An early Saturday morning sea surge that swept through the Lagos coastline has killed four persons. Twelve others have been reported missing.
The surging sea water swallowed the shanties by the coastline
General Manager, Lagos Emergency Management Agency, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, who confirmed the incident, said the corpses would be deposited at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
The surge reportedly swooped on the inhabitants of the shanties in the early hours of the day when they were indoors. The Kuramo Beach area was severely affected.
A resident in one of the shanties who pleaded anonymity said that the surge swept through the area in the early hours of Saturday when residents were fast asleep.
“We are still looking for some people now as we speak. We just pray that they were no washed away by the surge,” a resident who gave his name as Ibrahim said.
Oke-Osanyintolu, who stated that the surge occurred early Saturday morning while residents were asleep, said the affected victims were mostly residents living in illegal shanties, stating that, in order to avert further disaster; the state government had condoned the area.
Government has ordered the immediate evacuation of residents of the state’s waterfront to forestall possible disaster from the seven days of high waves accompanied by a strong ocean surge which hit the country’s coastline, with Lagos being among the worst affected.
Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Prince Segun Oniru, who disclosed this, said the process had started, with the immediate evacuation of the Kuramo Beach to make way for movement of sand into the area.
The commissioner explained that the action was taken immediately to avert the disaster of the Atlantic Ocean joining the Kuramo Waters and subsequently the Lagoon.
Oniru, who explained that the state is experiencing extreme weather conditions due to its location, noted that other coastal areas badly affected from which people would be expected to move include Badagry and Ojo areas, Bar Beach, Goshen Estate, as well as Maiyegun and Alpha Beaches.
He added that the state emergency services had been mobilised to continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly.
He urged residents in the state to remain calm as government was doing everything possible to avoid more loss of lives and property to the surge.
Roland Igbinoba of the Pison Housing Company says that this year’s International Housing Finance Workshop (IHFW) holding this week in Abuja will provide stakeholders with a complete understanding of the real estate and housing market in the country.
Igbinoba
How, and what will make this year’s IHFW different?
The IHFW does not only focus on one or few segments of the industry. It cuts across all segments related to the real estate, housing and housing finance industry. It is a forum that brings together all players in the real estate, housing and housing finance sectors, ranging from developers, equity providers and investors, mortgage banks, commercial banks, policy makers, construction firms, estate surveyors and valuers, quantity surveyors, financial advisors, lawyers, etc. It covers all essential structures and models, providing the stakeholders with a complete understanding of the real estate and housing market in Nigeria. Reputable international speakers are also brought in to share their experience, to enlighten us on strategies and systems they implemented to tackle particular industry problems. This brings hands-on knowledge we can adopt and apply to improve our market.
What in your view is the bane of the market today and what should the industry be looking at after IHFW?
A few issues that negatively affect the market today include but are not limited interest rates, interbank lending rates, cost and availability of land, land registration procedures, cost of building which is borne by the developers and transferred to the cost of the houses, cost of mortgage, and inflation. These are a few that need to be tackled.
It is also evident that with the recent economic downturn which many countries are yet to fully recover from, there is a high level of restrain from investors into the market. This restrain applies to both the local investors and foreign capital providers. Investment in any project is weighed very cautiously before decisions are made. Some organizations, at the early period of the recession, put a total ban on investing in any project. Most organizations have innovated new approaches to assessing projects, and projects have to be watertight to be considered eligible for funding.
This is a major aspect IHFW 2012 will focus on. We still need foreign investment to develop our markets, and we need to know what the investors want. Mortgage banks are currently undergoing reforms and have been asked to recapitalize to the tune of N2.5 billion and N5 billion for state and federal licenses respectively. Capital needs to be raised to meet this mandate. The IHFW will present a door to the knowledge of how business strategies should be restructured to attract foreign investment.
What kind of audience are you looking at?
As mentioned above, all stakeholders from various sectors have registered. These include bankers, portfolio managers, legal officers, developers, the regulatory authorities, business risk managers, primary mortgage banks and commercial banks.
Developing the housing market cannot be done by only a segment of the industry. All stakeholders need to come together, roles need to be redefined and assumed, so there can be improvement if everyone plays their part. The speakers are also from a wide range of sectors related to the market development. They will enlighten and proffer solutions to challenges in the various aspects of real estate and housing finance.
How can government and the private sector key into the IHFW vision to explore the huge housing deficit?
This can be achieved majorly through partnership between the government and the private sector. Many countries have adopted the PPP approach and executed commendable projects for their citizens. Affordable housing has been provided for large populace through this means. At the IHFW, stakeholders can tap into the knowledge of international housing sectors where housing has recorded great improvements. For example, in the 1990s in Brazil, new funding sources designed to finance real estate was introduced. The sector began to improve greatly and the funding structure is presently managed by the Brazilian Securities Exchange Commission. Since the 1970s, Malaysia put in efforts and has made sizable leaps in the development of their housing market. They structured and implemented sound PPP models which today have facilitated access to housing to even the low-middle income populace. They have achieved success with their housing policy and the Malaysian government established the state Economic Development Corporations which focuses on housing the poor. In Nigeria, the Minister of Housing attributed the reason for the huge housing deficit to the high cost of acquiring land and building materials. There are many additional factors affecting housing availability, of which the government can play significant roles to achieve solutions to the problems. These need to be addressed so both the government and private sectors can determine how to work together to move forward and make progress.
How prepared is the market and how can other sectors of the industry tap into IHFW?
The market I believe is ripe for a revolution. For every sector relevant to the real estate and housing finance markets, there’s a lot to learn and great opportunities abound.
Our market is showing signs of readiness for a transformation. On the finance angle, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently rolled out environmental and technical reforms that will assist in growing the industry. But CBN cannot act in isolation, state and federal government agencies and housing policy makers need to play their part as well. CBN is strategising to boost the market through various measures, amongst which is the establishment of a mortgage liquidity facility. This measure has already raked in the interest of many stakeholders, locally and internationally.
How would you describe the event’s impact on the industry since its inception some seven years ago?
Since inception, IHFW has been very well accepted. It is an annual event that provides an avenue to gain significant knowledge and access to investment opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. IHFW has, in the practical sense, brought in investors, constructors and other stakeholders who have worked on projects, formulated partnerships and business relationships with organisations in the Nigerian market. IHFW seeks to proffer realistic solutions to problems facing the industry.
The industry comprises of stakeholders from various sectors and regulatory bodies relevant to the growth of the housing industry. A proportion of stakeholders put in more efforts than others and this has not produced the effective result that could otherwise be engendered. Collective efforts and roles need to be implemented to achieve constructive results. In a nutshell, the performance of the industry has somewhat developed but a collaborative effort is required for milestone achievements.
Participants at the premier global conference on cities and urban issues – sixth World Urban Forum (WUF6) – holding in Naples, Italy next month have till Friday to complete their registration, the organisers have said.
Naples, Italy… venue of the WUF6
The WUF, a bi-yearly event that brings together key stakeholders, is believed to be the most comprehensive international forum for deliberations on urbanisation and its associated challenges. Jointly organised by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the Government of Italy, the Campania Region and the City of Naples, the theme for this year’s WUF is: “The Urban Future.”
The UN-HABITAT said in a statement last week that while the online registration portal would close on Friday, 24 August 2012, at 12:00 noon, accreditation with WUF6 photo badge would commence at the WUF6 venue on 30 August 2012 from 8:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m daily, to enable participants avoid long queues during the official opening day on Monday, 3 September 2012.
Online registration, which is on individual basis only, is in six categories, comprising:
● National governments/Parliamentarians, consisting of heads of state, heads of government, representatives of governments, diplomats and parliamentarians;
● Civil society organizations – representatives of women’s organizations, youth organizations, social/peoples movements, indigenous peoples’ organizations, trade unions, faith-based organizations, professional associations and foundations;
● United Nations and intergovernmental organizations: representatives of UN entities, regional organizations, international financial institutions, cultural, scientific or linguistic international organizations; and,
No fewer than 3,000 participants from 114 countries have registered for the forum, which will address four major focus areas, namely: Urban Planning, addressing institutions and regulations, including the improvement of quality of life; Equity and Prosperity (distribution of wealth and opportunities); productive cities (competitive and innovative cities); and, Urban Mobility, Energy and Environment.
Several parallel sessions, including an additional 160 networking, side and training events as well as the WUF exhibition, will be held to showcase some of the world’s leading cities and innovations in urban development.
“The debate is already underway with nearly 1,500 people signing up for the online e-Debates at www.worldurbanforum.org, where people who will not be able to travel to Naples are able to join the debate and contribute to shaping the Forum’s discussions,” the statement said.
The WUF was established by the United Nations to examine one of the most pressing problems facing the world today – rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies.
The first session of the WUF was held in Kenya in 2002, with subsequent editions following in Barcelona (2004), Vancouver (2006), Nanjing (2008) and Rio de Janeiro (2010).
On July 10 2011, Lagos experienced a downpour that lasted for over six hours, claiming lives and destroying properties in the bustling city.
A flooded street in the community
About a year later and several weeks ago, the Atlantic Ocean, swelled by periods of continuous rainfall, surged into neighbouring communities, sacking residents from their homes. The raging flood waters spared no one within its vicinity, including choice residential estates.
Worst hit, however, was Okun Alfa, a waterside community that hosts the popular tourist spot, Alfa Beach, where virtually all the buildings were overrun by the salty ocean water. As was the case in recent times, the flooding left tales of woe in its wake.
A resident, octogenarian Alhaji Alayaki Mudasiru, said that in the over 100 years he has lived at Okun Alfa, the Atlantic Ocean surge never once posed a threat, until the turn of events in recent years.
According to him, the flooding and coastal erosion became noticeable since the commencement of numerous sandfilling and land reclamation activities on and off the Lekki Peninsula coastline. He recalled that the problem started soon after Victoria Island was reclaimed.
He explained that he presently resides in his third home, the two previous ones having been washed away by the Atlantic Ocean which had encroached more than 200 metres inland.
Mudashiru pointed an accusing finger at Chevron Nigeria Limited, which he said acquired a large expanse of land for the construction of an international school and a staff housing estate. He alleged that the fenced landed property impeded water that flowed in the community from finding its way out.
The oil firm had constructed a high-wall fence on the over 10 hectares of land which the residents said that, during the course of sand-filling the land, the existing drainage channel was in the process blocked. They said that they have severally protested to the management of the company to express their displeasure over the blockage of the channel.
Mudashiru’s words: “Whenever the ocean surges and drives us from our houses, we normally moved further away inland and build another house. But now that Chevron has taken over the land, where are we going to move to?”
In an emotion-laden tone, he appealed to the Federal Government to come to their aid by constructing an embankment that would alleviate their plight.
Asked if he would now relocate based on the recent occurrence, he replied: “I have lived all my life at Okun Alfa. I was born and brought up as a farmer. My children living in other parts of Lagos came when they heard about the incident with the intention to take me to their place of abode, but I said no. I will not leave because of that. I will stay her till death comes.”
Narrating his experience, clergyman Musa Philip, who pastors a Pentecostal church in the community, said if the surge had happened at night, the extent of the damage and casualties would have been unprecedented.
He said: “The surge started in the early hours of Sunday morning around 2 am. We started noticing water in our houses and everybody was forced to wake up. By the time the daybreak arrived, it had subsided.
“But when it got to around 11.30 am, the surge started again and this time around in a very strong manner that could carry people away. I and one other person had to rescue a woman with four children thrown to a building wall.”
Philip underlined the need for the Federal Government to urgently construct an embankment to avert future occurrence and protect lives and properties. “Failure to do this could be catastrophic,” he warned.
Councillor representing Ward C in Eti-Osa Local Government Area comprising of Okun Alfa and some other communities, Sheriff Elegushi, bemoaned the activities of Chevron Nigeria Limited that allegedly blocking a major drainage channel in the neighbourhood.
He submitted that the community had in recent past suffered from the effect of ocean surge, pointing out that, last year, the only road leading to the community was washed away and that, up till now, they can only access the community through the beach.
Elegushi lamented that since the incident occurred, no emergency unit or government official deemed it fit to sympathise with them.
The councillor, however, appealed to both the central and state governments to come to the community’s aid by constructing a drainage channel as well as embankment to drain away and shield the community from flood waters.
Elegushi said: “When this incident happened last year, President Goodluck Jonathan came here and promised that, through the Ecological Fund Office, government would assist the community. But, up till now, nothing has been done. The state government too has not done anything.
“The Local Government chairman hired a caterpillar to open the canal so that water trapped in the community can flow away.”
Elegushi added that since the incident happened, many people had fled the community and were yet to return. He bemoaned the development on the community’s socio-economic activities.
Besides Okun Alfa, other communities in the local council said to be prone to the disaster are: Igbara, Maiyegun, Aro, Ologolo, Baruwa and Igbo-Efon, which are all along the Lagos coastline.
Elegushi blamed the incident on the various reclamation projects going on in the city particularly the Eko Atlantic City project where large expanse of land is being reclaimed from the sea, by Victoria Island.
The project has been a source of worry to environmentalists, who allege that a thorough Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was not conducted before the project commenced.
So far, the Lagos State Government and Messrs. South Energyx Nigeria Limited (project developer) are yet to make public the project’s EIA.
But the developer is reported to have claimed that the project “is already helping to reverse the environmental damage at the Victoria Island caused by a century of coastal erosion. The imposing new sea wall will shield the city of Lagos, as well as Eko Atlantic City.”
Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State said last April at the state’s Climate Change Summit that the project does not constitute an environmental problem but a blessing to the city.
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has unfolded plans to recruit more female drivers for its waste evacuation trucks following the success of an experiment it conducted with the first set of female drivers.
The female drivers and the newly-acquired trucks
According to the LAWMA Managing Director, Ola Oresanya, the 46 female drivers initially engaged to drive the waste evacuation trucks have shown an uncommon tenderness in handling the vehicles that the organisation is now considering hiring more.
Oresanya, who said this during the handover of newly-purchased skip trucks by the state government to LAWMA in Ogudu recently, said the female drivers had recorded zero accidents with the vehicles compared to their male counterparts.
Besides, he said the female drivers were more friendly and considerate of other road users, and enthusiastic about their job of ensuring the cleanliness of the state, noting that the decision to engage them was in line with the Governor Babatunde Fashola’s focus on women empowerment in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
“Three years ago, we brought in ladies to drive our trucks on an experimental basis, I am proud to say the experiment has been a huge success,” he said.
The LAWMA boss said the female drivers were trained for six months at the Lagos Drivers’ Institute before they were given the vehicles to handle, adding that the organisation was using them as model for their male counterparts.
Oresanya said there were 846 waste collection vehicles belonging to LAWMA and the private sector participants in waste evacuation and management, and that the new skip trucks, which are smaller compared to the compactors, were added to the initial 45 bought last year by the state government.
He said the new skip trucks would gradually replace some of the old trucks currently being used for waste evacuation in the state, adding that 100 new trucks were being expected in the coming months.
Commissioner for the Environment, Tunji Bello, who handed over the vehicles to LAWMA, said the skip trucks would be suitable for evacuating waste in inner and narrow streets, and from communal pick spots where compactors could not easily get to.
He said the state government was an equal opportunity employer and would support the female drivers, who would operate the skip trucks, to fulfil their potential with adequate healthcare facilities and insurance packages.
Bello said, “To Lagos residents, this is your tax in action. When we started our environmental revolution efforts, a lot of people doubted us, but we have been waxing stronger. We are not only interested in the highbrow areas, but everywhere in the state.
“The residents owe it a duty to pay for the evacuation of their refuse so that we can reinvest the money in building capacity so as to serve them better.”
Potential impacts of climate change on water consumers and service providers in Lagos State were underlined recently, even as global warming-induced water pressure continues to dominate international discourse.
Scientists say that variability in climatic conditions is constraining access to water in urban and rural areas
There are fears that access to water in urban and rural areas in Nigeria are being constrained, no thanks to variability in climatic conditions. In coastal areas of Nigeria for instance, scientists say rising sea levels may have negative effects on storm-water drainage and sewage disposal and increase the potential for the intrusion of saline water into fresh groundwater in coastal aquifers, thus adversely affecting groundwater resources.
In an apparent reaction, the Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP), through the Bread of Life Development Foundation (BLDF), has embarked on a survey to, apart from establishing the impact of climate variation on water supply and sanitation services in urban and rural areas, determine the available mitigation and adaptation strategies open to water-related institutions and individuals to ensure sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation services in a changing climate.
Titled: “Assessment study on the Impact of Climate change on the Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) sector in Nigeria”, the survey officially commenced in May and will span two months. Besides Lagos, Osun and Anambra states as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been earmarked as case study cities. Via a random sampling process, additional cases in study will be conducted, disclosed BLDF officials.
At a flagship forum held penultimate week in Lagos, participants examined the adaptive capacity of service providers and consumers to climate change in the state. Ultimately, attempted to fashion out a set of recommendations for mitigation and adaptation strategies for the service providers and consumers.
The event was conducted by the BLDF with the support of Department of Climate Change of the Federal Ministry of Environment, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Government of Japan, sponsor of the AAP.
The 21 participants at the daylong event underlined the need to increase stakeholders’ education and create awareness on the potential impacts of climate change on service providers and users in the water supply and sanitation sector in the state. They also underscored the need to conduct baseline studies to generate data and information on status of water supply and sanitation sector, which they agreed should be updated regularly.
Similarly, they recommended, households and commercial offices should be encouraged to promote environmental greening and reduce pavement of the neighbourhood in order to encourage natural groundwater recharge.
Besides promoting onsite wastewater treatment, encouraging communal boreholes in estates and ensuring an increase in synergy between the government agencies, CSO and consumers to tackle climate change, participants called on the state government to develop a technology for treating/desalinisation of the abundant sea water for domestic consumption in the future.
According to the participants, an action plan and a timetable for the implementation of mitigation and adaptation measures in the water supply and sanitation sector in the state should be drawn and strictly followed.
The event was attended by dignitaries such as Professor Lekan Oyebande (Chair, Technical Committee West Africa Water Partnership), Jones Awolowo (Lagos Water Corporation), Adeyemo Adegoke (Lagos Wastewater Management Office), Nornah Awoh (Lagos State Ministry of Environment), Sanni Anibire ( Department of Rural Ware Supply and Sanitation -Lagos state Ministry of Rural Development), Abiola Awe (Federal Ministry of Environment), Prince Lekan Fadina (Centre for Investment, Sustainable Management and Environment – CISME) and Babatope Bablobi (BLDF).
The study was informed by the AAP’s resolve to conduct studies to achieve a better understanding on the potential impacts of climate change as well as vulnerability assessment on key thematic areas/sectors.
The AAP is being implemented in 20 African countries including Nigeria. AAP in Nigeria seeks to promote an integrated approach to adaptation to climate change through building the governance system, empowering children as change agents and demonstrating adaptation benefits in the agricultural sector. AAP activities in Nigeria also entail developing the enabling environment by supporting a coherent policy and strategy development process, led by the UNDP.
The AAP was established under the Japan-UNDP Joint Framework for Building Partnership to Address Climate Change in Africa, and it benefits from a $92.1 million support from the Government of Japan.
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has decried the alarming rate of deforestation caused by the charcoal business in Ekiti State, even as it demanded prompt action on the part of the state government to stave off crisis between the charcoal merchants and the local communities.
The spate of deforestation in Nigeria is believed to be the highest in Africa
This call was made last week at capacity building/stakeholder forums on strategies for implementing ERA/FoEN logging campaign being implemented by ERA/FoEN in Irele and Oke Ako in Ekiti State and Ogbe, a town in Kogi State that shares boundary with Ekiti State.
In his welcome words, ERA/FoEN Head of Media, Philip Jakpor, described the meetings as a follow-up to a site visit and town hall meeting previously held, and that the thrust was to build the capacity of the locals to engage the loggers in dialogue and to bring all the parties together to map out solutions to the alarming rate of deforestation in the three communities.
Jakpor explained that the site visit and testimonies documented revealed grave violation of the environment and that resolutions reached at the capacity building meeting indicated that all the parties are perfectly aware of the challenges caused by the charcoal business hence solutions must be collective, embracing the communities and the loggers.
Omotayo John Paul of Green Peoples Environmental Network (GREPNET) while speaking with the community folks pointed out that ignorance and selfishness on the part of the leaders of the communities opened the doors for the charcoal business and that the solutions would only be found if they are also brought into the picture rather than a sweeping decision of the ordinary community folks against the loggers and charcoal merchants.
In his submission, Olakunle Omotayo of Community Development and Conflict Management (CEDCOM) suggested that the community folks in concert with the traditional title holders should continue engaging in order to come up with uniform views that can be sent to the government in form of a petition.
Similar views were expressed by Omolade Johnson of the Peace and Development Project (PEDEP) who noted that the petition to the state government must also take into cognisance the fears of the loggers who feel that, without an alternative source of livelihood, they will be left in the cold.
At the stakeholders meeting which held in Oke Ako, a charcoal merchant, Sunday Daniel, revealed that the charcoal business was not all benefits to the merchants and loggers as the locals believe. According to him, the challenges they encounter also include poor sales, health impacts of charcoal smoke, drudgery in the charcoal burning process, among others.
This, Daniel explained, makes the operators open to alternatives if they could be exposed to such.
Daniel’s argument was corroborated by Paul Otu, another charcoal merchant, who said that they would like government to assist them if their trade is halted.
During the site visit, other charcoal merchants who confided in the ERA/FoEN team revealed that their activities are with the consent of the community leaders and forest guards working for the state forestry department. The forest guards, they alleged, collect a yearly fee of N24,000 from them. In addition, they pay N350 monthly to the forest guards. Another N350 is paid for every 60 bags that are freighted out of the forest.
ERA/FoEN Forest and Biodiversity Desk Officer, Rita Iyke-Uwaka, however explained that the massive cutting of trees in the forests in Irele, Oke Ako and Ajowa which ERA/FoEN field monitors documented in an earlier visit would not have happened if the community folks had been educated on the implications of the practice by the government and environmental groups.
The high point of the meeting was when representatives the three communities agreed to belong to the Community Forest Watch, an ERA/FoEN initiative, which Iyke-Uwaka said is to monitor, report and protect as well as mobilise forest communities to build alliance and resistance against sharp practices that could result in forest ecosystem degradation.
She told the participants that the group would also synergise with other forest community watch groups that ERA/FoEN had established in Iguobazuwa in Edo State and others in Cross Rivers State.
At the end of the meeting, participants resolved to petition the state government on critical agreements reached during the capacity building and stakeholder meetings. Some of the decisions are: that cutting of the trees in their forest must be halted promptly; that a reforestation scheme be initiated in the affected forests; massive awareness campaigns using local language to create awareness on the dangers of deforestation, and that the loggers and charcoal merchants are exposed to alternative and sustainable agricultural programmes to wean them off logging.
If the Global Water Partnership, West Africa (GWP-WA) were to have its way, governments of the 13 member states in West Africa would earmark more funds for the management of water resources.
Diallo
This appeared to be the stand of the GWP-WA chairman, Hama Arba Diallo, during the opening session of the Fourth Assembly of Partners of the organisation held recently in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
According to Diallo, an increase in budgetary allocations towards managing water resources in the sub-region would demonstrate the political commitment of the various governments.
He told the Burkinabe Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Burkina Faso, who presided over the ceremony, to urge colleague ECOWAS ministers in this regard.
“Convince the respective governments to make concrete (their) political commitment by the increase in national financial resources budgeted by each country for management of water resources,” submitted Diallo
He noted that the challenge of the West African region in terms of water issue boils down to the implementation of the regional water policy developed by ECOWAS, whose objective is to enable the region to achieve water security.
“GWP West Africa is firmly in that logic and acts besides governments of the region so that the countries with all the environmental challenges and harsh climate can resolve the multiple problems of access to water and the sanitation and thus achieve the goals of meeting the needs of populations, “ he said, adding that he recognises the efforts made by governments in the region, even if “challenges remain particularly in the context of climate change which undermine all efforts and jeopardise the availability of water resources in the sub-region.”
Speaking of the work done by Country Water Partnerships (CWP) in the 13 ECOWAS countries, which makes it one of the most extensive of the whole network of GWP, Diallo expressed the belief that these platforms are available to national authorities of each country to assist in the sustainable management of water resources.
“If the high number may be a source of strength it can also be our weakness if we do not take advantage of all opportunities available to us in the country to make the organs work better and make our actions visible and sustainable,” he stressed.
Diallo therefore advised the CWP to work with national authorities in charge of the management of water resources, “to improve the lives of people who are the ultimate target of all actions.”
The Fourth Meeting of Partners of GWP-WA coincided with the 10th anniversary of the official launching of the regional organisation established in March 2002 at the constitutive assembly in Bamako, Mali.
Poised to step up the campaign against climate change and its disastrous effects on the environment across Nigeria, a host of top Nollywood stars are set to hit location for a documentary titled, “Battle for Life”.
Jide Kosoko
The documentary, spearheaded by foremost actor, Jide Kosoko, is expected to dramatically examine core issues in climate change as it relates to Nigeria’s peculiar setting.
Kosoko recently led his colleagues including Director for the documentary, Tunji Bamishigbin, Rachel Oniga, Antar Laniyan, Segun Arinze, Ngozi Nwosu, Chinedu Ikedieze aka Aki and a host of others on a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, one of the major sponsors of the documentary drama.
Kosoko, who spoke to newsmen, said “Battle for Life” would enlighten Nigerians about climate change, its causes and effects on the environment, human existence, well being and the economy.
“It will examine both traditional and modern human practices that have significantly contributed to global warming and ozone layer depletion and dramatically proffering workable steps that can be taken to mitigate or reduce incidences of global warming bearing in mind the peculiarities of the Nigerian society and cultures”.
He said the docudrama would employ English Language, Pidgin and other indigenous languages as medium of communication to enhance acceptability and effectiveness as a public enlightenment, education and sensitisation tool.
Giving an insight to its synopsis, Kosoko said it would chronicle the great threats climate change poses to Nigerians with desertification in the North, soil gully erosion in the East and flooding in the West and how the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) through collective activities are responsible for it.
“It will also show real time images of climate change induced disasters and how our future hangs in the balance if simple, efficient and cost effective mitigation and adaptation measures are not urgently embraced by all and sundry,” Kosoko said.
Receiving the Nollywood stars, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Dr. Mrs. Titi Anibaba, said the state government was not relenting in its effort to ensure that residents do not suffer the consequences of climate change, especially through flooding.
She commended the initiative of the docudrama which, according to her, would go a long way to spread the gospel of shunning activities that leads to climate change as well as embrace measures to mitigate it.
She assured of the support from the state government to provide logistics, urging the Federal Government to be more proactive and carry all states along to ensure that every Nigerian joins the fight against climate change.
The project is being supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the African Adaptation Programme (AAP). Indeed, it is being executed under the overall guidance of the Department of Climate Change (of the Federal Ministry of Environment) and the National Coordinator for AAP Project Monitoring Unit (PMU), Dr. Adejuwon, with day-to-day supervision of the AAP Project Coordinator in close collaboration with the UNDP’s Sustainable Development Unit.
The implementation of the Nigeria REDD+ Readiness Programme has received the go-ahead, following a recent stakeholder-wide reassessment of the plan in Abuja.
Chairman, Cross River State Forestry Commission, Odigha Odigha (left); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Director, Ade Mamonyane Lekoetje (middle); and National Coordinator, Nigeria REDD+ Programme, Salisu Dahiru (right), during the REDD+ Readiness Plan Local Project Appraisal Committee (LPAC) meeting, in Abuja
Having previously undergone an intensive check to incorporate the comments of the UN-REDD Policy Board, the approved national programme, in line with the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) management procedure, required a critical analytical review of its design and formulation before the commencement of implementation.
Consequently, government, UN and civil society officials gathered at a daylong forum that featured Local Project Appraisal Committee (LPAC) as well as Technical Review meetings, aimed at assessing the REDD+ document.
During the LPAC gathering, UNDP Country Director, Ade Mamonyane Lekoetje, said that the event functioned to validate the REDD+ report prior to project implementation. She reiterated the UN body’s support for the nation’s REDD initiatives, expressing the hope that, besides being successfully implemented in Cross River, other states would eventually adopt the programme.
National Coordinator of REDD+ Programme, Salisu Dahiru, disclosed that Nigeria would attempt to unify the two REDD+ Programme implementations tracks – UN-REDD and Forest Carbon Partnership (FCP) – under a single platform. He added that a Readiness Preparation Proposal (RPP) requested by the FCP was being attended to.
Currently, the Nigeria REDD+ Readiness Programme, which seeks to build the REDD+ mechanism in the country using Cross River State as a demonstration model, is being promoted under the UN-REDD track, which comprises the UNDP, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
Nigeria has secured a $4 million funding for the two-and-half-year project, which will officially commence in September 2012 and come to a close in February 2015.
Dahiru, a forester, stated that co-financing would be sought to ensure a robust REDD+ readiness process and to expand REDD+ across other interested states, such as Taraba.
Chairman, Cross River State Forestry Commission, Odigha Odigha, emphasised that the state government has since 2009 consistently budgeted for REDD+ to, essentially, address the sacrifices arising from locking up the forest as well as measuring its carbon.
While expressing satisfaction with the report, participants however suggested the inclusion of areas related to further research, training of government officials and local people, and how other states can key into the project. The separation of REDD+ from the Federal Ministry of Environment’s Forestry Department was also questioned.
At the Technical Review meeting, participants underlined the need for emphasis and clarifications on awareness creation, role of civil society organisations (CSOs), separation of training from research, monitoring and institutional arrangements, as well as domestication and scaling down of issues and processes.
The gathering likewise appraised the objectives, outputs and activities; log frame indicators; management arrangements; as well as endorsement of: the project’s budget, management structure and terms of reference (TOR) for key project staff.
To develop and finalise the REDD+ proposal, the country had launched work on REDD+ streams like those on socio-environmental safeguards, multiple ecosystem benefits, participatory governance assessment for REDD+, and enhanced capacities for UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) reporting. Several months ago, a “REDD+ University” forum held in Calabar (capital of Cross River State) as part of the process of finalising the programme document, by building capacity and providing the basis for the programme’s public inception.
