The sun might be unusually cool by 2050, according to a new study.
The sun
Based on the cooling spiral of recent solar cycles, scientists from University of California, San Diego believe the next “grand-minimum” is just decades away, during which the sun will be seven per cent cooler.
A grand-minimum, according to the study, is a period of very low solar activity, which will lead to lower temperature on earth.
During the grand-minimum in the mid-17th century, named Maunder Minimum, the temperature dropped low enough to freeze the Thames River.
However, the cooling is not uniform around the globe.
In spite of the chilling weather in Europe during the Maunder Minimum, other areas such as Alaska and southern Greenland warmed.
The phenomenon appears to offer a natural solution to global warming, but scientists invalidated that idea.
They explained that the cooling effect of the grand minimum could merely slow down global warming, but cannot stop it.
Scientists estimate that the grand minimum would probably only result in cooling the earth by about 0.25 per cent between 2020 and 2070.
The finding has been published in the Chicago-based journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.
International agricultural organisation, HarvestPlus, says it will reach 1.2 million households in Nigeria in 2018 with vitamin A cassava and maize, with increased delivery activities in expansion states.
Cassava farming
The HarvestPlus Country Manager, Dr Paul Ilona, who made this known on Monday, February 12, 2018 in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan, said the expansion states included the northeast, northwest and northcentral.
Ilona said the organisation planned to deliver about three million bundles of vitamin A cassava, 2,000 metric tonnes of vitamin A maize, and bring over 50,000ha of land under cultivation to bio-fortified seeds.
“This delivery target is in addition to the awareness and demand creation, platforms, partnerships, policies and linkages that HarvestPlus Nigeria needs to push to support investors and actors in the bio-fortification value chain,” he said.
He emphasised that agriculture could undoubtedly be a sustainable source of income generation, especially for Nigeria with her teeming population and favourable climatic conditions.
The Country Manager, however, expressed dissatisfaction that farmers, many investors in the sector were still unable to grow their production and investment scales.
He said to curb the problem of access to finance, HarvestPlus Nigeria channelled efforts to help investors and farmers cultivating and processing bio-fortified maize and cassava varieties to access the finance they need to grow their trade.
“Specifically, the plan is to link them to the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing system for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL).
“NIRSAL is a CBN endorsed initiative that basically guarantees loans, guides and provides certified inputs for viable agricultural related businesses.
“The NIRSAL management is already very happy to work with us, so work is now underway to develop a formal agreement to kick start the partnership,” he said.
Ilona also disclosed that the Chairman, House of Representative Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, Mohammed Monguno, has pledged to support the development and passage of bills that will create an enabling environment, especially for maize producers in Nigeria.
This, he said, would help boost business of importing maize and other related products as Africa’s largest maize producer.
The Country Manager further urged government and policy makers to create the enabling environment to support investments and address nutrition in the country.
He also called on the media to help reinforce the message that “the foods people eat play key role in the development of the country.”
NAN reports that Harvestplus improves nutrition and public health by developing and promoting bio-fortified food crops that are rich in vitamins and minerals.
It provides global leadership on bio-fortification evidence and technology; the staple crops are naturally bio-fortified and not genetically modified.
The Bayelsa State Government on Sunday, February 11, 2018 disclosed that it would build a new settlement to complement the existing capital, Yenagoa.
An impression of a proposed Yenagoa city centre
Governor Seriake Dickson, who made the disclosure at an interdenominational thanksgiving service to celebrate the sixth anniversary of his administration, said government would commence the construction of a New Yenagoa City between March and April, 2018.
The governor said during the thanksgiving service that held at the Glory Land Chapel, Government House, Yenagoa, that the foundation laying ceremony of the New Yenagoa City would attract the leadership of the country and other eminent dignitaries.
The governor said: “In one or two months, we will assemble the best in our country, and I have received assurances that the leadership of our country will be here because here we are talking development.
“They all know that Bayelsa is for development, stability and security, not for politics. They will be here and we will unveil the most ambitious development any state has ever undertaken, that is the New Yenagoa City.
“I want to assure you, our dear people, that with the foundation God have helped us to lay, the future of our dear state is bright and it can only get better.”
He said that the government was also working to establish an industrial estate, an industrial park and a power hub in order to transform the state into a manufacturing, energy and tourism destination.
Dickson, who read the only lesson from Psalm 124:1-8, said that his administration had in the last six made tremendous impact in the areas of health and education and other sectors, in respect of which projects would be commissioned.
He thanked the people of the state for the support and solidarity he has enjoyed from them in the last six years and urged them not to relent.
He urged the people to continue to pray for him and his family and his team in government to keep the vision and sustain the momentum.
The governor also charged the people to work for peace and stability in their respective communities, stressing that all that have been put on ground by his government can only be sustained in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.
Investing in informal settlements and slum upgrading can leverage the socio-economic potential of sustainable urbanisation and transformation leading to “inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable communities and cities” worldwide.
Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of the UN-Habitat
In African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries especially, large scale interventions in informal settlements and slum upgrading have not taken off considerably to achieve transformational reduction in people living in slums. It is estimated that, more than 50 percent of the urban population in ACP countries lives in informal settlements and slum conditions.
Although there are notable small to medium scale success stories, coordinated and integrated large-scale interventions at citywide level anchored in a long-term vision are yet to be realised in many of these countries. Within the framework of the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP), 35 ACP governments and 160 cities have already initiated policy and regulatory frameworks review, established citywide slum upgrading and prevention strategies and identified concrete entry-points for participatory slum upgrading at city scale.
Progressively, many countries have established budget lines at national level to finance for PSUP implementation. With this commitment from governments then, there is real opportunity to leverage those funds and achieve higher level of impact. The Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP) seeks to build on this opportunity to work with ACP countries achieve transformational scale in slum upgrading. The Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States initiated the PSUP in 2008 to respond to the slum challenge in the member states.
Financed by the European Commission since 2008, and implemented by UN-Habitat, the programme has succeeded in mobilising multi-governance stakeholders in addressing the slum deprivations and developing right-based approach to improving living standards in slums though partnerships with national governments, local authorities and slum communities.
On Sunday, February 11, 2018, more than 35 countries proclaim that they are empowered to address slum upgrading at all levels – national, city and community. Many more countries within the ACP want to be part of the programme. The €10 million grant from the European Commission will go a long way to leverage multi-sourced financing at national and international level for countries to achieve scale. PSUP III presents an opportunity for implementing countries to develop innovative financing strategies that can unlock capital for slum upgrading.
The 3rd ACP-EC-UN-Habitat Tripartite Conference, to be held later in 2018, will centre on the theme of innovative financing to galvanise efforts in this endeavor and improve living conditions for millions of slum dwellers in ACP countries and integrate them into mainstream, urban fabric under the motto of “leaving no one behind”.
The tripartite partnership would like to further enhance the capacity of countries to contribute towards the implementation of Goal 11 (SDGs), Target 11.1 “By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums”. All parties endorsed the PSUP as a flagship, global programme and would like to act strategically to leverage more significant financing. For this purpose, new diverse partnerships are needed.
On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has called on African countries to make science, technology and innovation (STI) policies inclusive and to place women and girls at the centre of STI programmes.
A female scientist
Celebrated each year on February 11, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls. The day is a reminder that women and girls play a critical role in science and technology communities and that their participation should be strengthened.
“Africa cannot talk about innovations without investing in its human capital. Support and mentorship are essential to increasing the participation of youth and women in science and technology,” said Oley Dibba-Wadda, Director of Human Capital Youth and Skills Development at the AfDB.
“Decision-makers must prioritise the inclusion of youth and women in science and technology. African entrepreneurs and innovators must also be equipped with the right skills to succeed in a rapidly changing workforce.”
Through its numerous interventions in this area, the AfDB is pointing the way to how women and girls can be supported to make a difference in science and innovation.
For instance, through the Nigeria Technical Cooperation Fund (NTCF), the bank is providing scholarships to African students to develop and build their capacities in science and technology at the African University of Science and Technology in Abuja, the country’s capital.
One of the beneficiaries of the scholarship, Sandra Musu Jusu of Sierra Leone, is gaining global attention with her research into an alternative treatment for breast-cancer – an ailment that is prevalent among African women.
Musu Jusu, a Sierra Leonean, said, “I am happy the scholarship came at the time it did, as it helped me remain focused on my goals which is to become a researcher. My Master of Science project is focused on breast cancer − the violent cancer types that kill African women.”
According to María-José Moreno, Chief Gender Officer at the AfDB, “In its operations supporting science, technology and innovation in Africa, the Bank has set indicators reducing gender gaps amongst students, and amongst teachers.”
A society needs the talent of all its citizens, men and women, and cannot thrive when half of the population does not develop its potential, she said.
The AfDB says it uses a multi-pronged approach to support girl’s education especially in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Between 2005-2017, the bank reportedly approved $2 billion to support over 70 education projects for Africa. $52 million in support to technical vocational education, training, and teacher education in Tanzania is helping reduce gender imbalance in science and technology related programs where female participation was only 11-19%.
Some 10,800 students, 50% of them female, have benefited from the programme.
Through the bank’s support of the Network of African Institutions of Science and Technology (SNAIST) Project, the 510 students graduated from Master’s and Ph.D programmes, with 48.9 % being female. The project awarded 48 scholarships to students, including young women.
According to the AfDB, its goal is to contribute to the building of high-skilled human capital, especially in science and technology for the technological advancement of the African continent.
One of the graduates – Ufuoma Bright Ighore and her professor – were awarded first prize in the 2nd international Bernard P. Zeigler Discrete Event System Specification modelling and simulation competition in Boston, Massachusetts.
In Rwanda, the bank’s support to science technology and skills development is promoting girls in science and technology and mathematics (STEM) and providing skills transfer through scholarships, professional internships and knowledge transfer partnerships.
In South Africa, AfDB is contributing to the realisation of an environment for sustainable employment and inclusive growth in the natural minerals and extractive industry in South Africa with the use of science technology innovation, targeting 50% female beneficiaries.
Mpho Phalwane, studying for her M.Phil. in Sustainable Mineral Development, is one of the students supported under this project and is researching the rehabilitation of abandoned asbestos mines in South Africa.
Speaking of her experience, she says, “I believe that mining is a good vehicle for development in Africa, and I am excited about our role in ensuring it is of a sustainable kind. The important work of moving forward does not wait to be done by perfect men. In that spirit, we should then not be afraid to keep trying.”
The Forum, with the theme, “STI for Private Sector Competitiveness and Economic Transformation in Africa,” also features a parallel session on “Women in Science: Addressing the Gender Gap in the Field of Science, Technology and Innovation”.
“Creating more equitable and inclusive societies requires that women and men are distributed across the different professions, including science, technology and innovation. This will foster social progress, cohesion and make societies and economies more resilient,” said Vanessa Moungar, Director for Gender, Women and Civil Society at the AfDB.
South Sudan declared the end of its longest and largest cholera outbreak on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 with no new cases of cholera reported in over seven weeks.
Health officials attending to local community people in South Sudan
The fight against cholera in South Sudan has involved a range of partners working together to enhance surveillance, deploy rapid response teams to investigate and respond to cases, provide clean water, promote good hygiene practices and treat cholera patients.
To enhance outbreak response efforts, the government worked with the European Union Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Health Organization (WHO), securing 2.2 million doses of the Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) from the Gavi-funded global stockpile.
In 2017 more than 885,000 people at higher risk of cholera were immunized in the first round and nearly 500,000 people also received a second round of the vaccine. Due to security challenges, not everyone was able to receive the recommended two doses, which would significantly decrease their risk of being affected by cholera.
“Cholera is a virulent disease which spreads when hygiene and sanitation are inadequate,” said Evans Liyosi, WHO Acting Representative to South Sudan. “I congratulate South Sudan for resolving to tackle cholera with determination. But cholera is endemic to South Sudan and many risk factors remain. It is important to maintain the ability to detect and respond to new cases.”
The outbreak was declared on June 18, 2016 and spread to many parts of the country, including the capital, Juba. By the time the last confirmed cholera case was discharged on December 18, 2017, over 20,000 suspected cholera cases and 436 deaths were reported.
The country is dealing with several complex health emergencies with 5.1 million people in need of health assistance. Armed conflict has forced almost four million people to flee their homes.
Nearly five million people, more than 40% of the population, are severely food insecure. These challenges place a huge burden on the country’s health system, while the sanitation infrastructure needs further strengthening.
“The achievements of South Sudan’s cholera programme are impressive,” said Mr Liyosi. “But in a few months a new rainy season will begin, increasing the risk of cholera. Together we must stay on the alert for warning signs that could signal another outbreak.”
The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, said on Saturday, February 10, 2018 that without meeting Ken Saro-Wiwa, the late environmentalist, he believes in his principles.
The late Ken Saro-Wiwa
Amaechi stated this during the inauguration of a pro-APC non-govermental organisation, Free Rivers Development Initiative (FRDI) in Bori, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers.
He said that the late environmentalist from Ogoni believed that the people of Ogoni, South-South and Niger Delta were oppressed.
“Saro-Wiwa was killed by the then machinery of power because of his belief that Ogonis and the Niger Delta should be liberated.
“I could have been killed by same machinery of power when we were fighting to install President Muhammadu Buhari because we fought same power that killed Saro-Wiwa, ” he said.
According to Amaechi, some Ogoni sons and daughters find it difficult to identify with the late environmentalist but he identified with him.
“Everybody is now claiming to love Ogoni and know Ken Saro-Wiwa because of election.
“If you love Ogoni, bring projects to Ogoni, train their children because, as governor, I trained Ogoni children overseas.
“I made sure that government paid all the fees because education was one of the issues that Saro-Wiwa died for,” he added.
Amaechi stated that when he was governor of Rivers State, he planned to turn Bori into a big city, and that was why he constructed all the internal roads in the city.
“When I became governor, there was no light in Bori and we brought light from Port Harcourt to the city.
“It was because of poverty I experienced that made me to build primary schools, primary health centres and employed teachers and doctors respectively.
“Today, the current government has reversed everything we did including free education and free healthcare care policies,” he said.
Conservationists have expressed concern over the way migratory waterbirds in the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands region are being killed by some unpatriotic Nigerians.
Participants at the NCF 2018 World Wetlands Day event
At an event organised by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) to commemorate the World Wetlands Day at Nguru, representatives of the Nguru Integrated Farmers Association (NIFA), Alhaji Umar Gambo; Komadugu Yobe Wetlands Development Initiative (KYB-WDI), Mamuda Dan Jaji; and Chairman of the Garbi Fadama Users Association, Adamu Karami, stressed that the perpetrators insert dangerous chemicals/poison in fruits and leaves of water lily, an aquatic plant that birds love, to kill the birds.
Describing the act as illegal, they said that it is not only detrimental to the ecosystem but that it affects the health of innocent consumers. They called for an end to such an act.
“We are really calling on all the government agencies that are responsible for protecting the environment/biodiversity to take immediate action to address the issue,” the trio echoed.
Dwelling on the values of wetlands, acting Director General of the NCF, Dr Joseph Onoja, represented by Alhaji Mohammed Garba Boyi, outlined that wetlands are very important and crucial to human survival on earth, adding that they serve as source of water, food and are essential in supporting and providing hydrological and ecological processes that are vital to people.
Speaking on the theme of the theme of the 2018 World Wetlands Day, “Wetlands for a sustainable urban future”, Boyi observed that 50% of the world’s population live in urban areas and that this would rise to 6.3 billion by 2050, the phenomenon that will increase carbon emission and wastes from both domestic and industries in urban areas.
But this, according to him, can be taken care of by wetlands, if they are well managed, as they can filter the domestic and industrial waste and improve water quality as well. Wetlands, added Boyi, can reliably store carbon and also act as an effective barrier to the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
Boyi continued: “They are also the first line of defence against flooding in urban areas, acting as large sponges that absorb the flood waters. So in order to sustain our cities or urban areas we need wetlands. Despite the mentioned values, yet wetlands are declining and it’s been estimated that more than 64% of the world’s wetlands have been lost since 1990. So there is need for all and sundry to put hands on deck to conserve this important ecosystem.”
Member, Board of Trustees, Ogoni Clean-up Project, Mr Nnimmo Bassey, has urged the affected communities to support government’s efforts towards the project, by avoiding further pollution in the area.
Nnimmo Bassey
Bassey made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt, after visiting some of the polluted communities in Ogoniland
The environmentalist represents the interest of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the 13-member board appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“New pollution can occur where people tamper with oil installations and burn crude. It can also occur where companies burn gas.
“We cannot be cleaning up and continue to pollute; it does not make sense. So everybody should police the environment. Life is more valuable than oil,” he said.
The board member expressed optimism that the exercise was realisable and would come to fruition.
“I am hopeful that the Ogoni clean-up is realisable because of the demonstration work done by various companies on the possibility of the project and the technology to be used.
“They really showed that it can be done.
“I believe Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and the consultants will now assess the suitability of the methods especially when they are going to be applied on a large scale.
“The aspect handled by Shell at Bodo City also indicates that with some care, we can actually handle the clean-up. The whole exercise will take about twenty-five years,” he said.
Bassey however noted that the affected communities were very anxious about the project and felt the process was slow, but reminded them that it required time and patience.
“I expect the project to start on a good footing and there should be a clear roadmap about what HYPREP is doing.
“We just need to understand that there are a lot of processes involved in the clean-up.
“The technical aspect must be done in a good way and there should be the political will to see the project through,” he said.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has described the recent toll charges increase at the Lekki-Epe Expressway and Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge toll gates by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) as “unfair and discriminatory”.
The Lekki-Ajah Road toll plaza
In a statement endorsed by the group’s executive director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, and made available to EnviroNews on Sunday, February 11, 2018, SERAP urged Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to take immediate steps to reverse the charges “if the Lagos State Government is not to run the risk of undermining the public interests, democratic values and accountability, and opportunities for participation.”
The organisation stated, “It’s time for Ambode to ensure and maintain a balance between the needs of the citizens and residents of Lagos State and the Lekki Concession Company. The authorities should respect and protect the right of protesters to demonstrate against the hike in toll charges and to voice their opinion. International human rights treaties ratified by Nigeria and the country´s own constitution obligate the government to safeguard the rights of freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.”
The new rates for the toll charges at the Lekki-Epe Expressway and Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge toll gates were implemented on February 1 by the LCC, managers of the road.
But SERAP declared in the statement: “This latest increase in toll charges at the Lekki-Epe Expressway and Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge toll gates is unacceptable, as it conflicts with the goals and commitment of the Lagos State Government to provide basic public services to citizens and residents. It seems the agreement between the Lagos State Government and the Lekki Concession Company is no longer serving the needs of citizens and residents.”
According to the group, “In the face of rising poverty and economic inequalities across the country, the Lagos State Government should be considering eliminating toll charges rather than allowing the Lekki Concession Company to get away with overcharging citizens and residents and prioritising profits over the public interests. Unless the situation is satisfactorily resolved in the public interests, the government runs the risk of being viewed as beholden to special interests and out of touch with the public good.”
The statement further reads: “The hike shows how profit motive can conflict with public motive. Accountability principles require the government to ensure that the activities of the Lekki Concession Company align with the policies and activities of governance, and that the Company is not allowed to exploit its monopoly position to charge excessive rates.
“It is the duty of the Lagos State Government, as custodian of the public trust, to take the public interests into account in assessing the activities of the Lekki Concession Company. The government is further obligated to prevent unnecessary and unjustified harm to the public trust and interests.
“Both ‘pre-decision accountability’ in the form of consultation with citizens, residents and other stakeholders, and ‘post-decision accountability’ in the form of taking corrective measures to redress the apparent injustice to those that might be affected by the hike are key democratic and governance values.
“Citizens cannot be mere recipients or purchasers of government services; they must also participate in the act of governance itself. The shift from a participatory role to a consumer role changes the role of individuals vis-a-vis their government from one of citizens to one of consumers. This itself erodes the ideals of a democratic society.
“States contravene their human rights obligations when they fail to take appropriate measures or to exercise due diligence to prevent, punish, investigate or redress the harm caused by acts by private persons or entities.
“At the Admiralty Circle Plaza (Lekki-Epe expressway), cars now pay N200 from N120; sports utility vehicles (SUV) now pay N250 from N150; while commercial buses now pay N150 from N80. Motorcycles now pay N100. At the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, saloon cars now pay N300 from N250; sports utility vehicles (SUV), mini vans, and light trucks now pay N400 from N300. Motorcycles will now pay N200.”
