruitful beginning,” Odey stressed that he is operating a Jathropha farm in Okpoma in Cross River State, which will enable the production of bio-diesel from 2013.

Odey’s Jathropha Farm in Okpoma, Cross River State, which will supply raw material for the production of bio-diesel from 2013

Lake Nyos, a volcanic lake situated on the Cameroun border with Nigeria, covers an area of 1.48km2 and approximately 250m deep. It holds about 200,000 tonnes of water. Eruption of poisonous gases have occurred at Lake Nyos in 1954, 1982 and 1986, causing  flooding and killing thousands of people.

The worst scenario feared with respect to the lake is the eventual failure of the 50m long wall of the lake, due to erosion of its lower unit. This would discharge an estimated 17,000m three- fifth of flood that would have tragic impact on the downstream areas as far as Nigeria, surging down the Rivers Katsina Ala and Benue. This will affect thousands of people in Adamawa, Taraba, Benue and Cross River states.

In 2001, the Camerounian Government initiated the degassing project supported by an International Advisory Committee and various funding agencies. This project involves principally the use of large polyethylene pipe to siphon CO2 continuously from the lower layers of the lake to its surface. In addition, CO2 early warning systems were set up around the lake to monitor the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and trigger alert when concentration is dangerously high.

Lake Nyos

On the 5th of September, 2001, the FEC considered a joint memorandum by the Ministers of Science and Technology, Health and Environment on Eruption of dangerous gases from Mount Cameroon and directed that an Inter-Ministerial committee comprising Ministers of Science and Technology, Health, Environment, Water Resources and Special Duties be set up to study the problem of the dangerous gases emitted by Mount Cameroon and make recommendations to the Council.

Based on conclusions from the research works by academics especially those from Cameroun in 2005 that predicted the imminent collapse of the two lakes in a near future, the House of Representatives, Benue and Taraba States Governments noted the enormous catastrophe that may take place.  In response to these, the National Technical Committee on Earthquake Phenomene (NTCEP) of which the Ministry is a member met to draw up a plan of attention for embarking on the necessary investigation of the problem.

Among the recommendations of the NTCEP were channelization of River Katsina Ala, installation of flood early warning system along the River and construction of buffer dam at Kashimbilla after proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is carried out.  However, the installation of early warning system has been done and the dam project was awarded and is under construction now with several complaints from adjoining communities of increased flooding of their environment.

President Jonathan has taken commendable action by releasing funds for steady works on the construction of the Dam. The project which witnessed a slow progress before 2011 received strong support by this administration as remarked by John Odey. The dredging of River Niger also is a mitigation action that officials say must be commended and all efforts to complete the work should be vigorously pursued.

Climate change, media and Nigeria floods

Michael Simire
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Climate change, media and Nigeria floods

Predictions by the National Coordinator of Climate Change Network in Nigeria (CCN), Mr. Surveyor Efik, that the Atlantic Ocean washout of the Kuramo Beach and Okun Afa settlements on the coastal city of Lagos are “small signs of bigger calamities to be unleashed on the city and the country,” seems to have manifested earlier than anticipated.

A flooded neighbourhood

Efik may not have been the only one to have made such prediction about Nigeria; but he has, on several occasions, tried to paint the picture of the calamities that lie in wait for Nigeria – direct consequences of the changing climate – without mincing words each time he is prompted.

In August, he had submitted that, “unless urgent adaptation measures were taken, a tsunami may occur in Lagos.”

He also disclosed during that interview that the threat of the ocean surge, as a consequence of swollen water volume due to increase in global temperatures, hangs loosely on most (or all) of Nigeria’s coastal cities.

Efik made this assertion six years after a prediction by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) listed Lagos and other cities on the coastal line of Africa among those faced with extreme floods due to sea level rise.

Less than two months after his prediction, Nigeria is being flooded from north to south. Unfortunately, the country had been adequately warned. In 2005, a team of American marine and related experts on expedition of the Atlantic Ocean had noted that Nigeria and some cities on the mid-ridge of the Atlantic Ocean could be destinations for deadly hurricanes and similar events. Soon after, series of hurricanes hit some major cities in the United States and the Lagos Bar Beach was washed out by serious floods from the ocean.

At a recent meeting on Climate Change by the Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP) Nigeria in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Environment Editor at Independent Newspapers Limited, Mr. Michael Simire, noted that, although “humans have been adapting to their environments throughout history by developing practices, cultures and livelihoods  suited to local conditions,” current realities have shown that we are not prepared for the emergencies resulting from the swift changes in climatic conditions as experienced currently.

This holds so true for Nigeria, as the raging flash floods and its threats to the existence of man experienced  in the last one month across most parts of the country has caused unimaginable distress to lives and properties of inhabitants along the coastal line of the country with authorities being lost on what to do.

The reality of the devastation of the flood that had affected lives and properties in virtually all the six geo-political zones of the country was the reason concerned professionals came together in Lagos to face the reality of Climate Change, by proffering practical adaptation and mitigation solutions.

At the ‘Strategic Media and Development Partners Forum on Climate Change Adaptation in Nigeria, stakeholders exchanged ideas and deliberated on the need for the media to come up with strategies for the media to effectively communicate the reality of the change and make the people understand what it means.

Climate Change crusader, Mr. Tunde Akingbade, in a paper tagged, “Challenges of Climate Change Reporting and the Media in Nigeria,” stated that the expectation of man of rainfall at a given period of the year had changed, as all predictions by weather experts have been eroded by the change in climate.

“Twenty-two years ago, at the celebration of World Meteorological Day in Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s Meteorological experts sounded an alarm in Lagos that the sun was getting hotter and radiating more energy to the earth than it has done since creation. Very few people, including the media, thought that was something alarming that needed a space in the newspaper or television,” Akingbade noted, while informing on how climate change had been dubbed a figment of imagination in the past.

Not so many people may like President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe; but, on climate change, he probably got it right when he said, “With the rivers becoming heavily silted up, the flood danger is increased.” This statement as presented by Akingbade was sequel to a visit Mugabe made to Somalia in 1978, where he said: “He could have wept to see trees being choked by the advancing desert, rather like people being drowned in flood.”

Throwing this up to the media, he said the media must rise up to the challenges of informing, sensistising and communication of these threats to people in order for Nigerians to get used to present realities of our time.

He noted that since climate plays a role in the survival of man, the much talked about change does not mean change in weather but a change in what people are experiencing over a long period of time that has been changing or suddenly changed.

“Since the industrial revolution, more carbon dioxide and Green House Gases have been released into the atmosphere – causing he earth’s climate to be changing as confirmed by studies by the IPCC,” Akingbade noted. Unfortunately, this has received only marginal attention from governments of countries like Nigeria that are most at risk.

“The Nigerian environment has suffered from massive pollution and degradation in the last 55 years. In the North, the Sahara desert is threatening everyone while the sea is eating our 800 Kilometers shoreline with great intensity. The air is fouled by industrial fumes. In the Delta, gas flaring is scorching the earth. The climate is changing,” Akingbade said, adding that the bigger task is in the hands of the media, which he said cannot afford to sit on the fence.

Panelists at the Lagos meeting noted that adaptation is a measure that is usually planned in advance or measures that may be put in place simultaneously in response to pressure on the environment, noting that such measures may include building of wall fences and improve the quality of healthcare care and facility prior to its occurrence.

They also expressed worry that over politicisation of issues concerning climate might lead to further aggravation on the victims because of the insincerity of the populace on politicians. They accused politicians of taking advantage of such emergence situations for personal enrichment at the detriment of the victims.

The National Co-Ordinator, AAP Nigeria, Dr. Samuel Adejare Adejuwon, said, “The ongoing flooding in many parts of the country and the aftermath greatly underscores the vulnerability of Nigeria to the vagaries of nature.”

Adejare noted, “In Nigeria, the high level of climate risk is related to a number of factors, including our densely populated low-lying coastline, which is also home to a high concentration of industry and infrastructure.”

He also pointed out that the North of the country, which forms part of the Sahel, is at risk of further drought and desertification.

Recent analysis by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), as presented by him, shows a trend of late onset of the rainy season, with most of the country experiencing a below-average length of rainy season. Climate projections, according to him, have also indicated that mean annual rainfall will be lower in the North of the country and higher than normal in the coastal belt, with lower dry season contributions to annual totals in all belts.

“Sea-level rise leading to submergence of lowlands along the coast would result in much of the land currently used for agriculture being lost, with resultant devastating socio-economic and socio-cultural costs,” Adejare noted, while pointing out some of the climate change related weather conditions that were predicted prior to the recent events across the country.

On its part, Adejare said, AAP Nigeria has taken the bull by the horn.

“We have developed an electronic newsletter to update readers on the various activities and initiatives taking place under AAP in Nigeria. It will also interest you to know that the AAP Nigeria through the Climate Change Department of the Federal Ministry of Environment and with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) set up the AAP Media Network,” he informed the Lagos meeting.

Meanwhile, the experts and other stakeholders that met in Lagos said Climate change has opened the world of Science and Technology to further areas of researches as people are currently seeking ways of developing and producing reinforced electricity poles, roofing materials, drought and flood resistant crops, sporting materials footballs that defy soaking, synthetic playing turfs among others.

The bigger challenge, however lies with government at all levels, which have been urged by the Lagos meeting  to be sincere and proactive towards issues of climate.

By Onche Odeh and Oyeniran Apata

Shopping mall, civic centre, others to transform Ado-Ekiti

Michael Simire
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Shopping mall, civic centre, others to transform Ado-Ekiti

The good times are coming to Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital city, where a heptarchy of initiatives is set to change the face of the emerging urban centre.

An impression of the new Governor’s Office in Ado-Ekiti

Christened “Legacy Projects,” the schemes are designed to advance development and leave a lasting legacy in the state.

The projects are: Government House (to be completed in 18 months), Governor’s Office (to be completed in 18 months), Civic Centre (incorporating a library, museum and art gallery and a cinema; to be completed in 12 months), State Pavillion ( something like the Eagle’s Square in Abuja, where parade and other activities will take place; to be completed in six months), Samsung Engineering Academy (to be completed within a year), Grand Tower Shopping Mall (incorporating Shoprite and related brands; to be completed within one year) and Life Academy at  Iluomoba (a modern technical school where graduates can go for further technical training in different fields).

Apart from aesthetics, the Grand Tower Shopping Mall, for instance, is expected to shore up the state’s economic base, provide employment opportunities, and improve Ekiti’s internally generated revenue (IGR).

In fact, the mall is projected to employ over 600 Ekiti indigenes during construction and create at least 300 permanent jobs for indigenes after completion. Grand Towers, state officials disclosed, would bring “multitude of international line shops such as KFC, Mr. Price, Woolworths, Stanbic, Steers, Shoprite and MTN to Ekiti.”

Governor Kayode Fayemi said recently while signing the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the developers that the land for the project was given to Grand Tower Limited at concessionary rate, even as he had already signed the Certificate of Occupancy to allow the company to immediately taken possession of the land and start construction works.

“We have also issued a distinct mandate to Grand Towers to enable their partners deplore a full developmental team to the project. All these steps taken by the government and others are part of the incentives being provided by government to prospective investors who are ready to partner with us to develop our state,” he added.

In a related development, the governor has resuscitated and opened for operations the Ire Burnt Brick Industry in Ire-Ekiti, after 21 years of being dormant.

Fayemi, who performed the official commissioning of the industry, described the revival as “a promise kept”.

The commissioning, it was gathered, is the climax of several months of strategic planning, re-development and re-equipping of the moribund industry.

Fayemi stated that the resuscitation of Ire Bricks Factory and Odua Enterprise Centre (formerly Odu’a Textiles which was comatose for 23 years) was to expand the state’s resources, provide numerous job opportunities, encourage new skills acquisition by workers and ultimately enlarge the middle class in the state.

He assured that the state would henceforth patronise the factory and use a certain percentage of the red burnt bricks in all its projects across the state. The factory is expected to begin full operation before the year’s end.

Sorrow, tears for Bayelsa flood victims

Michael Simire
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Sorrow, tears for Bayelsa flood victims

The gale of flooding ravaging several communities across the country has left many people in a harrowing and agonizing state. It was tale of sorrowing and gnashing of teeth as lives, hectares of farmland, livestock and properties worth billions of Naira were lost to the devastating flood.

Flooded parts of the country

The 2012 rainy season in Nigeria has become a curse instead of the blessing usually associated with the season for agrarian Nigeria. The heavy August ending rains coupled with water released from Lagdo, Kainji and Jebba dams is being fingered for the disaster.

This flood destroyed river banks and infrastructure and, by end of September, over 134,371 people were displaced, 64,473 injured and 202 killed. The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), are either living with families or in makeshift camps.

All the six geo-political zones in the country are affected, which include states like Adamawa, Katsina, Bauchi, Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Bayelsa, Edo, Port Harcourt and Delta.

In Bayelsa State for example, the people woke up to see the flood water level rising, initially thinking that it would soon go away. But as the seconds, minutes and hours went by and the level of the water kept rising. It then became obvious that this one was not going away, and it was time to move out of their residences.

It was a pathetic sight and the first thing I noticed in the first camp we went to on Friday at Igbogene was hunger, anger, frustration and hopelessness on the faces of the flood victims. The affected communities were Ihuke, Ahoda, Okogbe, Ula-Okodo, Emezi I, Akala-Olu, Enito, Dhirio, Mbiama and Ishai.

Initially, I was scared of talking to them because I thought they might take the frustration out on anybody that comes by without bringing them a sort of relief material.

Though the state government cook and serve food, IDPs complained of the food not being enough.

Imagine leaving your comfort zone with hardly anything in your pocket, sleeping on the floor in a tent with people you barely know. It is the height of frustration.

South-South Zonal Coordinator of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Emenike Umasi, said the agency was the first group to start a relief effort in the area.

While talking to journalists in Bayelsa he said, “Actually the South-South started the relief effort. We are the first to mobilise relief to this place. We are still proving more relief items. It is an ongoing thing; we are still bringing more relief items as the need arises.

“As of this morning a truck arrived and we are taking it to the warehouse. So far, we have been able to bring in close to 1,500 mattresses, and we are still going to bring in 600 bags of rice, 400 bags of beans and 600 bags of garri. We have other items like blanket, bucket etc.”

On Port Harcourt-Yenagoa Road, we met quite a number of trucks and jeeps conveying people with few of their belongings, obviously fleeing to a higher ground.

I almost had my first experience with entering a tipper from Yenagoa to Port Harcourt, because that was one of the only means of transport because of the level of water on the road.

Immediately they saw us coming towards the vehicle, they brought a ladder for us to enter, and they were at the same time asking for N2,000 to take us from Yenagoa to Port Harcourt. You have to sit, if you are lucky to get a space or stand for two hours; a journey that lasted an hour prior to the flood.

Eventually, we got a Toyota Sienna multi-purpose vehicle, which the NEMA official that led the team, my colleague and I felt it was more comfortable than the tipper.

We entered the Sienna and paid N3,000 each for the transport fare. The driver later told us how he spent over N20,000 to effect repairs for daring to enter the water the previous day. A journey of one hour took us over two hours to get to Port Harcourt and the car engine went off thrice because water entered the exhaust. We had to come down and waded inside water to push the car to restart.

After passing over the flood communities everybody in the car give a sigh of relief, though we eventually missed our flight, and had to take a late night flight.

Apart from the over-loaded tipper, keke napep (commercial tricycle) was a welcome means of transportation. To add insult to the injury, the stench was so unbearable as you see lots of youths from the communities rendering assistance to motorists.

Mrs. Grace John, who gave bath to a baby boy in Samson Siasia Stadium in one of the IDPs camp on Saturday, appealed to the Federal and State governments to assist them because her family of three moved from Delta State to Yenegoa (Bayelsa State) not up to one month before the flood “and everything we have is spoilt by the flood. Due to the movements, I feel pain in my body.”

She added: “The flooding started gradually, then the water level was gradually rising, before I knew it, the water had filled my home. Then I saw many fish inside the house, and water washing off our rugs and before I knew it, I went into labour.”

President Goodluck Jonathan who conducted a tour of affected states, tried to encourage the people at a church service. He said, “The flood is all over the world, Asia, Europe, I know that Nigeria’s flooding is bad. And when we have such disaster, food is not the problem. Do not make food your priority. If you eat once, thank God, I know that none of you would die of hunger here. Before the middle of November, the water would have receded.

“The biggest flood I experienced was in 1969. When the water recedes, the most important thing is rehabilitation, because farms, boats and all of your properties have been carried away by the flood.

“As the President, I have never eaten three square meals, each day. Sometimes it’s only once I eat.  The Federal Government is more concerned about the prevention of an outbreak of epidemic in the camps. The FG is more concerned about rehabilitation of people affected by water.

“In Kogi State, four farmers committed suicide because they borrowed money from the bank to buy seeds and flood came and destroyed the farms. So because they were scared they committed suicide.

“I am here to encourage you that, international organisation and other nations all over the world have promised to help us. I was in a place in Kogi, a storey building was under water.”

The South-South Zonal Coordinator said: “On a good day, it takes 10 to 15 minutes to travel from Ahonda to Mbiama community. But now, it would take at least 1:30 minutes to travel that same distance. The new East-West Road that is under construction in that axis has been submerged and the sand washed off. The massive flooding in the Ahonda-East  and Ahonda axis of the East-West Road started as a result of the overflow of the  Orashi and Sombreiro rivers as well as the adjourning minor rivers and creeks that culminated from the two lga (Ahonda East and Ahonda West) and Ogba Egbema Ndoni gas of Rivers State.

“Communities that are mostly affected are in Rivers and Bayelsa include those communities whose water channels are by the way  side or low areas linked to River Niger. Those whose water channels are linked to the ocean especially, the salt water areas were not affected. The Igbogene Camp is mainly for children. It was made for them because of the coolness of the place. We have 12 camps in Delta State, eight camps in Edo State and 12 in Rivers State.

NEMA said that, as at Sunday, 14th October, it had registered close to 40,000 IDPs in Yenagoa, which has close to six camps. “While in Rivers State we have about 12 camps and in Delta as of yesterday we planned to open new camps to make it 13 camps.

“In the Zone we have up to 60 camps. Those are established FG camps and there are smaller camps established by government and some NGOs. Some camps have as low as 250 IDPs and some as high as 5000, like the one Ole where we have three camps running concurrently. We have close to 10,000 IDPs in those camps. There is no report of any epidemic so far. We are trying to guard against that by providing water and sanitary infrastructure in most of the camps.

“We have had one here and four in Kaiama and there was an instance of an illness, where one person was moved to the hospital, but all others are at the capacity of the camp clinic. We have two clinics running in Samson SiaSia Stadium, NAVY, and the other one by State Ministry of Health. They are all sick bays; they have beds and doctors are also on ground. The Armed Forces have actually come into the operations; it’s just the effort of the state and NEMA,” said Emenike.

Evangelist Vincent who was encountered with at Igbogene, said, “I have been in this camp since on Tuesday and the situation is not as we want it. The means of feeding is the help of government and well meaning Nigerians.

“It’s only NEMA that brought food and things as you can see it is now that NGOs brought about 10 bags of small rice, the state should also bring us something. If you see my house it’s just like a lagoon. I stay in Igbogene, Three of my family and church members are here. The camp condition is poor. In the morning we ate late; we have the volunteer service, camp supervisor and more than 100 people staying here from different places.”

NEMA officials complained about lack of coordination, because “there is no effective SEMA in place, we are running the camps with commissioners, local government chairmen and all that ordinarily if we have effective an SEMA in place, we would have hooked on and flow normally. But in this case, we are now running in the structure.”

Goodluck Baperewei a plumber whose house was submerged by flood in Swali, said, “I am here with 15 of my family members. The flooded destroyed all my property and I don’t have another place to go. The FG should please assist us. There are no mattresses and I am experiencing pains in one of my arms.”

On Sunday some of the victims threatened to burn down a NEMA truck, saying only Sagama Local Government gave them N300,000 and other relief materials, while the rest turned their backs on them. They accused their representatives – commissioners, LGA chairman and lawmakers – of not visiting the camps. They added that those who managed to come stopped at the gate and turn back.

They turned violent and eventually broke the glass doors of the venue of the church service and chased away the church ministers. They said: “How can we listen to the word of God in an empty stomach? What we need is food and relief materials.”

They accused the accused the ministers of only being interested in the offering they will get from them.

The flood water came from Lagdo Dam in Cameroun as well as Kaniji and Jebba Dams in Nigeria, which were at their respective highest water levels and had to release water so as to avoid the collapse of the dams. Before water was released from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, the authorities there warned Nigeria. But because of the lack of a dam to absorb the shock from Lagdo, which Nigeria was supposed to have built several decades ago, the effect on settlements in Nigeria was unprecedented.

By Laide Akinboade

GWP-WA and IUCN/PACO: How natural, human imbalances impact sustainable mining

Michael Simire
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GWP-WA and IUCN/PACO: How natural, human imbalances impact sustainable mining

Mining in West Africa while contributing to economic and social development of the countries, disrupts the natural and human balance raising questions about the risk it poses to the future life of communities living near mining sites. This is the observation made by a group of journalists from West and central Africa participating in a sub regional media capacity building workshop, co-organized by the West and Central Africa Programme of the IUCN (IUCN/PACO) and the Global Water Partnership for West Africa (GWP/WA). The meeting held from 1st to 5th October 2012 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on the theme “Mining and the Protection of environment and natural resources in West Africa.”

Gold mining in Kalsaka Village, Yalenga Province, Burkina Faso

The workshop aimed to enhance the understanding of journalists specialising in environment on the issues, impacts and hazards of mining on the environment. More than 40 participants, journalists, parliamentarians, environmental experts and stakeholders in the mining sector, from 11 countries of West Africa and Central Africa, took part in five days of discussions, field visits and practices focusing on the relationship between mining and environmental protection.

Presentations and panel debates on mining and laws that surround it, have allowed journalists to understand that this is a complex activity that includes exploration, exploitation and trading.

Mr. Bashirou Ouedraogo, Technical Advisor of the Burkina Minister of Mines, Quarries and Energy, speaking on behalf of the Minister at the opening ceremony of the workshop, said: “Mines undoubtedly contribute to the socio-economic development of our countries. Unfortunately this does not happen without impacts on the environment and natural resources.”

Although mining proves to be a source of jobs creation and a source of income for many West African countries, the nature and human balance is experiencing a profound disturbance in the mining areas. Natural ecosystems are difficult to be reconstituted and the quality of life can be altered after the end of the mining activities. Although there are national, regional and even international legislations that provide environmental protection in mining activities, the high cost related to compensation and the weak monitoring capacity of Governments and reactions from civil society organisations do not allow to truly trace out the real effects of mining and the respect for environmental standards in West Africa.

However, with the current boom in the mining sector, “compromises are possible between the economic and environmental issues in mining,” says Mr. Abdoulaye Diarra, professor at the International Institute for Water and Environment (2iE) taking part in the panel debates during the workshop.

According to the Chair of Global Water Partnership West Africa (GWP / WA), Mr. Hama Arba Diallo, also deputy mayor of Dori in the Sahel of Burkina Faso, “in the context of a country like Burkina, it is better to have gold than not having any” since this mining activity brings a lot of excitement in the light of the case of Essakane a gold mine located in the region of Dori. To get there, “the mobilization of all stakeholders is needed to mitigate environmental impacts and ensure the preservation of property and essential ecosystem services that support long-term development,” said Dr. Aimé J. Nianogo, Regional Director of IUCN-PACO. That is why the Minister’s representative, Mr. Ouedraogo Bashirou, welcomed and encouraged the initiative of the IUCN / PACO and GWP / WA targeting the media with their potential of awareness raising in addition to parliamentary for the capacity building workshop.

The five-day workshop was conducted in three phases: after two days of discussions with industry experts and a day of field visit, journalists made media productions on the impact of mining activities on natural and human systems including also on the period of post mining operations.

A disruption of human and natural balances related to mining

Located 90 km from Ouagadougou in the central Northern part of Burkina Faso, the rural town of Sabcé giving site to the Bissa Gold mine was visited by the workshop participants. The Bissa Gold company (90% owned by Russian interests NORGOLG and 10% by the State of Burkina Faso) is developing its gold mining activities on an area of 130 km2. Journalists met with local authorities, officials of the mining company and made a tour of the facilities of the mining site.

The main observations made by journalists show that mining leads to a profound destruction of natural balance and affect deeply the production systems and the human organisation. In Sabcé, the natural reserve within which the Company operates was the only reservoir of biodiversity in the area and today this heritage is endangered.

Mining is affecting the forest reserve of the county directly covering 700 ha of fields of two villages that are Bissa and Yimiougou. Agriculture, the main activity of the inhabitants will suffer heavily from the effects of mining. Indeed, many farmers have been dispossessed of their crop field against financial compensation. Given the agricultural practices, this will create a void that only time will eventually fill. And the question of the management of this resource has already arisen in relation to the current floods in August 2012 that people attribute to the overflow of water from the dam built by the Bissa Gold Company.

Water is the most affected resource by mining activities since “without water, there is no mining” as stated by the Deputy Director General of Bissa Gold, Dr. Christian Ouedraogo. To face that reality, Bissa Gold has built a water reservoir with a capacity of over 100 million cubic meters. They will “only about 4 million so there is a need to put up with the various stakeholders a mechanism to manage the rest of the resource of the dam,” says Mr. Ouedraogo.

Another concern is the resettlement of displaced households affected by the installation of mining activities. Compensations are generally on property while the cultural aspect is not taken into account. It is obvious that the traditional knowledge and practices to protect the environment and its resources have been disrupted. The natural reserve of Sabcé was the site of many traditional rites and the officials of the mining company in accordance with the traditional authorities have delimited them by putting terminals all around to avoid destroying them.

Moreover, the influx of foreign populations to the mining areas in search of employment and better living conditions led to a concentration of people with its corollaries of wrongdoing as the moral depravity (banditry, prostitution, drugs, etc.). “Currently, it is not easy to get a house for rent in Sabcé and even if it is found , the price is very high,” says Mamadou Pierre Celestin Zoungrana, mayor of the municipality.

Although each mining site has its own realities, the situation of the growing gold mine in Sabcé, is typical of the problems encountered in the mining areas of West Africa.

Often neglected, the period after mine attracted media attention

An important element emerged during the workshop; that is how do we prepare the after mining activities? All the communications have revealed that the issue is a big concern for governments, communities and mining companies. “We have already started the implementation of a wide program of reforestation on barren,” says Mr. Frederic Some, environmental manager at the Essakane gold mine,, operated by the Canadian IAM Gold. The period following mine activities in the states of West Africa is currently rising as a difficult social and ecological debt to be cleared because the issue is not deeply assessed by populations and authorities.

In Burkina Faso, for example, the closure of a mine at the end of its activities and the rehabilitation of the site are governed by the Code of mining investment. Thus, all industrial mining companies (at least for Bissa Gold and Essakane) are trying to implement a reforestation program.

The action of the GWP/WA and IUCN/PACO

The current regional meeting of media on mining and environment issues reflects the commitment of the GWP / WA and IUCN / PACO “to promote, in our states, participatory development based on good information of all stakeholders, basis for sustainable development “said the Chairman of GWP / WA, Mr. Hama Arba Diallo. “ GWP West Africa, since its establishment in 1999 in the region, is continuously fighting within States for an integrated management of natural resources starting with the water”,  continued Mr. Diallo. The role of IUCN is to “inform, educate and advocate for a dialogue between stakeholders that facilitates sustainable practices and equitable sharing of benefits derived from the exploitation of resources,” said Dr. Aimé J. Nianogo, Regional Director of IUCN West and Central Africa Programme (PACO).

That is why the IUCN approach is to mobilize knowledge to reduce the environmental impacts of mining through training of actors, dialogue building and developing initiatives for the most vulnerable groups, has underlined by Jean-Marc Garreau, regional program coordinator of IUCN-PACO, in his presentation on mining and biodiversity.

The Ouagadougou meeting was the sixth in a series that began in 2007 between GWP-WA and the media of the West African region. These annual meetings have so far enable the establishment of a practice of sharing experiences among participants, experts and the organizers (GWP and IUCN). The end of each workshop is an opportunity for participants to renew their commitment to implement new acquired knowledge to better address environmental issues. Since 2007, there have been positive developments including the creation special spaces dedicated to environmental information in some newspapers or radio stations by journalists taking part in these meetings.

A recent positive development in this regard is the initiative that led to the development of the website EnviroNews Nigeria that can be reached at www.environewsnigeria.com. This web site is specifically dedicated to environmental news and regularly updated by its promoter, Mr. Michael Simire, a journalist who took part in all the meetings since 2007. Mr. Simire says: “This website is an offshoot of the conference. It began as a news sharing forum that was initiated by our communiqué from that very first conference in Bamako that we should share our stories amongst one another”. The first workshop in Bamako, Mali held on 27, 28 and 29 December 2007.

For all the participants, the Ouagadougou workshop was a great opportunity for learning and knowledge sharing on environmental issues for better informing audiences.

By Sidi Coulibaly

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