Following consultations with the Executive Board of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Friday, December 22, 2017 the appointment of Henrietta Fore of the U.S. as the Fund’s new Executive Director.

Guterres, in a statement by his Spokesperson  Stephane Dujarric, said Fore would succeed Anthony Lake.

Dujarric said the Secretary-General was grateful to Lake for his commitment and dedicated service to UNICEF.

“Lake brought a renewed focus on equity throughout UNICEF’s programmes and services for children.

“In achieving results for every child, his leadership has strengthened UNICEF’s reputation and credibility as an organisation.

“His leadership has also strengthened UNICEF as a valued, expert partner for governments, civil society groups and businesses around the world, working together to achieve results for children.”

He said Fore had worked to champion economic development, education and health, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief for the most vulnerable in the international and developing world.

Durris said  the incoming UNICEF chief had worked in a public service, private sector and non-profit leadership career that spans more thank four decades.

Fore was the first woman to be appointed as the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance in the U.S. Department of State.

By Prudence Arobani

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted partly cloudy to sunny weather conditions over the central states of the county on Saturday, December 23, 2017.

The Weather Outlook issued by NiMet Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Friday also predicted day and night temperatures in the range of 30 to 39 and 18 to 26 degrees Celsius respectively.

The agency predicted that the cities in the South would experience cloudy conditions in some parts, with prospects of thunderstorms over Calabar and Port-Harcourt during the morning hours.

It also predicted localised thunderstorms over Port-Harcourt, Uyo, Eket, Calabar, Lagos and Ijebu-Ode during the afternoon and evening hours, with day and night temperatures in the range of 32 to 35 and 23 to 25 degrees Celsius respectively.

According to NiMet, northern States will experience sunny and hazy conditions throughout the forecast period, with day and night temperatures in the range of 34 to 39 and14 to 20 degrees Celsius respectively.

“Sunny and hazy conditions are expected to prevail over the northern cities, while partly cloudy to sunny conditions are anticipated over the central states.

“The southern cities are expected to be cloudy with chances of localised thunderstorms in some parts of the region in the next 24 hours,” the agency predicted.

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Thursday, December 21, 2017 approved three bills on revised National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Copy Rights and the Separation of Piracy and Maritime offences.

These approvals are part of the outcome of the FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in the State House, Abuja.

Addressing State House correspondents after the meeting, the Minister of State for Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Jibril, said the bill on the revised NBMA sought to safeguard the environment as well as protect lives and property of citizens.

According to the minister, the country will drive enormous benefits from the NBMA Bill.

“The Federal Ministry of Environment presented two memos to council. One was taken yesterday and one was taken today. The one taken today was a policy memo seeking council’s approval for the revision of the National Biosafety Management Agency.

“The National Biosafety Management Agency is an agency under the Ministry of Environment charged with the responsibility of monitoring and supervising the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the country.

“Most of the time, people tend to mix this agency up with another sister agency in the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. The one under Technology Ministry is charged with the responsibility of carrying out research and coming up with breakthroughs.

“The one under the Ministry of Environment is a regulatory agency charged with the responsibility of checking products with genetically modified organisms which will come into the country to ensure that they are safe for consumption,’’ he said.

The second one taken yesterday was about hydrocarbon remediation project in Rivers State where approval was given for engagement of consultants to supervise, monitor and evaluate a proper framework that is put in place to assist in supervising and actualising the clean up.

He also disclosed that the FEC approved that a project management consultant should be engaged for the Port Harcourt Hydrocarbon Remediation project in Rivers State.

According to him, the consultants are to supervise, monitor and evaluate a proper framework that is put in place to assist in supervising and actualising the clean up.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said the council approved the Copy Rights and the Separation of Piracy and Maritime offences Act.

He said: “Two memos were presented to the council this afternoon from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the first one relates to Copyright Bill which is intended to be transmitted from the executive to the National Assembly.

“It is a bill that relates to the creative industry. It is meant to ensure the protection of creative works against piracy and protection of intellectual property rights.’’

According to him, the FEC has instructed his office to send the bill to the National Assembly for passage into law and eventual assent by the president, if passed.

He disclosed that the council also approved a bill relating to the suppression of piracy and maritime offences.

The minister revealed that the intention of the bill was to accord protection to the maritime industry against piracy.

“The intention is to accord protection to the maritime industry against piracy and indeed come up with a comprehensive policy position incorporated into the bill.

“It is intended to ensure that at the end of the day, the international convention that has been ratified by Nigeria overtime in relation to maritime industry, is incorporated into the bill with a view to bringing it in line with international best practices and ensure the protection of maritime boundary.

“The same bill as processed by the Office of the Attorney-General has been approved by the council and the attorney-general has accordingly been instructed to send the bill to the National Assembly for passage and eventual assent by the president if passed by the National Assembly,’’ he further explained.

The Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said the council endorsed regulations meant to improve veterinary practice in the country.

“We presented a memorandum to the council relating to Veterinary Council of Nigeria which has been in existence since 1953 and under the provisions of the law setting it up, the council members are from time to time improving regulations on veterinary practice so that people who are not qualified as veterinary doctors do not operate in the country.

“The regulations had been submitted to the council and it approved them for the president to endorse so that those regulations can be put into practice for the protection of livestock.’’

By Ismaila Chafe

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has asked the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other financial institutions that currently pump huge resources into upstream oil and gas projects to stop the practice to compel countries to transit from fossil fuels to renewables.

ERA/FoEN recommendation is coming on the heels of the World Bank announcement at the One Planet Summit that it will no longer finance such projects after 2019.

At the Summit convened in Paris by President Emmanuel Macron of France, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, the World Bank Group made the announcement as part of a number of new announcements.

It stated however that, in exceptional circumstances, consideration will be given to financing upstream gas in the poorest countries where there is a clear benefit in terms of energy access for the poor and the project fits within the countries’ Paris Agreement commitments.

In a statement issued in Lagos, ERA/FoEN said the announcement by the global body is a good step which further reinforces the group’s call for Nigeria and other countries that still rely on fossils to move to cleaner alternatives that are beneficial and easily manageable by local communities.

ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo, said: “In as much as we want to see the World Bank Group go beyond words and follow through with concrete actions, other financial institutions must divest from fossil fuel projects.”

Ojo noted that sustained funding from the financial institutions to projects in the upstream oil and gas sector have contributed largely in slowing progress towards the Paris Agreement and other initiatives that would make the world a cleaner and safer place to live in.

He explained that developing nations are worse hit by the Climate change phenomenon  which has ruined livelihoods and compelled forced migration and its attendant fallouts in form of conflicts hence the need for radical actions that would reverse the trend.

The ERA/FoEN boss asserted that aside cutting emissions from source as demanded by the vulnerable and most impacted nations in Africa, the only other way to compel a transition to renewables is the defunding of projects that contribute to the problem.

“By this announcement of the World Bank Group, there is a glimmer of hope in the horizon. Unequivocally the AfDB and other institutions have been shown the way. We urge them to follow this step before it is too late,” he said.