The Lagos State Government says it is working towards proactively preventing and controlling fire incidents due to ignition from refuse dumpsites.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on the Cleaner Lagos Initiative, Mr. Adebola Shabi. gave the assurance following a fire outbreak in the evening of Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at the Olososun dumpsite, Ojota, which enveloped communities around the site with a billowing smoke.
Correspondent Innocent Onoh reports.
The Embassy of the United States of America in Nigeria has joined other stakeholders across the world to show solidarity for Nigeria’s wildlife resources and to restate the need to save the remainder of the country’s threatened species.
March 3, designated the World Wildlife Day, and which is the signing date of the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), remains a significant date that brings attention to wildlife across the world, emphasising the need for their protection, conservation, as well as for public enlightenment and local engagement.
To mark World Wildlife Day 2018 themed “Big Cats: Predators Under Threat”, the Embassy, in conjunction with a non-for-profit organisation, the Wildlife of Africa Conservation Initiative, hosted an event at the US Embassy in Abuja on Tuesday, March 6, 2018.
The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, in his opening remarks, commented on how blessed Nigeria is and how unique Nigerians are.
His words: “The features of hard work, creativity, resilience, warmth, and friendliness I see in Nigerians make a unique proof of nationality. I also see in Nigeria, the level of her diversity – in language, food, tradition, and faith. It is one of her strengths and a constant representation of the United States – Nigeria tapestry.”
Challenging Nigerians on the need to appreciate and protect her wildlife resources, the ambassador said: “One of the things I care about the most is the great cats. They represent a symbol of power and awe. The Big Cats reminds us that there is something greater than us. This celebration is not about the Big Cats, the National Parks or the Federal Government; it is about Nigeria and what Nigerians together have that no one else in the world can boast of. There is only one way to keep the cats alive – that’s through you, Nigerians. Most of them remain a tangible symbol of leadership and purpose.”
Conservator-General of National Parks Service, Ibrahim Goni, while addressing the audience, shared some of the Federal Government’s efforts in conserving the Big Cats, as well as other wildlife resources, across the countries’ seven national parks covering a total of 20, 730kmsq.
“There are plans by the Federal Government of Nigeria to increase the forest areas by establishing National Parks. The processes, upon completion by the relevant stakeholders involved, will be forwarded to the Parliament for approval. We are hoping that, three years from now, there will be an increase; it is up to Nigerians not to allow Nigeria to lose her Big Cats,” the Conservator-General noted.
As part of the event, the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival screened two of its movies: The Silent Death of Lions (Tanzania) and Tree Lions (Uganda), birthing discussions on wildlife conservation, education, and advocacy, particularly the adaptation to local communities in Nigeria.
In attendance were the Director-General of National Environment Standard Regulation and Enforcement Agency (NESRA) represented by Mr. Simon Joshua; West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change Technical Advisor, Mr. Kwane Awere-Gyekye; members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); civil society organisations (CSOs) and other participants.
By Seyifunmi Adebote, Abuja
Wildlife officials in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe are set to receive specialist training for carrying out wildlife forensic investigations, courtesy of support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery in the United Kingdom.
As many as 20,000 elephants are poached each year in Africa for their ivory tusks, which organised criminal networks smuggle to Asia where they are processed into jewellery and other decorative items.
The rotting carcasses from poaching activities are crime scenes, but wildlife officials in Africa often lack the specialist equipment, skills and training to gather and analyse evidence that can be used in court to convict those involved.
However, thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, staff from UK-based organisations TRACE (the Wildlife Forensic Network) and TRAFFIC (the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network) will be helping train and pass on relevant skills for crime scene investigation and DNA forensic analysis where poaching and other wildlife crimes have taken place.
The evidence gathered will be used to identify and track down those involved in committing crime and will be used in court to secure convictions.
“All too often, the criminals poaching Africa’s wildlife are walking free because it is proving impossible to bring them to book successfully,” said Rob Ogden, co-Director of TRACE.
“But now, thanks to the fantastic support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, wildlife officers in the region will have the means to gather the evidence that will help put these criminals where they belong – behind bars.”
TRACE and TRAFFIC will be working closely alongside a number of national and international partners to ensure the three countries of Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe in southern Africa are equipped with the necessary skills to gather, process and present forensic evidence on wildlife crime.
Clara Govier, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “We are pleased that funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery will be helping end the activities of criminals decimating Africa’s wildlife. This is a really worthwhile endeavour and we hope players’ support will have a big impact on the ground.”
Worldwide, illegal wildlife trade is recognised as a large, growing and long-term threat to many species. Nowhere more so than in Africa, where some of the continent’s iconic mammals, including rhinos and elephants, are being killed in horrific numbers for their horns and tusks. Once these parts have been hacked off, they are smuggled to Asia by organised criminal syndicates.
The impact of poaching operations can be severe on communities, wildlife populations and habitats, while the associated criminalisation of society can have profound impacts on local and even national security and the rule of law.
The People’s Postcode Lottery project is building on earlier work to create an African Wildlife Forensics Network, the initial phase of which was funded by the UK Government’s Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund.
This October, the UK government is convening a meeting of worldwide governments to plan actions, commit resources and introduce innovative technology to help end the scourge of international wildlife crime.
TRACE and TRAFFIC will be leading People’s Postcode Lottery’s supported project alongside local partner organisations in:
Beginning with an official opening ceremony to be addressed by the President of Colombia on Saturday, March 17, 2018, leading experts from around the world will convene in Medellin for eight days with policymakers from more than 115 countries to finalise landmark reports from five major expert assessments, focused on biodiversity, nature’s contributions to people and issues of land degradation and restoration.
An estimated 750 delegates will participate in the sixth session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES6), chaired by Sir Robert Watson.
“Taken together, these five peer-reviewed assessment reports represent the single most important expert contribution to our global understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem services of the past decade,” said Watson. The assessments will provide unprecedented insights into the status of global biodiversity and land quality, both of which are essential to quality of life and healthy, productive ecosystems.
Often called “the IPCC for biodiversity”, IPBES is the global science-policy platform tasked with providing the best-available evidence to inform better decisions about nature.
The reports being launched at IPBES6 were completed over three years by 550 scientists and experts from more than 100 countries.
Four of the studies present the state of biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Europe and Central Asia. The fifth assessment report assesses the global problem of land degradation and available remedies.
The five reports will be key inputs to a comprehensive IPBES global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services, due for release in 2019, the first such global evaluation since the authoritative 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.
In addition to helping decision makers evaluate lessons learned and progress on major global development commitments – such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the Paris Agreement on climate change – the reports will also provide vital information for setting biodiversity targets for the period after 2020.
“Biodiversity and nature’s contributions are essential to sustain the economic well-being, food security and quality of life of all people,” said Watson. “As one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, Colombia provides the ideal setting for IPBES6, and we thank the Government and people of Colombia for extending their warm and generous hospitality for these vital global discussions.”
Speaking about the confluence of so many important environmental activities, the Executive Secretary of IPBES, Dr. Anne Larigauderie, said: “There is a rising awareness of the need for nature and the environment to be at the heart of all development planning – IPBES is proud to be able to offer decision makers around the world evidence they need for better policies and more effective action for the sustainable future we want.”
Chinese cities combating smog have significantly cut serious air pollution in the past four years, a study by a University of Chicago team has found.
“The data is in – China is winning its war against pollution,” said Michael Greenstone, a professor in economics and director of the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.
According to the analysis conducted by Greenstone’s team, based on data from more than 200 government monitors throughout China, air pollution has decreased across the board in China’s most populated areas.
Chinese cities on average have cut concentrations of fine particulates PM2.5, widely considered the deadliest form of air pollution, by 32 percent in just four years, said the paper made public on Monday.
“By winning this war, China is due to see dramatic improvements in the overall health of its people, including longer lifespans, if these improvements are sustained,” Greenstone added.
The study found that the most populated cities saw some of the greatest declines: Beijing cut air pollution by 35 percent; Shijiazhuang, the Hebei Province’s capital city, cut pollution by 39 percent; and Baoding, China’s most polluted city as of 2015, cut pollution by 38 percent.
If China sustains these reductions, Greenstone said he believes that Chinese residents in the polluted areas can see their lifespans extended by 2.4 years on average.
The study contributed the remarkable progress to China’s “aggressive, and in some cases extraordinary, measures” to reduce its pollution in a relatively short time span.
With the global car fleet due to triple by 2050 and greenhouse gas emissions from transport growing faster than any other sector, West African states have set sights on 2050 to phase out dirty and inefficient fuel.
Bernard Koffi of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) made the disclosure on Thursday, march 15, 2018 at the ongoing African Clean Mobility Week taking in Nairobi, Kenya.
West Africa is believed to be Africa’s sub-region with the least fuel efficiency and economy levels as 80% of the vehicles across the sub-region are used vehicles while 72% of the vehicles used in ECOWAS countries are imported.
The challenges of attaining fuel efficiency and economy in West Africa, according to Koffi include absence of policies and strong fiscal measures against the importation of vehicles that are over the age limit; and high age limits for the importation of used vehicles. Age limit for the importation of used light duty vehicles (LDVs) in most West African states hover between eight and 15 years.
Other extant challenges include poor fuel quality, and road congestion leading to high carbon emissions.
These challenges notwithstanding, ECOWAS is confident of achieving fuel efficiency and economy at least by 50% by the year 2050 through the implementation of its Air Quality Agreement signed by ECOWAS ministers in 2009, and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of all ECOWAS member states to the Paris agreement.
Mr. Koffi believes that the sub-region can achieve the target even before the target year by harmonising carbon emission standards and fuel specification, promoting clean vehicles and fuel economy, and strengthening institutional and regulatory frameworks on fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
“An example of these measures is the recent ban placed on the importation of dirty diesel by five West African countries,” he said.
It will be recalled that Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Togo in 2016 announced measures to end the practice of European oil firms and traders who export to Africa, highly polluting fuels (derogatorily dubbed “African quality”) that could never be sold in Europe.
Effective July 1, 2017, the five West African states banned the importation of high-sulphur diesel fuels making the permitted levels of sulphur in imported diesel to fall from as high as 3,000 parts per million (ppm) to 50ppm. Meanwhile, Europe since 2009 fixed the maximum permitted level at 10ppm.
Speaking at the African clean mobility week, Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), commended the ban by the West African states.
“West Africa has sent a strong message that it is no longer accepting dirty fuels from Europe. Their decision to set strict standards for cleaner, safer fuels and advanced vehicle emission standards shows they are placing the health of their people first,” Solheim said.
Courtesy: PAMACC News Agency
The Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) says it has formulated a strategy to ensure increased drive in its revenue generation.
The LWC Managing Director, Mr Muminu Badmus, said this at the launch of the corporation’s Service Intensive Mechanism (SIM) in Lagos on Thursday, March 15, 2018.
According to him, under the initiative, SIM, which is to improve on the corporation’s revenue generation, individual staff members and zonal offices, will receive financial rewards for generating the highest revenue.
”The High impact, Short term and Quick Win Performance Enrichment Programme (PEP) launched in partnership with 2ML Consultant in July 2017, increased our monthly revenue generation to N80 million.
”We follow this with Performance Enrichment Sustainable Programme (PESP) in October 2017 to sustain the existing PEP.
”We are witnessing a successor to PESP, SIM programme, designed to appreciate individual efforts towards improved service delivery and revenue generation,” he said.
Badmus said that the workers had been trained on the new mechanism.
Mr Deji Johnson, the LWC Chief Operation Officer (COO), said that the new mechanism was aimed at achieving commercial independence for the Corporation.
He said that PEP and PESP had helped the corporation to improve on production and distribution of potable water in the state.
Johnson said that it was the responsibility of the whole staff to ensure that the Corporation was able to generate reveune to meet its financial obligations.
Mr Suraj Ijaiya, the LWC Executive Director, Engineering and Technical Services, said that the corporation had not relented in its drive for research and development.
He said that SIM was a product of its R/D, adding that it would measure the sustainability of all the projects being executed by the corporation in terms of revenue drive.
Mr Sikiru Ogunana, the Head, Strategy and Projects, said that the corporation recorded over 500 leakages within six months with the improvement in water supply to private and commercial residents.
He said that the leakages were mainly due to old pipes which the commercial department had been working hard to replace.
Ogunana said that with improvement in supply, there was need to ensure that water consumers paid up water bills owed to the corporation.
He said that SIM was another way forward for the organisation, adding that workers should embrace and support it.
Dr Williams Muhairwe, the Chief Consultant, 2ML Consultancy, said innovation like SIM showed that the issue for the corporation was no longer water supply but billing.
He said the corporation must have a cost recovery process by ensuring that customers paid for the water supply to their residents.
Muhairwe said that his expectation was for the corporation to be able to generate 100 per cent of its revenue to march its water production and distribution.
By Chidinma Agu
Cassava Weed Management Project (CWMP) and Building an Economically Sustainable Integrated Seed System for Cassava (BASICS) of IITA will soon to unveil their scientific results in cassava production to policymakers.
Dr Alfred Dixon, IITA-CWMP Project Leader, made this known on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 in a document presented to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
“The results from the two projects will be presented to policymakers, researchers and other partners for possible scaling out to other states in Nigeria,’’ he said.
The document said that the presentation of the scientific results was part of the lead-up to the BASICS meeting in Ibadan from March 14 to March 16 and the IITA-CWMP meeting, also in Ibadan, between March 19 and March 20.
Dixon said that the five-year BASICS programme, which was inaugurated in 2014 and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was aimed at addressing the weed challenge facing cassava farming systems.
“The overall goal is to raise the productivity of cassava, improve incomes, enhance environmental sustainability, support better health for women, children and create wealth,’’ he said.
The project leader said that in the last four years, the project had developed weed control options, drawing strength from the use of best agronomic practices, the use of motorised weeders and the use of safe and environmentally friendly herbicides.
He said that the BASICS project would also share with researchers and policymakers the latest findings in cassava seed systems, including activities from the semi-autotrophic hydroponics and the village seed entrepreneur model of seed multiplication and multiplication.
“Generally, seeds are the bedrock of the quest to increase agricultural productivity.
“In cassava, the seed system is weak, yet with great potential,’’ he said.
Dixon said that the planting of improved seeds and proper weed management would be beneficial to farmers, as it would boost productivity and, at the same time, reduce the drudgery of hoe-weeding.
He, however, said that although cassava was grown by more than four million people and a major source of livelihood to millions of people in the country, it had yet to attain full productivity.
He said that this was because the productivity of cassava has been stymied over the years by poor weed control, weak or nonexistent seed systems and poor understanding of the agronomy of the crop.
Dixon pledged that the project would intensify efforts to ensure that cassava farmers were aware of good weed management technologies, as CWMP teams were planning to establish more than 100 demonstration farms across the country.
Prof. Friday Ekeleme, one of the researchers, said that participating farmers in the project recorded an average cassava root yield of 22 to 27 tonnes per hectare across the four participating states in the country.
“The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) declared that the figure is more than double the national average of 8 tonnes per hectare,’’ he said.
He said that the high yields were achieved with the aid of some of the identified safe and environmentally friendly herbicides.
“The herbicides were screened from 41 in 2014 to 11 in 2017.
“We also found that tillage and increasing the density of cassava by planting 12,500 stands per hectare, using vigorous growing varieties such as TME 419, could also control weed pressure and help farmers to go above the national yield threshold of eight tonnes per hectare,’’ he said.
The IITA Director-General, Dr Nteranya Sanginga, lauded the work by the team of researchers working under the IITA-CWMP, where more than 85 per cent of plots demonstrated that best-bet agronomic practices had raised cassava yields above the national average.
He noted that such discoveries by the IITA-CWMP had underscored the importance of IITA research to the agricultural transformation of Africa.
Sanginga emphasised that the focus of IITA on research and the people were two cardinal objectives that would never be compromised.
Dr Hemant Nitturkar, the Project Director of BASICS, said that the knowledge generated by the IITA-CWMP and BASICS would redefine the narrative of cassava in Africa by impacting positively on cassava yields at farm level.
NAN reports that IITA-CWMP is collaborating with National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike, the Universities of Agriculture in Makurdi and Abeokuta as well as private and public extension service providers across Abia, Benue, Ogun and Oyo states, representing key cassava growing areas in the country.
The FADAMA III Second Additional Financing (AFII) Programme will, before the end of March, disburse $9 million to 60,480 direct beneficiaries of its food and livelihoods scheme in the north-east.
Mr Ibrahim Alkali, North-east Desk Officer of FADAMA III (AFII) programme, disclosed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday, March 15, 2018.
He said that the World Bank and the Federal Government had given the programme the permission to use the money to fund 189 Community Action Plans (CAPs) across the six states in the north-east.
He said that, out of the figure, Borno had 40 CAPs; Yobe, 50; Adamawa, 29; Bauchi State, 25, Gombe State, 22 and Taraba, 23. He added that the target was 7,560 households and 60,480 direct beneficiaries.
NAN reports that the FADAMA III AFII programme, a World Bank intervention project, has been receiving wide commendations for its efforts to restore the livelihoods of the people in the north-east.
Alkali said that the project, known as the North-east Food Security and Livelihood Emergency Support Project, which started its first funds disbursement in October 2016, had really achieved its objectives.
Alkali said that the project was expected to close its disbursement in the first quarter of this year but due to the fluctuation in foreign exchange rates, the project made extra money which amounted to about $9 million.
The desk officer said that the money would go a long way to help those people who hitherto had not benefited from the project.
Alkali said that most of the new beneficiaries had been appealing to the World Bank and the Federal Government to incorporate them in the programme.
“The project has restored the beneficiaries’ joy after their harrowing experiences during the Boko Haram insurgency because they were once hopeless.
“They were overwhelmed with joy because of the abundant supply of food items, livestock and agricultural inputs by the project.
“We also involve more women and youths in project. We re-orientated the youths, even the young ladies, because they also passed through some trauma and they are happy now.
“This second phase will really go a long way in restoring the livelihoods of our beneficiaries and improving the people’s lives in every area,’’ he said.
Alkali, however, commended the state governments for paying their counterpart funds to support the project.
He urged those states that were defaulting to pay up so as to enable more people to benefit from the programme.
NAN recalls that the total amount earmarked for the project in the six beneficiary states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Taraba, Bauchi and Gombe is $50 million.
The official closing date of FADAMA (AF II) programme is December 2019.
By Kudirat Musa
Nepal on Thursday, March 15, 2018 banned from the roads vehicles older than 20 years across the country in a bid to control worsening air quality and to ease traffic congestion, officials said.
The government decision, which followed a similar campaign in the capital Kathmandu a year ago, has forced more than 5,000 ageing vehicles, including buses and trucks, off the road.
But an organisation representing transport businessmen criticised the government move.
“We were not consulted before the authorities took the decision. They don’t have any plan on what to do with the vehicles,” said Dharma Rimal, an official at the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs.
“Vehicles older than 20 years still ply the rural roads. I don’t think it will be fully implemented,” he said.
In a notice published in newspapers on Thursday, the Department of Transport Management said if such vehicles were found plying the roads, officials would seize them.
Authorities have also banned cars from core parts of Kathmandu to reduce congestion.
The global Environmental Performance Index released earlier this year ranked Nepal’s air quality as one of the worst in the world.
