Europe is increasing the suffering of African migrants trying to cross the Sahara, the Red Cross chief said, urging lawmakers not to put security above human rights.
Agadez, Niger Republic
Francesco Rocca, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), met migrants in Niger who said they were stranded, unable to head north to Europe or return home.
“When we talk about European migration policies, it is only about security – how they are not allowed to enter – and not about the dignified manner in which you have to treat human beings,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“Cynicism has increased a lot. I think we are sick and we have to find a way to cure this disease,” he said in Agadez, a desert transit hub in Niger for Africans hoping to reach Europe.
Europe has responded to waves of illegal migration in recent years by sponsoring security crackdowns in transit countries so that people are stopped before reaching its borders.
The ICRC said no fewer than 350,000 people traveled through Niger in 2017 in spite of a law passed two years earlier that saw smugglers jailed and soldiers posted throughout the desert.
The red cross said since the law, four times as many migrants have been hospitalised in Agadez each month for injuries because they travel at night, across mountains and through dangerous desert terrain rather than taking safe roads.
ICRC said some of the Africa migrants stranded in Agadez fled conflicts, though most left home hoping to find work.
Men from Senegal, Gambia and other countries squatting in mud ghettos told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that they were afraid to continue their journeys and had no money to get home.
“The problem is how high a price these human beings are paying for EU policies,” Rocca said, describing Europe’s approach as cruel and ineffective and calling for more support to migrants and communities hosting them.
The Italian lawyer said Europe’s migration polices have failed for decades as people continue to move but they are forced to use more dangerous routes.
“People in Agadez told me that the Sahara is just as deadly as the Mediterranean,” he said in a statement, referring to the thousands who drown in overcrowded boats each year.
“The difference is that we don’t know how many people have died there, or what inhumanity they have faced.”
International scientists have called for concerted efforts to stop spread of the invasive alien species, which they say are contributing to Africa’s inter-community conflicts, a local news reported on Thursday, February 22, 2018.
Invasive plant species
The scientists, who ended a workshop on invasive species in Nairobi, Kenya, said such species are also responsible for tremendous economic losses through loss in forest and agricultural productivity, and the spread of diseases.
Arne Wilt, Invasive Species Coordinator at CABI’s Invasive Species Coordinator, attributed Africa’s rising intercommunity and human-wildlife conflicts to the increase of invasive species.
Wilt said the invasions by the species in adjoining agro-ecosystems reduce crop and pasture production, hence forcing some communities to encroach into others land.
“Pastoralists and farmers’ conflicts have grown, spread and intensified over the past decade hence posing a threat to security in some countries,’’ Wilt noted.
Wilt said such species also forced wildlife to forage outside on farms, resulting in increased human-wildlife conflict.
According to him, such problems have been pronounced in Nigeria and Kenya in recent years.
Hiver Boussini, Animal Health Officer with the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), said livestock production is also affected when invasive weeds colonise prime grazing land, thus driving farmers into marginal areas.
“Competition for access to resources and fear of the plant and disease spreading across the area leads to conflicts between communities,’’ he added.
Boussini said that elephant-human conflict in Central Kenya is also an example of conflict caused by invasive species as the presence of Opuntia stricta forces the wildlife to move to farms.
“It is time that the African governments allocate funds for the eradication of invasive species,’’ he added.
The Federal Ministry of Water Resources on Thursday, February 22, 2018 inaugurated the Governing Boards of the ministry’s parastatals and agencies.
Minister of Water Resources , Suleiman Adamu, delivering a speech during the inauguration ceremony
They are the 12 River Basin Development Authorities, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency and the National Water Resources Institute.
The minister, Mr Suleiman Adamu, while inaugurating the boards, said the overall mandate of the implementation of the ministry’s project would be better managed when its parastatal agencies functioned well.
According to him, the ministry has embarked on some policies and programmes, committed to the water sector that will enhance the livelihood and create jobs for the populace.
Such programmes, Adamu said, includes: the blueprint and action plan to revitalise the river basins and deliberate reforms for integrated water resources management for a wholistic overhaul of the water sector.
He said it was expected that the board members function within the established guidelines, saying relevant laws have been provided by the Federal Government for smooth engagement.
Dr Musa Ibrahim, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, while congratulating the newly constituted boards, urged them to work in line with the ministry’s mandate towards the overall development of the water resources sector.
He cautioned them to do away with unnecessary interference with the businesses of the Management team of the river basins and other agencies, saying a retreat would be organised soon to introduce them to what is required of them.
“It is against this backdrop that I urge you to be guided by the rules and administrative procedures of the public service while discharging your duties.
“Let me further emphasise that the role of the governing board is to drive the general policies guiding of the parastatals and agencies as outlined by the ministry,” he said.
Sen. Ubale Shittu, Chairman, Senate Committee on Water Resources, expressed worry over the non-performance of all river basins since their creation.
He urged the new board members to re-strategise to see what could be done to reposition the river basins for optimum performance.
He congratulated the boards on their appointment, while urging them to seek out ways to increase funding and support for total turnaround of the river basins in the country.
He restated the commitment of the National Assembly to ensure that the National Water Resources Bill before it gets speedy passage.
The Regional Director, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Mr Yao Ydo, says inclusive policy implementation was the key for African nations to attain the Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDG).
Ydo Yao
Ydo said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday, February 22, 2018 in Lagos.
He said that the implementation of the policies streamlined toward the attainment of the goals should include ordinary masses and not left for the elite alone.
SDGs are UN-sponsored goals toward creating common set of development targets for communities in every country with a deadline of 2030.
The SDGs were follow-up to the widely publicised Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of 8 agenda of 2000-2015.
The idea was to get government, aid organisations and NGOs on the same page about what global problems which needed urgent solution and how to measure progress and solutions.
The agenda of the SDGs include: end to poverty, hunger, ensure healthy lives, inclusive and equitable education, gender equity.
Ydo said for African countries to attain the goals, there must be the will because the nations had potential to achieve them.
He urged African heads of government to elaborate relevant and sectoral policies in different areas, while making sure that the policies were implemented.
According to him, the major problem of Africa is not the lack of policies but implementation.
He noted that “for the SDGs to be attained, African countries must ensure that the strategies put in place by the UN allows everyone to contribute.
“The ordinary masses have to be informed of what SDGs are and what role they can play toward achieving the set targets.”
Ydo urged governments to ensure that the policies were all inclusive and everyone played a role toward achieving the goals by 2030 as designed by UN.
A listeriosis outbreak, believed to be the world’s largest, has claimed 172 lives in South Africa, the Department of Health said on Thursday, February 22, 2018.
The listeria monocytogene bacterium, responsible for listeriosis outbreak
As of Feb. 20, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported 915 laboratory-confirmed cases of listeriosis, the department said in its latest update on the pandemic that has gripped the country since January 2017.
According to media reports, 57 people lost their lives recently.
“Unfortunately, the source of the outbreak still remains unknown.
“Specialised tests are being conducted by experts at the NICD laboratories to assist in detecting the source as soon as possible,’’ the department said.
Listeriosis is a serious, but treatable and preventable disease caused by the bacterium, listeria monocytogenes, which can be found in soil, water and vegetation.
Animal products and fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables can be contaminated from these sources.
Symptoms from the food-borne disease include diarrhea, fever, general body pains, vomiting and weakness.
Although anyone can get listeriosis, those at high risk of developing severe disease include newborns, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weak immunity.
The differences which gave rise to the emergence of refuse across Lagos State over the implementation of a new waste management policy encapsulated in the Cleaner Lagos Initiative have been resolved, with all the key players agreeing to sheath their sword and collaborate in order to ensure a cleaner, prosperous and healthier environment in the state.
Thomas Forgacs, Chief Operations Officer, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions; Abiodun Bamgboye, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment; Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, Lagos State Commissioner for Environment; Babatunde Hunpe, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Environment; John Irvine, Chief Executive Officer, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions; Bamidele Garko, Chief Executive Officer, Bamitony and Company, Ikoyi; and Lanre Wilton-Wawdell, Chief Executive Officer, Cleanway Limited at the Waste Collections Operators Participation roundtable meeting at the Ministry of Environment office, Alausa Ikeja Lagos which held on Thursday
The resolve to collaborate was reached on Thursday, February 22, 2018 at a meeting held between officials of the Lagos State Government, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions and Waste Collection Operators (WCOs), also known as Private Sector Participant (PSP) Operators.
Speaking at the meeting, the state’s Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, said that government was interested in easing challenges being experienced in waste management at present by creating synergy between Visionscape and the WCOs in their spheres of operation, stressing that resolving the challenge in a mutually beneficial manner was the best approach.
“Government more than ever believes in this partnership and that is why it has not only provided a facility of up to N2.5 billion with state government guarantee, which PSP Operators could access to upscale their operations, but has also opened another channel through the Employment Trust Fund for loan facilities at reasonable interest of not more than 12% per annum,” he said.
The Environment Commissioner stated that the Lagos State Government was determined to remove all bottlenecks hindering seamless waste disposal operations, adding that it was making the bold move of targeting a turn-around time of thirty minutes at the dumpsites by encouraging concerned stakeholders to create additional platform at the sites.
He emphasised that no efforts would be spared to return the dump sites to sanity by reducing the menace of indiscriminately parked trucks and scavengers, both of which add to the loss of time at the dump sites.
On his part, Visionscape’s Chief Executive Officer, John Irvine, applauded the new found understanding between his company and the WCOs and stated that challenges being experienced in domestic waste management in Lagos State had to do with the fact that the domestic waste operator was just in its first cycle of operation, meaning that it must contend with some teething problems.
His words: “It is not unusual to face this kind of problems especially in the first cycle of operations. It takes some time to build the superstructures and to ameliorate the present hiccups; we are buying locally and taking steps to have waste container bins manufactured locally.”
Speaking on behalf of the WCOs, Kasumu Afis Olasehinde reiterated their commitment to the success of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative and pledged to roll out more trucks to rid Lagos of wastes’ black spots.
“To show our total commitment to a cleaner, healthier and safer Lagos, we have not only resolved to work with the government of Lagos State and the domestic waste operators as partners, we have also resolved to commence free operations every Thursday to mop up black spots in our respective areas,” he said.
It was agreed at the meeting that a seamless process should be put in place on how Visionscape and the PSPs will partner on the door-to-door collection of waste from March 1.
It was also agreed that Visionscape would take the PSPs on a tour of the Epe Landfill, the first engineered landfill in West Africa.
The meeting also agreed to set up a committee comprising all the stakeholders to ensure smooth operation of the project.
Nigeria is experiencing a major conflict between nomadic herdsmen and indigenous farmers. In 2016, the conflict led to the death of 2,500 people, displaced 62,000 others and led to loss of $13.7 billion in revenue. In January 2018 alone, the conflict claimed the lives of 168 people.
Cattle rearing on the Mambilla Plateau
The herdsmen are predominantly Fulanis, a primarily Muslim people scattered throughout many parts of West Africa. The farmers, meanwhile, are mostly Christian. Therefore, when violence erupts between the two groups, with symbolic results like churches being burnt down, it is unsurprising that the dominant narrative in Nigeria and abroad is that this is a conflict motivated by religion and ethnicity.
What’s missing is the environmental perspective. Nigeria spans more than 1,000km from a lush and tropical south to the fringes of the Sahara Desert in the north. And, in Nigeria, the Sahara is moving southward at a rate of 600 metres a year. At the same time, Lake Chad in the country’s far north-east has largely dried up. Fulani herdsmen who once relied on the lake have thus moved further south in search of pasture and water for their livestock. The further south you move, the more the population becomes Christian, hence when resource conflicts emerge they appear religious.
Such conflicts between herdsmen and farmers aren’t entirely new. A drought in the late 60s, for instance, kicked off struggles over land use across the Sahel, and the Fulanis do have a history of strategic annexation of territories. What’s new this time round is that the conflict has taken on an entirely different scale, as a problem once restricted to the north of Nigeria has become a major issue in the country’s south.
This is because environmental devastation has necessitated widespread migration of Fulanis from all over West Africa to the south of Nigeria, which has been unable to prevent nomads from other countries from coming in along its long borders. The influx of new people has disrupted the existing dynamics and relationship between predominantly farming local communities and nomadic herdsmen.
But environmental explanations are largely ignored in favour of talk of ethnic or religious conflict. Such talk quickly becomes highly emotive, preventing a full analysis of all the driving forces behind the conflict. The dominance of the “ethnic war” narrative therefore makes it harder to develop holistic and sustainable solutions and, in a country that is a mix of cultures and religions, puts national unity and peace-building at risk.
Silence from the authorities
The government’s response to all this has been near silence. In the vacuum, political explanations have emerged, often from people with a vested interest. For instance, elites and political leaders from affected regions suspect the president, Muhammadu Buhari, who himself is Fulani, of being complicit in the attacks (though they have stopped short of directly accusing him). There’s no evidence the president has anything to do with the conflict but, in a hierarchical society like Nigeria, the word of elites can be taken as gospel.
The central government has proffered solutions such as cattle “colonies”, which take lands from indigenous farmers and give it to the Fulanis to graze. But among the farmers this only reinforces worries of an ethnic land grab.
So what would a sustainable and just solution to the conflict actually involve? Lake Chad certainly will need to be “recharged”, along with a massive programme of tree growing and sustainable water management. This will require the engagement of neighbouring countries – who have serious environmental problems of their own – and the support of international donor agencies, but it would go a long way towards stemming the migration southward and should reduce incidences of conflict.
The government must also recognise, publicly, that this is at root a conflict over resources exacerbated by environmental problems. It must point this out when the need arises, rather than waiting until half-truths dominate public discourse.
The Nigerian media, for its part, often thrives on emotive narratives. But this story of conflict between herders and farmers calls for less sensationalism and more investigative journalism that helps reveal further nuances to the complex issue. This isn’t a simple tale of ethnic conflict – the environment cannot be ignored.
By Dr Olalekan Adetola (Lecturer, York St John University, UK)
President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has made a strong case for increased American and global investments to help unlock Africa’s agriculture potential.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, and African Development Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina
He made the remarks as the Distinguished Guest Speaker, at the USDA’s 94th Agriculture Outlook Forum in Virginia on Thursday, February 22, 2018 on the theme The Roots of Prosperity.
According to Adesina, “For too long, Agriculture has been associated with what I call the three Ps – pain, penury, and poverty. The fact though is that agriculture is a huge wealth-creating sector that is primed to unleash new economic opportunities that will lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.”
Participants at the Forum included the Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue; Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Stephen Censky; President of the World Food Prize Foundation, Kenneth Quinn; Chief Economist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Robert Johansson; Deputy Chief Economist, Warren Preston; and several top level government officials and private sector operators.
Adesina appealed to the US private sector to fundamentally change the way it views African agriculture.
“Think about it, the size of the food and agriculture market in Africa will rise to $1 trillion by 2030. This is the time for US agri-businesses to invest in Africa,” he said. ‘’And for good reason: Think of a continent where McKinsey projects household consumption is expected to reach nearly $2.1 trillion and business-to-business expenditure will reach $3.5 trillion by 2025. Think of a continent brimming with 840 million youth, the youngest population in the world, by 2050.”
The U.S government was urged to be at the forefront of efforts to encourage fertiliser and seed companies, manufacturers of tractors and equipment, irrigation and ICT farm analytics to ramp up their investments on the continent.
“As the nation that first inspired me and then welcomed me with open arms, permit me to say that I am here to seek a partnership with America: a genuine partnership to help transform agriculture in Africa, and by so doing unlock the full potential of agriculture in Africa, unleash the creation of wealth that will lift millions out of poverty in Africa, while creating wealth and jobs back home right here in America,” the 2017 World Food Prize Laureate told the Forum.”
“We are launching the Africa Investment Forum, as a 100% transactional platform, to leverage global pension funds and other institutional investors to invest in Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa from November 7-9.”
The World Bank, International Finance Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Islamic Development Bank, are partnering with the African Investment Forum to de-risk private sector investments.
The AfDB is also pioneering the establishment of Staple Crop Processing Zones in 10 African countries, that are expected to transform rural economies into zones of economic prosperity and save African economies billions of dollars in much need foreign reserves.
“We must now turn the rural areas from zones of economic misery to zones of economic prosperity. This requires a total transformation of the agriculture sector. At the core of this must be rapid agricultural industrialisation. We must not just focus on primary production but on the development of agricultural value chains,” Adesina added. “That way, Africa will turn from being at the bottom to the top of global value chains.”
In his keynote address U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, said the U.S. Administration has removed more restrictive regulations to agriculture than any other administration. “Our goal is to dismantle restrictions that have eroded agricultural business opportunities,” he said.
“Agriculture feeds prosperity and accounts for 20 cents of every dollar. As global prosperity grows, it in turn fuels the demand for more nutritious food and business opportunities,” he added.
Expressing strong optimism that the future millionaires and billionaires of Africa will come from agriculture, Adesina said: “Together, let our roots of prosperity grow downwards and bear fruit upwards. As we do, rural Africa and rural America will brim with new life, much like I witnessed in Indiana, during my time as a graduate student in America. Then, we will have changed the 3 ‘Ps’ to – Prosperity, Prosperity and Prosperity!”
Civil society groups have asked the Federal Government to penalise Multichoice, owners of DSTV and GoTV, for promoting smoking scenes in the ongoing Big Brother Naija 2018 show.
L-R: Adewunmi Emoruwa of Gatefield, Hilda Ochefu of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Akinbode Oluwafemi of Environmental Rights Action, at the press briefing
The groups – Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Gatefield and Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) – in a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, February 22, 2018 said Nigerians were shocked on Tuesday, February 13 when smoking scenes were glamourised in the current series of the Big Brother Naija 2018 show.
Pinning down the particular incident, they said that two housemates – Khloe and Teddy A – were observed puffing away after a very heated argument with fellow housemates.
ERA/FoEN Deputy Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said that the smoking scenes have generated genuine outrage among Nigerians even as he added that remarks on the subject credited to the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, is even less consoling.
A screen shot of the smoking scene
He said: “Prodded by her followers on her Twitter page to do something about smoking scene, the special assistant was said to have reacted harshly by saying the government had no power to move against immoralities in the show as it was an adult programme. According to her, the show was not compulsory to watch.
“Her advice to parents is to use their remote control to change the channel whenever obscenity is shown. For us, this is hardly the answer that Nigerians want and we find it very disturbing.”
Hilda Ochefu, Sub-regional co-ordinator of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (ERA/FoEN), explained that the smoking scenes were particularly disturbing as it was intended to demonstrate to the youth that cigarettes calm frayed nerves. She stressed that the very disturbing trend has gone beyond the limits in offending the sensibilities of Nigerians who watch the series, many with their kids.
Adewunmi Emoruwa of Gatefield, in his intervention, said that the smoking scenes not only glamourise smoking before kids that watch the show with their parents but also breach Nigeria’s laws, hence the need for the Nigerian government to beam its searchlight on the show.
The groups articulated their recommendations to include the NBC sanctioning of Multichoice for promoting smoking scenes on the BBNaija Series:
Government at all levels and the relevant agencies should begin enforcement of the nine key provisions of the NTC Act that prohibits smoking in public places and bans sale of cigarettes in single sticks, among others.
Relevant agencies of government such as the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and the security services begin a clampdown on infractions
The Federal Ministry of Health should urgently send the draft Regulations to the National Assembly for approval.
The Federal Government on Thursday, February 22, 2018 launched the Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality to promote the availability of safe drinking water for all Nigerians.
Governor of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ortom, drinking water as Managing Director, Guinness Nigeria, Peter Ndegwa, looks on during the commissioning ceremony of a water project donated by Guinness Nigeria to the Tyowange community in Benue State
Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, at the launching ceremony in Abuja, said that the availability of clean water supply was the focus of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality sets limits for water contaminants that are hazardous to health and also provides guidelines for meeting the mandatory limits for safe water.
Quoting a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, the minister said that it was estimated that about 60 per cent of all diseases in developing countries were related to consumption of unsafe water and poor sanitation.
Adamu said that diseases related to drinking water contamination represented a major burden on national health care delivery.
He, therefore, called for immediate interventions from all relevant stakeholders to improve the quality of drinking water for the benefit of all Nigerians.
Adamu said that Nigeria had made some progress in expanding the citizens’ access to improved water supply with the current access standing at 67 per cent.
He, however, underscored the need for the nation to make concerted efforts to meet the Goal Six of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The minister said that it was saddening that not much had been achieved in respect of enforcement of standards, adding that water producers still operated without due regard to the quality of water they supplied to the citizens.
Adamu said that the ministry was working to speed up the upgrading of the water quality laboratories in Lagos, Akure, Kano, Minna, Enugu and Gombe, as part of efforts to mount water quality surveillance and enforce standards.
He also said that efforts were underway to finalise the Water Quality Management Strategy which sought to harmonise the implementation of all water quality procedures.
The minister, nonetheless, called for the speedy passage of the National Water Resources Bill into law.
Mr Emmanuel Awe, Director, Water Quality Supply and Sanitation in the ministry, called for immediate intervention from all stakeholders to revamp the nation’s water resources sector.
He said that it had been reported that chemicals such as Arsenic had been polluting groundwater sources, saying the development was as a result of the increased use of pesticides and fertilisers in agricultural projects.
Also speaking, Mr Osita Aboloma, Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), expressed satisfaction with the wide acceptance and use of the Standard for Drinking Water Quality to improving the people’s well-being.
Aboloma, who was represented by Mrs Elsie Ofili, commended the water resources ministry for its role in spearheading the public awareness campaign for monitoring water quality and effective management of the nation’s water resources.
“The responsibility for lead institution in enforcing the Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality NIS 554:2015 had been reassigned to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
“Other significant changes in the standard include the revision period, the maximum allowable limits for magnesium and the criteria for compliance and enforcement.
“We will keep supporting the ministry in its effort to promote access to safe water for all Nigerians,” he said.
News Agency of Nigeria recalls that in 2005, the National Council on Water Resources recognised the need to produce a national standard for drinking water quality for the country.
The Nigerian Industrial Standard for Potable Water, which was developed by SON and the National Guidelines and Standards for Drinking Water Quality in Nigeria, however, failed to garner the acceptance of all stakeholders.
