The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted thick dust haze conditions over the central states of the county on Tuesday, January 2, 2017.
Dust haze weather
NiMet’s Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Monday also predicted in the range of 26 to 34 and 11 to 21 degrees Celsius respectively.
The agency predicted that the Southern States would experience dust haze conditions over the inland cities with localised visibility range of two to three kilometres during the forecast period.
It also predicted hazy morning with partly cloudy and localised rain showers over Port-Harcourt, Calabar and Uyo in the afternoon and evening hours with day and night temperatures of 32 to 35 and 19 to 23 degrees Celsius respectively.
According to NiMet, Northern States will experience thick dust haze conditions during the forecast period with day and night temperatures in the range of 26 to 33 and 10 to 15 degrees Celsius respectively.
“Deterioration in visibility is expected over the country due to the fresh dust that was raised over the source region.
“Therefore, thick dust haze is anticipated over the northern and central cities. Dust haze condition is expected to prevail over the inland cities with localised visibility range of two to three kilometres.
“Hazy condition is not unlikely over some coastal cities with prospect of localised rain shower during the afternoon and evening period within the next 24 hours,” NiMet predicted.
This is 2018, a year that promises goodies to the environment. Aside the World Environment Day that comes up on June 5, there are other events environmentalists should look out for. One of them is Sustainability Strategy 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The situation looks grim for this sad looking woman, one of the over 30,000 people forcefully evicted by the state government from Otodo Gbame community in Lagos
Surprised that the world football federation is environment-friendly also? Wait for Russia 2018, which Nigeria is among the teams.
Anyway, that is story for another day. But let us recap some of the events that EnviroNews took interest in the past year.
One of the issues that came up is mercury. On February 14, at Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos, the United Nations (UN) and its agencies entered into partnership with the media and non-governmental organisations to save the environment and humans from the dangers posed by the use of mercury via an awareness-raising workshop. In attendance were journalists from the print and electronic media, NGO executives, Federal Ministry of Environment (FMENV) staff and other stakeholders.
The campaign did not stop there, as other NGOs like Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria) picked it up from there.
The campaigns were part of efforts to implement the Minimata Convention on mercury phase-out.
There was the issue of renewable energy. One forum that discussed that was organised by Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and Shangix Development Limited (SDL) at Lekki, Lagos in February.
The briefing was part of activities for the 2017 Energy Week with the theme, “Energy: Make it Nature-friendly”.
NCF and Shangix put up an essay competition for junior and senior secondary school students in District 3, Lagos.
Then the New Lagos Environment Bill, which is still lingering, came to the fore. At the vanguard of the campaign against it were Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN) and other civil society organisations (CSOs) who vowed to mobilise Lagosians to ensure that Governor Ambode was stopped from signing the “obnoxious” bill into law.
To mark the World Water Day, on March 22, they challenged the Lagos government with a protest march from Ikeja Local Government Secretariat, near Computer Village, to Alausa, the seat of Lagos government.
The New Lagos Environmental Law was eventually signed into law by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, with three “controversial” foreign firms contracted to handle Lagos water. That brewed another issue, as ‘Our water Our Right Coalition’ maintained that the only model that could solve the Lagos water problem was what they called public-public partnerships (PUPs).
The managing director of Lagos Water Corporation (LWC), Mumuni Badmus, they said, had gone on radio “to give unsuspecting Lagosians, in a well-polished language, a list of companies that will be managing water – our common patrimony. Alas, shortlisted companies included Abengoa, Veolia and Metito.”
The coalition insisted that the three firms could not be trusted with Lagos water.
The alarm was raised also on toxic waste dumped in Koko community in Warri North Local Government Area, Delta State.
ERA/FoEN at a press briefing in Lagos, asked the Delta State government and the National Environmental Standard and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) to immediately set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the development.
The company linked to the dumping of the toxic waste in Koko for over three months was identified as Ebenco Global Link Limited.
In a related development, after over five years that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recommended that Ogoniland be cleaned of the last drop of oil spill, it was reported that no drop had been cleaned. ERA disclosed this at a press briefing on April 4, in Lagos.
Similarly, Agip/ENI and its subsidiary, which had reportedly evaded justice for long on the suit against it by Ikebiri Community, incurred the wrath of ERA/FoEN.
The Ikebiri community comprises several villages in Bayelsa State. Its main economic activities include palm-wine tapping, canoe carving, fishing, farming, animal trapping and traditional medical practices.
In Lagos, Makoko residents lamented water pollution, dredging and called on both the state and federal governments to assist them in their major occupation of fishing.
The event, with the theme Fish Not Oil, was organised by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF).
Nigeria was among the first group of A5 countries that wanted to replace Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) with ozone-friendly hydrocarbons, according to the Montreal Protocol. At a workshop in Lagos, stakeholders gave their nod to the Kigali Amendment on Montreal Protocol.
The workshop that took place on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at GolfView Hotel, Ikeja, was attended by about 150 participants from Ministries Departments and Agencies (both federal and states), United Nations bodies, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Services (RACS) industrialists and the media.
The HCFC Phase-out Management Plan, or HPMP, for Nigeria was approved at the 62nd meeting of the Executive Committee (ExCom) of the Multilateral Fund (MLF) for the implementation of the Montreal Protocol, which will result in the complete phase-out of 407.7 ODP tonnes of HCFC in the country by January 1, 2040. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the lead Implementing Agency (IA) while UNIDO is the Cooperating Agency (CA).
Housing issue also got our attention. My Own Home scheme of the Federal Government, with a loan of $300 million from the World Bank, planned to make every Nigerian a homeowner.
In partnership with Nigeria Police Mortgage Bank and other eight microfinance banks, the scheme was enabled by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and supported by Nigeria Housing Finance Programme (NHFP), Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) and Mortgage Bankers Association of Nigeria (MBAN).
There was also a housing fair in Lagos where builders and building materials producers met with the market.
Agriculture, which the federal government is trying to revive, was the topic at a stakeholders’ workshop organised by West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP)-Nigeria. There, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Oluwatoyin Suarau, said: “Agriculture remains a key sector that plays major role in poverty reduction in Lagos State and Nigeria at large, and both (Lagos and Nigeria) can contribute to climate change mitigation and achieving sustainable peace for growth and development with total commitment.”
He was represented by Oke Olumuyiwa at the event themed “Impact of Climate Change on Small Scale Farming in Lagos State” held at Regency Hotel, GRA, Ikeja.
Otodo Gbame community also last year stormed Lagos Government House at Alausa, Ikeja, demanding resettlement and compensation.
Some of the protesters, including a pregnant woman, who marched from MKO Abiola Park at Ojota, slumped at Government House. It was alleged that policemen at the Government House used tear gas on the peaceful protesters, causing some of them to slump.
The protesters, who blocked the road to Government House, some lying on the road, vowed that they would not to leave until Governor Akinwunmi Ambode addressed them.
The protest was used to mark one year since the first phase of forced eviction of over 30,000 people from Otodo Gbame community in Lagos. It was organised with the support of Justice and Empowerment Initiatives – Nigeria (JEI), Nigerian Slum/Informal Settlement Federation and Amnesty International Nigeria.
The grouse of the evictees was that “the Lagos State government was yet to implement any relief or resettlement in line with its own promises and the judgment of Hon. Justice S.A. Onigbanjo of the Lagos High Court.”
Like mercury, there was Lead Paint Elimination Campaign organised by SRADev-Nigeria, in Lagos. At the event, the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) said it was ready to ensure that Nigerian markets were rid of lead-laden products.
Climax of reports last year seems to be the issue of green bond. The Federal Government in December offered for subscription by auction N10.69 billion worth of sovereign green bonds, the Debt Management Office (DMO) said. It stated that the five-year tenor bond would mature in 2022 at a coupon rate of 13.48 per cent per annum to finance renewable energy projects.
The green bond was issued following Nigeria’s endorsement of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change of September 21, 2016, with the aim of strengthening a global response to the threat.
Forty-nine days after President Muhammadu Buhari signed the instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in Abuja, Nigeria’s endorsement of the global treaty took effect on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 when the country officially presented the authorisation.
With that, Nigeria emerged the 146th country to endorse the Paris Agreement, says Mr Santiago Villalpando, Chief of the Treaty Section of the UN, at the presentation of the Climate Change Endorsement instrument by Nigeria’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande.
By presenting its endorsement to the UN, Nigeria deposited its instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the depository.
And what seemed like the anti-climax was the campaign against the sale of national assets.
This issue took us to the New Year because soon the Federal Government may have some axe to grind with Nigerians if it goes on with its proposed sale of national assets to finance budgets.
It will have to contend with different labour unions, associations and civil society organisations (CSOs) who have mapped out plan of action to stop the proposed sale of national assets like the National Theatre and the Tafawa Balewa square (TBS).
The groups, including Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Service Employees (AUPCTRE), Centre for Social Change and Citizenship Education (CENSORCHANGE) and Joint Action Front (JAF), made this known in Lagos on Tuesday, December 19, at a press conference anchored by ERA/FoEN.
This issue will serve as the first issue on matters arising this year.
President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has said that the the Light Rail System, which is under construction, will reduce traffic congestion and carbon emission in line with the administration’s policy on climate change.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 in Abuja signed the instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change
The president, who made the submission on Monday, January 1, 2018 in his New Year address to the nation, disclosed that the train service would stimulate economic activities in Abuja, the Federal Capital City, and provide residents with an efficient and safe transportation system. According to him, 12 railway sub-stations around the capital over a 45.2 kilometre route will serve as a catalyst and a pull factor to the economy of the area.
Nigeria appears to be quite active in terms of international climate change and sustainable development diplomacy. Upon submitting Intended Nationally Determined Contributions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the nation appended its signature to the Paris Agreement on September 22, 2016, and thereafter ratified the global accord on May 16, 2017.
Recently, the country officially issued the Sovereign Green Bond, apparently as an innovative and alternative source of projects funding that would help to reduce emissions and provide robust climate infrastructure. Such infrastructure include renewable energy, low carbon transport, water infrastructure and sustainable agriculture in line with the Paris Agreement.
The Abuja Capital Light Rail, said Mr President, has reached 98% completion, and that only test runs remain before start of operations.
But a larger, all encompassing scheme entails the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Railway, in respect of which construction work has already begun.
According to the president, the line should reach Ibadan from Lagos by the end of 2019 and will carry two million passengers per year and five million tons of cargo will be transported every year, giving a substantial boost to the country’s economy.
Construction of the Kano-Kaduna, he noted, segment would commence this year and reach Kaduna by the end of 2019. He stressed that, by the end of 2021, the two ends will be joined to form a standard gauge railway across the main North-South trading route.
The Abuja-Kaduna route will be boosted by additional rolling stock next Thursday and will be able to handle one million commuters annually, he announced.
His words: “At the same time I have approved and negotiations will be concluded in the first part of this year for the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri line covering Aba, Owerri, Umuahia, Enugu, Awka, Abakaliki, Makurdi, Lafia, Jos, Bauchi, Gombe, Yola and Damaturu. The Abuja to Itakpe line will go through Baro and terminate in Warri with construction of a new seaport at Warri.
“Negotiations are also advanced for the construction of other railway lines, firstly from Kano to Maradi in Niger Republic passing through Kazaure, Daura, Katsina, Jibia to Maradi. And secondly, Lagos to Calabar the ‘Coastal Rail’ through Ore, Benin, Agbor, Asaba, Onitsha, Sapele, Ughelli, Warri, Yenagoa, Otuoke, Port Harcourt, Aba, Uyo and Calabar. In the next few years, all these Nigerian cities will be linked by functional modern rail systems, giving enormous boost to the social and economic life of our people.”
At the “One Planet Summit” held recently in Paris, France to mark the two-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement, President Buhari appealed to the international community to support Nigeria’s commitment to reducing the negative effects of climate change.
He told participants that Nigeria could not implement its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) without adequate financial, technical and capacity building support from developed countries.
He added that “since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, we have been strengthening our national efforts toward implementing the accord and the Marrakech Call for Action.”
He said that the country’s NDCs to reduce emission by 20 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2030 could not be attained alone.
According to him, the country is not under illusion of the challenges it is facing, having just come out of recession.
“Climate change is moving faster than we are. Inequalities are growing. We see horrific violations of human rights. Nationalism and xenophobia are on the rise.”
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General
Those were the disturbing words of UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on Sunday, December 31, 2017 in a New Year message to the world.
In the note, wherein the world’s premier civil servant expressed reservation of a range of unsavoury developments, Guterres said: “On New Year’s Day 2018, I am not issuing an appeal. I am issuing an alert – a red alert for our world.’’
The UN chief expressed regret that, in 2017, the world went in reverse to the appeal for peace. He said that when he assumed office one year ago, he had appealed for 2017 to be a year for peace. “Conflicts have deepened and new dangers have emerged. Global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War.
As the world begins 2018, the UN chief called for global unity. Guterres added that he truly believed we could make our world more safe and secure.
“We can settle conflicts, overcome hatred and defend shared values. But we can only do that together,” he said.
The UN chief urged leaders everywhere to make this New Year’s resolution: “Narrow the gaps. Bridge the divides. Rebuild trust by bringing people together around common goals.”
Guterres, who assumed office on Jan. 1, 2017, stressed that, in 2018, “unity is the path” adding, “our future depends on it”.
“I wish you peace and health in 2018. Thank you. Shokran. Xie Xie. Merci. Spasiba. Gracias. Obrigado,” the ninth UN chief concluded.
The National President, Maize Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Bello Abubakar-Annur, says the union is planning to engage 500, 000 farmers in maize cultivation in the 2018 farming season across the country.
Maize farming. Photo credit: Kelvin Owino
Abubakar-Annur told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, January 1, 2018 in Sokoto that the figure was part of the target set by the association to complement the efforts of the Buhari Administration at reviving agriculture for food security and employment.
He commended the Federal Government for facilitating different farmer support schemes which included the Anchor Borrower loan scheme, buying back and other incentives.
He described government’s intervention as a success as it aided mass cultivation and harvest in 2017.
“The association has received good reactions from benefiting farmers as inputs valued at about N123, 000 was allocated to farmers per each hectare of land and farmers obtained between 35 to 40 bags on each hectare cultivated.
“With the present situation, benefiting farmers can pay back loans with between 14 to 15 bags of maize.
“Our target to engage more farmers was set out in recognition of the success recorded in maize cultivation in 2017 and the appreciable price of the commodity is another motivation for real practicing farmers,’’ he said.
He said seeds would be provided to various categories of farmers suitable for climatic conditions of all the regions across the 36 states of the federation.
Abubakar-Annur said guides on inputs application modalities and other farming practices were designed by experts.
According to him, the association will partner with indigenous and foreign firms to provide small scale machines and other farming inputs at affordable prices that will argument farming activities.
Nigerians take pride in being a nation of many firsts. In 1985, Nigeria emerged as the first nation to win the maiden edition of the Under 17 World Cup. The country is still in euphoria of that feat.
Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh
Our history is steeped in being bold and believing in our abilities when others doubt; and in trusting the facts. The latest – the Green Bond – launched penultimate week by the federal government as part of climate change mitigation action.
Application of biotechnology in agriculture and medicine has produced a growing number of organisms and products. Along with the increasing commercial success of application of biotechnology, a widespread debate focusing on the ecological, human health and socio-economic effects of biotechnology is taking place at national and international levels.
The recent criticism by some non-governmental organisations, under the auspices of the Home of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), is misguided, unjustified and unpatriotic. The group has objected to a permit granted by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) to a highly reputable research organisation, the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA). The permit allows highly trained scientists to follow rigorous regulatory procedures to conduct a small field test of a potential new cassava.
In a press statement, Nnimmo Bassey, leader of HOMEF stated that the small field test was the first in the world and that it was a deliberate attempt by IITA to contaminate one of Nigeria’s most staple foods.
Is HOMEF and co aware of what cassava farmers in the country are going through? A recent visit to the cassava growing belt of Oyo, Osun and Ogun revealed a great deal of suffering. Farmers are not getting value from their hard work. The uprooted cassava tuber loses starch value before reaching processing companies located at Sango Otta where the products are then grossly underpaid.
Researchers at IITA asked for permission of the NBMA – as required by law – to test a new variety of cassava that could potentially solve this issue for farmers. This small field test must follow strict guidelines to keep the new cassava within the confines of the scientists until other data can be collected to determine whether or not the new cassava is safe and effective.
To stop this kind of research, as HOMEF is suggesting, is to keep Nigerian farmers at a severe disadvantage and in poverty.
In the last 17 years, the federal government, in the area of modern biotechnology, has invested substantial amounts on capacity development, institution strengthening and infrastructure expansion for the country to deploy the technology responsibly. Over 16 research institutes and agricultural universities across the country are spearheading the deployment. The National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) promotes the technology while NBMA has been entrusted to implement the regulatory framework.
When scientists apply for a permit to test genetically modified crops, the NBMA is mandated by law to assess the application by constituting a committee of experts. These reputable Nigerian scientists evaluate the application based on science and internationally-backed protocol; and advise the Agency on an appropriate decision. The assessments take human health and safety, and environmental safety into consideration. The committee also considers socio-economic benefits that might accrue to the country from such product.
While HOMEF and co may have sent in a 37-page petition against the application, the key question is: Was their petition backed up with scientific evidence or data and proof?
Science does not thrive on emotion or hear-say and the Director General, NBMA, Dr. Rufus Ebegba, has continuously harped on the fact that the decisions made by NBMA are not based on emotion or democracy but on verifiable scientific evidence which can be proven anywhere in the world.
The statement issued by HOMEF deliberately uses fear and discredited publications.
It is laudable that HOMEF and co have acknowledged the vital role of cassava in the nation’s food chain, but it is also worthy to note that they lack an understanding on what the modification proposed by the IITA research was all about.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Permit granted to IITA was to enable them to conduct a small field experiment, under confinement, using genetic modification techniques with a long safety track record, with the purpose to reduce starch breakdown in the storage roots post-harvest.
This small test will allow researchers to gather information on the safety and potential viability of the proposed solution. The potential new cassava would have to go through additional years of testing prior to release to farmers. This is in keeping with Nigerian regulations that the NBMA oversees.
According to Mr Audu Ogbe, Minister of Agriculture, Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world with an annual output of 45 million metric tons. Cassava forms part of the daily meal for households across the country making it one of the important staple foods in the country. So why shouldn’t Nigeria be a leader to undertake such research if it intends to maintain its current position as well as to enhance the potential of the root crop?
Activism can be good for transparency and good governance, and sometimes serves to lubricate the democratic process but it must not try to stop the Government actions or programmes that enhance the good and welfare of the people.
By Prof. Paul Chidozie Onyenekwe, research scientist with the Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO), and President, Nigeria Biotechnology and Biosafety Consortium (NBBC)
Do Nigerians know what the safety level of foods on their dining tables would be in 2018? That is a trillion Naira question. The short answer is no. We give two quick reasons for this. A reading of the body language of the permitting National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) reveals that, besides approving virtually every application that comes before it, the agency appears to be concerned with having those that had illegally imported those materials to simply formalise their stocks by registering with the agency.
GMOs
Unfortunately, in 2018 when GMO beans are unleashed on Nigerians, the roadside akara seller would not know that she is selling akara made from genetically engineered beans. The roasted corn seller would not know that what is being roasted is genetically modified corn imported or smuggled into the country. In sum, our major staple crops – maize, cassava, beans, rice, sorghum are at risk.
A case that with grave implication for biosafety administration in Nigeria is the one that hit headline news in October 2017 that unauthorised genetically modified maize worth about $9.8 million had been impounded at Lagos sea ports. Nigerians were elated by the vigilance of the regulatory agency and officers of the Nigerian Customs Service to intercept the illegal imports by WACOT Ltd – a firm that is best known for dealing in cotton and rice. Another company implicated in the illegal importation of the GM maize is the Olam Group, a conglomerate that deals mostly in rice, including the widely sold Mama’s Pride brand.
To underscore the seriousness of the biosafety infringement, the Director General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), stated at a press conference held in Abuja on September 13, 2017 that the Agency got notice of the importation through an intelligence report and had set in motion necessary machineries to track the importers and bring them to book.
According to the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Act 2015, “Any person, institution or body who wishes to import, export, transit or otherwise carry out a contained field trial, multi-locational trial or commercial release of genetically modified organism shall apply to the Director General of the Agency not less than 270 days to the date of import, export, transit or the commencement of such activity.”
An air of seriousness that our food systems could be protected was further raised when the Federal Executive Council was notified of the decision to repatriate the illegal genetically modified maize to Argentina, its country of origin and also when the National Assembly held a public hearing on the illegal importation.
However, hopes that biosafety is important to the government may have been dashed because the noise over the impounding of the illegal GM Maize may have been nothing other than mere noise. Why do we say this?
Barely a week after the NBMA announced that together with the Nigerian Customs Service they would ensure the repatriation of the illegal GM maize, the same NBMA issued a public advertisement announcing the application for importation of GM maize by WALCOT Ltd.
The announcement stated: “In accordance with the National Biosafety Management Agency Act, 2015, requiring public display of any Biosafety application, for permit to intentionally release genetically modified organisms (GMOs), for comments from interested members of the public, the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) hereby announces a twenty- one (21) day display of an application dossier submitted by WACOT Ltd for the importation of genetically modified maize for feed processing. The display is with effect from 22th November to 12th of December 2017 to enable the public to make input that would facilitate informed decision on the application.”
Information from credible sources suggest that the application has since been approved by NBMA and the applicant may have received the green light to take delivery of the impounded illegal import and to further import genetically modified maize at will into Nigeria over the next three years. At the time of this writing, the permit is neither on the website of NBMA, nor on that of the United Nations Biosafety Clearing House. We need to know if the NBMA has permitted the release of the maize that the Federal Executive Council and Nigerians at large had been told were to be repatriated. We need to know if the application was made 270 days before the importation as required by law. If the maize has been repatriated, we need to know.
Some of us have on many occasions called for a radical review of the NBMA Act 2015. We have also made a clause-by-clause analysis of the Act and suggested needed changes. The composition of the NBMA Governing Board has inbuilt conflict of interest and the fact that members may not sit on issues where their interests are concerned is banal. We also note that the National Biosafety Committee that determines which GM applications to approve is set up on an ad-hoc basis and at the whims of the Director General of the NBMA without any higher authority providing oversight.
A situation where we cannot trust a board made up of representatives (not below the rank of Directors) from the ministries of Environment, Agriculture, Science and Technology, Trade and Investment and Health to protect our biodiversity, environment and health is deeply worrisome. Others on the board include representatives of the Nigerian Customs Service and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Here we are in 2018 and the prospect of genetically modified crops and food products flooding our markets is real. If the situation arises that GMOs imported illegally can be retroactively certified and released provided the importers pay prescribed fees, that will spell a death knell to our biosecurity. This is a good time for the Federal Government to make it clear to NBMA that it was not set up to promote GMOs contrary to what they (NBMA) proclaim on the streaming photo on their website where it states “NBMA – Promoting modern biotechnology activities and GMOs.”
The task of promoting modern biotechnology and GMOs is that of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA).
In a post on its website on December 18, 2017, NBMA “warned those involved in and/or intend to be involved in the handling, importation or transfer of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to seek clarification and authorisation from the Agency before doing so. They cited NBMA Act, Part VII which states that “no person, institution or body shall import, export, transit or commercialize any genetically modified organism or a product intended for direct use as food or feed, or for processing unless with the approval of the Agency.
“The NBMA is by this Act empowered to sanction any erring party for importing or releasing unauthorised genetically modified products, be it grain or any kind of seed as the case may be.”
It noted that the Act made it clear that any person, institution or body who wishes to import, export, transit or otherwise carry out contained activities, confined field trial, multi-locational trial or commercial release of a GMO shall apply to the Director General of NBMA prior to such activity.
Nigerians need to be assured that in 2018 the Federal Government will be concerned about our biosafety. Nigeria needs to put a halt to the circus of publishing applications, calling for comments, ignoring comments from the public and approving whatever application is thrown at regulating agency. Let there be CHANGE in 2018. Let there be HOPE!
Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed a desire that besides becoming food sufficient, Nigeria should regain her place as a food exporting country. The president noted that productivity was on the rise for crops like beans and rice. We note that Nigeria is planning to release genetically modified beans into the market from 2018. Where would the GM beans be exported to? Certainly not the USA or the EU. The dream of being a food exporter will definitely be dimmed by our needless GMO gambits.
President Buhari is a farmer, but we have not heard him express views on what the rabid promotion of GMOs in Nigeria could mean to our food and health.
President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda is a farmer. He vigorously pressed the Ugandan parliament to pass their Biosafety Bill designed to pave the way for the introduction of GMOs in that country. After the parliament passed the bill and sent it to him to append is signature and turn it into law, the president balked.
In his December 21 letter to Speaker of Parliament the president outlined why he was returning the bill to the parliament. He reportedly raised issues with the title of the bill, patent rights of indigenous farmers and sanctions for scientists who mix GMOs with indigenous crops and animals. He queried why the bill was called a “Biosafety Bill” rather than a “Genetic Engineering Bill.”. He argued that although genetic engineering may make it possible to add additional qualities – such as drought resistance, quick maturity, disease resistance, but, “this law apparently talks of giving monopoly of patent rights to its holder and forgets about the communities that developed the original material.” He saw this as patently wrong as it ignored the roles of the local farmers who had preserved the original seeds over the years.
The president was quoted as saying that he had been informed that there are, “some crops and livestock with unique genetic configuration like millet, sorghum, beans, Ankole cattle, Ugandan chicken, enkoromoijo cattle, which have a specific genetic makeup which our people have developed for millennia through selection (kutorana for seeds), kubikira (selecting good bulls), enimi or empaya (he-goats).”
Raising concerns over the safety of GMOs, President Museveni cautioned that “to be on the safe side, GMO seeds should never be randomly mixed with our indigenous seeds just in case they turn out to have a problem.”
What President Museveni has done must be applauded. It takes boldness for him to question a thing that he had so loudly promoted. His action underscores the need for leaders to hear both sides of the debate. African nations cannot simply throw their doors open to technologies that pose extreme risks to our environment, biodiversity, health and trade. It is time for President Buhari to take a look at the National Biosafety Management Act and the biosafety management architecture in our country before it is too late.
The issue of migration, with emphasis on irregular migration, took a place on the front burner of government and other actors in Nigeria with many activities campaigning and sensitising Nigerians on the ills of irregular migration among other issues of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.
Migrants in Libya sold into slavery
It is regrettable that many Africans, especially Nigerians spurred by economic desperation and sometimes limited personal drive, embark on suicide missions in the bid to migrate towards the northern hemisphere in search of opportunities that may have since disappeared in those societies. While only a small fraction eventually reach their destinations where they face disappointment and frustration, majority of them usually perish on the way.
More so, many who make it to Europe or the Middle East are usually forced into prostitution, used as mercenaries, deployed as household servants, factory workers, drug couriers and even as organ donors. And they would be beaten, starved and subjected to other forms of torture if they try to resist.
The height of the issue of irregular migration in the country came to the fore when many Nigerians were reportedly sold for $400 in Libya in what could be termed modern day slavery. When the news broke on CNN in November where the news channel aired a footage that appeared to show men being auctioned as farm hands after being smuggled across the Sahara. It looked like fiction but it was real and got many, for instance the Nigerian government, concerned and it made efforts to address the matter by repatriating Nigerians trapped in Libya in order to forestall any further in-human treatment being meted to her citizens.
So to say, President Muhammadu Buhari while addressing Nigerians in the Diaspora in Abidjan at this year’s EU-AU Summit promised that his government would reduce the number of Nigerians heading for Europe illegally through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea by providing basic social amenities such as education, healthcare, and food security in the country.
Enters the need to ponder over the conditions that are purported to create the desperation for Nigerians to leave the country for so-called greener pastures. It is an open secret that, currently, as it has even been in the recent past, many are not only poor but cannot find jobs in Nigeria with people living by less than $1 per day. Companies and many businesses are closing shop majorly due to lack of electricity which increases the cost of running the set-ups. In the face of these challenges, it is perceived that the young population constantly resort to embarking on the perilous journey to Europe in search of the proverbial Golden Fleece.
Furthermore, this has given rise to some criminal minds recruiting from villages and towns, young girls with the promise of securing for them good jobs abroad only to turn them to prostitutes. Inadvertently, indications from several statistics indicate that human trafficking has become one of the biggest money making businesses after drug trafficking.
Sadly, Nigeria has become a transit route for this illegal trade but also a source as well as a destination with children and young adults, especially of the womenfolk, now becoming merchandise for what has become a cross-border crime.
The death of 26 Nigerian women at sea in the Mediterranean on November 4, 2017 due to drowning after a rubber boat carrying 64 sank was another shock that further exposed the ills of irregular migration.
To this end, the Deputy Head of European Union (EU) Delegation in Nigeria, Mr Richard Young, repeatedly expressed concerns over the increasing number of irregular migrants from Nigeria to Europe. In this regard, he urged Nigeria to grow its economy and tackle the challenge of poverty warning that if the immigration issue was not addressed, it might have long term impact on the EU-Nigeria relations.
However, the biggest challenge is a mind-set issue as there are many young men and women who believe they can only make it abroad and will do anything to travel outside the shores of the country. Therefore, apart from remaking the socio-economic structures of our country, that is also an issue the authorities must deal with. But the first task is to provide opportunities at home for our teeming population of young people.
It is worthy of note that the occasion of International Migrants Day on December 18, got the attention of the African Development Bank (AfDB) which called on African countries to reconstruct rural areas from zones of economic misery to zones of economic prosperity, stating that it will in turn expand economic opportunities for African youths, leading to improvements in their lives, thereby stemming migration.
According to Akinwumi Adesina, President of the AfDB, the future of Africa’s youths does not lie in migration to Europe, but in a prosperous Africa. This is an assertion that gives credence to the move to address the challenges of food insecurity, being critical in addressing the issues of migration on the continent.
Little wonder, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, the United Nations General Assembly on December 4, 2000, proclaimed December 18 International Migrants Day. Statistics from the United Nations indicate that more people are on the move than ever before, while each migrant has a unique story to tell about his or her journey.
In another development, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) through funding from the European Union (EU) in conjunction with Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and other state and non-state stakeholders made concerted joint efforts in addressing the worrisome irregular migration and trafficking in persons in the country.
The project aptly titled: “Promoting Better Management of Migration in Nigeria by Combating and Reducing Irregular Migration” which occurs, inter alia, through Trafficking in Person (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM), went a long way in sensitising communities on border areas, training federal agencies’ such and NIS officers in line with the concept of better management of migration as well as engaging the media for a more robust dissemination of migration issues.
As maintained by the National Project Officer, UNODC, Mr Sylvester Atere, at a sensitisation meeting with host community at the Seme Border recently, the objectives of the programme include encouraging Nigeria to maximise the potential of migration, considering that the country is opportuned to have a vibrant population with 70 percent within the range of 40 years.
According to Mr Atere, they desire to see people have informed knowledge to make informed decisions and choices that will deter irregular migration and rather encourage regular migration is the delight of UNODC and EU.
So to say, accounts by Nigerian deportees from Libya leaves the public in no doubt of the harrowing experiences they encountered there, having come home with series of challenges ranging from health to financial, it is right to say, the future of the Nigerian youth and the country economy, after all, the youth are the future.
Lanre O. Ikuteyijo’s statement in the piece, Illegal Migration and Policy Challenges in Nigeria thus: “Lack of job opportunities, poverty, and corruption force thousands of young Nigerians to leave the country every year in search of better opportunities abroad. Illegal migration out of Nigeria is increasing and is largely facilitated through forgery of passports, visas, false asylum claims, and bogus marriages. The Nigerian government has taken on a leading role in combating the illegal migration of its nationals but financial, legal, and political shortcomings hinder an effective control of the illegal movement,” makes a lot of sense.
The only saving grace for the nation may very well be more sensitisation on the ills of irregular migration, as well as the government doing more in developing the country and ultimately curtail the irregular migration of many Nigerians who go in search of greener pastures.
Acting Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr Mathew Ashikeni, says that 12 additional health care facilities had been approved to be constructed in the six area councils.
FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello
Ashikeni told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Abuja on Sunday, December 31, 2017.
He said that the FCT Minister, Malam Mohammed Bello, gave the approval recently to expand the health care service delivery for the growing population in the territory.
He explained that two Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities would be constructed in each of the six area councils to ensure that FCT residents have access to quality health care.
He said that, in 2017, 18 new PHC facilities were added to the existing ones to boost health care delivery.
According to him, nine were constructed under the SureP programme and another nine were provided by Satellite Town Department.
“The recent mapping we carried out in the PHC facilities confirmed to us that many of them need to be attended to, looking at the infrastructure or the service delivery in terms of the human resource component.
“There are gaps we need to address urgently, that is why the minister has graciously approved 12 PHC facilities to be constructed in the six area councils to fill in some gaps,
“The FCT population is estimated to be five million, there is need to have health facilities that will meet up the health needs of the growing population” he said.
Ashikeni said that human resources was key to functional primary health care service hence the FCT administration has engaged the services of 50 Volunteer midwives under Save One Million Lives programme.
He said also that the midwives have been posted to various health centres across the territory.
The acting executive secretary disclosed that the minister has also given directive to commence the process to adopt 203 additional midwives trained by the Federal Government’s Midwives Service Scheme (MSS).
He said that the essential drugs received under Save One Million Lives programme, have been made available to health facilities in FCT to ensure they were functional.
An environmental analyst, Mr Odumeru Musuilideen, on Saturday, December 30, 2017 dscribed waste recycling as an efficient source of revenue generation and a way to make the society green.
Industrial waste recycling process
Musuilideen, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Environment Division, Lagos Chapter, made the remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He said that most of the materials and waste products that cause flooding in the country could be recycled.
According to him, some the waste materials that cannot be recycled and constitute hazards to the environment can be prohibited from being used in the country.
“Waste materials like nylons are unrecyclable and can be banned from usage because nylons constitute about 70 per cent of residues that block the water canals, thereby causing flood,’’ he said.
However, Musuilideen urged the Federal Government to encourage recycling of all kinds of waste products, saying that it was a major way to check the causative factors of flooding in the country.
He noted that recycling reduces energy consumption and ensures sustainable use of limited resources.
“Large amounts of energy are required to mine raw materials, process them and transport them around the world.
“But much of this energy can be saved if manufactured products like plastics, metals, or paper are properly segregated and recycled.
“People can generate revenue if they can start sorting their wastes, especially the pet bottles, papers, cans, among others, as there are resource merchants that buy them,” he said.
Musuilideen said that most of the recycled items were exported by the resource merchants because many industries had not learnt to benefit from the use of recycled items.
“There are many ways recycled items can be used; they can be reused in the same industry that produced them and also be used in the construction of buildings.
“For instance, somebody constructed three bedrooms using ‘PET bottles’ in Kaduna State, while another used the same ‘PET bottles’ for the construction of a school library,” he added.
