An ecologist, Mr Abdullahi Aremu, has urged the government to enforce the extant waste disposal laws and sanction those flouting the regulations.
Officials of one of the AEPB waste evacuation contractors, on duty in Garki Area of Abuja
Aremu, who is the Director-General, Advocacy for Environmental and Sanitation Integrity, an NGO, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 that government should deal with those who littered the environment with garbage.
He particularly urged the Federal Government to resuscitate its “War Against Indiscipline’’ programme, which in 1984 enforced discipline and orderliness in the country.
He said that the government should revive the campaign to tackle the growing menace of indiscriminate disposal of solid and liquid waste.
“In Nigeria, managing waste disposal has become a major concern despite the efforts by the government and private organisations in that direction.
“That is why it is a common sight today to see heaps of festering waste in all the nooks and crannies of the country.
“Residential apartments, markets, waterways, highways, streets and undeveloped plots of land have been converted into waste dumpsites for many households,’’ he said.
Aremu said that the development had increased the volume of waste in a geometrical progression, exerting enormous strains on the waste collection and disposal apparatus.
“It is obvious that some factors responsible for poor waste disposal and management are paucity of funds, excessive population, lack of comprehensive legal framework and enforcement of existing regulations.
“Others include low investment in infrastructure, inadequate human capacity in administrative and technical issues, wrong attitude of the public towards solid waste disposal, poor planning, low data management and uncontrolled urbanisation,’’ he said.
Aremu underscored the need for the three tiers of government to invest in advocacy, fumigation and other basic facilities to facilitate efforts to sanitise the environment and wipe out diseases such as malaria in the country.
The Board of African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $10 million loan for African Local Currency Bond Fund (ALCBF) to boost its portfolio in Africa.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina
Mrs Olivia Ndong-Obiang, the Principal Communications Officer in AfDB, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, February 6, 2018.
She said that the ALCBF was also approved by the bank to promote the development of domestic capital markets in Africa and had a tenor of seven years with a two-year grace period.
The ALCBF loan, according to her, would improve access for non-sovereign issuers to long-term funding in local currency, reduce currency and maturity mismatches and increase local financial intermediation.
“The fund will catalyse investments in critical sectors such as renewable energy, housing, health, education, the financial sector and agriculture in line with the bank’s High five priorities.
The bank’s High Five priorities are Light up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa.
“This will ultimately help grow private sector financing through capital markets,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ALCBF was incorporated in December 2012 by German Development Bank on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development.
“The fund has invested in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Lesotho, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Uganda, Malawi, Gabon and Togo.
“As of December 31, 2017, the fund had made 27 investments across 19 companies and in 10 currencies,” Ndong-Obiang said.
German state prosecutors on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 conducted renewed raids on the headquarters of carmaker Audi and a manufacturing plant in the widening diesel emissions scandal relating to software designed to cheat exhaust testing.
The Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany
In the train of investigations in the U.S., where the scandal first broke over the parent Volkswagen Group in September 2015, investigators were now looking into six-cylinder diesel engines, prosecutors in the Bavarian capital of Munich said.
Fourteen people are under investigation, including current and former members of the up market carmaker’s executive board.
German media had earlier reported the raids at the headquarters in Ingolstadt in Bavaria and at the plant in Neckarsulm in the neighbouring state of Baden-Wuerttemberg
Prosecutors alleged that Audi sold at least 210,000 diesel-engine cars fitted with cheat software in the U.S. and Europe from 2009 onwards and had been investigating allegations of fraud and illegal product promotion for the past year.
On Tuesday morning, 18 prosecutors accompanied by officials from the state criminal investigation departments, searched the two premises, as well as a private home in Baden-Wuerttemberg.
Thus, far the only person charged is the former head of Audi engine development and member of the Porsche executive.
The man, who is not being named in the media under German law, has been held in custody since his arrest in September.
His appeal against detention is currently before the Munich state court.
Another senior employee at Audi’s Neckarsulm plant was released in November after several months in detention.
Kano State Government has approved N12.4 million to the Ministry of Environment for the production of two million assorted seedlings as part of efforts to check desertification.
Tree seedlings
The state Commissioner of Information, Malam Mohammed Garba, made the disclosure while briefing newsmen in Kano, the state capital, on the outcome of the state Executive Council Meeting.
He explained that the seedlings would be distributed free to farmers and other members of the general public.
“The state executive council has on Jan. 31 approved the money to enable the Ministry of Environment produce two million seedlings for distribution to people free to enable them plant the seedlings to check desertification.”
According to him, the council also approved the release of N185.4 million for the construction of access road in Tokarawa industrial area, and N8.6 million for the rehabilitation of Tukur Road in Kano metropolis.
The commissioner added that N65.2 million was approved for the reconstruction of a collapsed bridge along Jalabi-Kuluwa-Gwanare road in Bunkure Local Government area of the state.
“The state government has also provided the sum of N31.9 million to the Ministry of Works for the construction of culvert at Darmanawa behind Hassan Gwarzo College,” Garba said.
The Chief Medical Director, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan in Oyo State, Prof. Temitope Alonge, said on Monday, February 5, 2018 that over 70 per cent of cancer cases manifest very late, making early care impossible.
University College Hospital, Ibadan
Alonge told a media briefing to mark 2018 World Cancer Day that people within the age bracket of 40 and 45 years and 50 and 54 years are at risk of developing breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.
“At least, 70 per cent of cancer cases manifest very late and this has made early care impossible.
“UCH is a tertiary hospital that has a four-way plan of action of handling treatment of cancer in Nigeria.
“These are cancer prevention, identification stage (when it develops), the diagnostic stage and the end of care session (palliative care).
“As part of activities to reduce the burden of the disease, the management has decided to carry out routine immunisation to prevent cancer.
“We have put in place screening measures of diseases that could later develop into cancer,’’ Alonge said.
He noted:“We are beginning with all female staff of UCH will be screened for breast cancer and after this, the services would be extended to the men who would be screened for prostate diseases and cancer by mid-year.
“UCH has spent a lot ultrasonography and screening machine and even though we cannot screen 100 per cent successful cases, we are very sure the burden of cancer will be reduce considerably after the exercise in Nigeria.
“Hepatitis will be treated free for staff to prevent liver sclerosis and in collaboration with the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, we will use the laboratory to detect colon cancer.”
Alonge said virtually all hospitals in the country had no data to work with, adding “UCH collated data on cancer cases between January and December, 2016.’’
According to the don, from the report and statistics collated, breast cancer has the highest prevalence rate in women and prostate cancer has the highest prevalence rate in men.
In his presentation, Dr Adeyinka Ademola, said causes of cancer differ in human beings.
Ademola said “precision medicine” has come in handy an important tool for the treatment of cancer in patients.
“The implication of using precision medicine is that we can know the genomes responsible/driving the activities of the particular cancer a patient has.’’
Prof. Niyi Olanipekun, the Head Radiation Oncology Unit and Chairman, World Cancer Awareness Day Committee, said poverty was the primary reason the prevalence rate of breast cancer was high in Nigeria.
Olanipekun also listed ignorance, `out-of-pocket payment policy’ as part of the challenges that had led to the increase in the burden of cancer in Nigeria.
“Influence of quacks, who have become our major competitors as medical practitioners have not helped the situations too.
“Because these patients cannot access normal medical treatment and these quacks (one medicine treats all) – (in Yoruba meaning Gbogbo nise) tend to be cheaper, patients prefer to visit them for anticipated treatment.’’
Olanipekun said the week-long awareness programme include engaging in public awareness enlightenment programmes, seminar on various cancer cases and palliative medical care.
“We will round off the week with a cancer awareness walk by all staff of the hospital on Saturday,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the theme for 2018 is: “We can, I can”. Under the theme, people are expected to individually and collectively understand and work towards lessening the impact and the harmful effects of cancer globally.
On Sunday Feb. 4, individuals and communities across the world came together to raise awareness about cancer.
A team from the Lagos office of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which visited the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) in Abuja on Thursday, February 1, 2018 on a fact finding mission, has pledged its readiness to collaborate with the agency in achieving set mandate.
NBMA Director General, Dr. Rufus Ebegba, who received the team, said that the agency was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria to regulate the practice of modern biotechnology to ensure that it does not pose any threat to the environment and human health.
He noted that the practice of modern biotechnology would provide raw materials for industrial use as well as bring about job creation.
Dr. Ebegba stated that, since the inception of the agency, it has approved some permits for genetically modified (GM) crops for confined field trials, another for commercial release and recently approved a permit for GM maize for feed processing.
According to him, due process was followed in the issuance of all the permits, adding that risk assessments were conducted and no potential harm was found.
He said the agency has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with other government agencies to ensure that all government border agencies are on the same page on the regulation of modern biotechnology and its products in the country.
Leader of the team, Jude Akhidemor, expressed optimism in spite of the challenges the practice of modern biotechnology faces and stated the department’s preparedness to work with the agency.
Also known as the Agriculture Department, the USDA is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, agriculture, forestry, and food.
Deputy Director, Department of Drought and Desertification Amelioration, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr Bala Gukut, has advised Nigerians to take measures to reduce land degradation in the country.
A degraded land
Gukut gave the advice in Abuja on Monday, February 5, 2018 in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said that Nigerians, especially those living in rural communities, should do everything possible to protect the land for useful developmental purposes.
“It is unfortunate that people do not accept change; they are not ready to adjust from the activities which their forefathers practised.
“When you tell them to change from the old attitude and educate them on the implications, they will tell you they cannot afford to change the practice.
“There are some activities which our forefathers practised that are currently affecting our lands; now we have discovered that if people continue with such activities, it will cause more harm to our land.
“We try to let people know that human activities such as bush burning and cutting of trees, among other activities, can cause land degradation.
“But people are not ready to accept the change and embrace our concept; this has become a big challenge to us.
“When we even tell them the implications of cutting down trees or bush burning, they don’t listen; rather they would respond that they are doing what their forefathers did.
“They often say `our forefathers never allowed trees to grow without cutting them; we have been cutting our trees for firewood even without replacing them.
“We put fire in our lands and do other activities; we don’t see any negative effect and our forest is still healthy for us; we cannot accept this change.
“Therefore, it is difficult for people to accept our concept and that is a big challenge to us.
“If we did not work towards restoring our degraded lands, it will be very difficult to keep people on farm.
“It will definitely affect our farm production. In other words, food security will consequently become a big challenge to us in the country,’’ he said.
Gukut urged the citizens to embrace the concept of land degradation neutrality in their activities, saying that such efforts would promote the achievement of environmental sustainability by 2030.
He said that the ministry was partnering with relevant stakeholders to ensure the restoration of degraded lands across the country.
President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has said the nation made remarkable achievement despite inherent challenges.
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda (right) during the Council. Photo credit: Hope Mafaranga
Kagame made the submission while opening the Umushyikirano (National Dialogue Council) recently at the Kigali Convention Centre in Kigali town, Rwanda.
The Council, which meets once a year, debated issues relating to the state of the nation and national unity.
Kagame said the country’s agriculture has grown to 8% this year despite the challenges that faced the country. Kagame named some of the challenges to include attack of armyworm and severe drought.
He however added that the country was able to overcome them due to the cooperation of government agencies that worked closely with farmers to improve on irrigation to combat the drought and found a solution to end armyworm crisis that had staged a threat to food security.
“Agriculture and animal production is the centre of our growth and we shall do everything possible to protect the sector from any attack,” he said.
Kagame also said government had invested in domestic seed production which has reduced imports of seeds and improved on the quality of the seeds farmers can get from the market.
“When we produce our own seed, we are able to monitor the quality of seeds. This will also reduce crop diseases that have affected the country in the past,” he added.
This year, a plague of crop-destroying armyworm caterpillars spread to East Africa where officials confirmed their presence for the first time in Uganda.
The caterpillars ate maize, wheat, millet and rice, which are key food sources in eastern Africa, where many areas are already struggling with shortages after years of severe drought.
They also attack cotton, soybean, potato and tobacco fields.
The president also said they will reach out to the young people who have just graduated to take up agriculture in order to increase the food production that will improve on the food security and exports.
Taking the audience through the investment and infrastructure, Kagame said the government invested $1.5 billion this year, adding that the Bugesera Airport is already under construction that will boost the economy of the country.
He said the Made-in-Rwanda strategy has increased the export to 50% while the imports declined to 3% and over 800 jobs were created.
He thanked the health workers for their dedication towards service delivery, adding that they have been able to contain HIV and malaria that were nightmares to Rwandans.
“We are now going to focus on disease prevention so that our people do not get diseases that could easily be prevented,” he explained.
The president said that, this year, over 169 international meetings took place in Rwanda because of the customer care the country has showed. “Rwanda will continue to a dream destination for such meeting and tourists at large,” he added.
The president also re-emphasised the need for regional integration, strengthening international relations and promotion of peace and security.
Giving an overview of the National Strategy for Transformation, the Rwanda Prime Minister, Dr. Edouard Ngirente, said government has created jobs for the youth and currently 24% of the workforce in Rwanda comprised young people.
He however said they are targeting 29% by 2024. “The government has decided to let the youth bridge and play a significant role in the job market,” he added.
Clare Akamanzi, Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Development Bank, said the private sector should create over 2,000 jobs per year in order to fight unemployment.
She said these are needed for restructuring and adding value to the good that are made in Rwanda.
“Made in Rwanda, Start in Rwanda, grow and beyond Rwanda is the strategy we should focus our energies on as it has the capacity to grow our economy and create more jobs for the young people. That means we need a serous transformation and scaling up,” she said.
The Minster of State, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmad, on Monday, February 5, 2018 said no fewer than 300,000 Nigerians displaced by Boko Haram insurgency are taking refuge in Cameroun, Chad and Niger.
Women and children in a IDPs camp. The displacement was informed by the Boko Haram insurgency. Photo credit: channelstv.com
She made the disclosure at the Special Town Hall Meeting for Military and Security Agencies in Maiduguri, Borno State.
She said 8.5 million persons were displaced by Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast and that
80 per cent of the displaced persons were from Borno.
She explained that 30 per cent of the people were taking shelter at Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps, while 70 per cent of them were staying in host communities.
The minister said the Federal Government, in partnership with the UN and humanitarian actors had initiated various programmes to address the effects of crisis in the region.
Zainab said government had distributed 30,000 tonnes of grains under the Emergency Food Intervention Programme, adding that the government, in concert with World Food Programme (WFP) was providing food assistance to over one million people on monthly basis.
She added that healthcare services were also extended to 42 local government areas in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organisation (WHO).
She noted that “government had been providing healthcare services to six million people in the past two years.
“We also controlled diseases such as cholera, measles and Hepatitis, as well as malnutrition and
provided water to affected persons.”
Ahmad said government had worked out modalities to ensure continuity and consolidate on the feat achieved in reconstruction, rehabilitation, reconciliation and re-settlement.
She stressed the need for effective programmes to build resilience and provide livelihoods to enable displaced persons to return to their homes and resume their normal lives.
While commending the military over the successes recorded in the counter-insurgency operation in the region, she said the military had been overstretched, and called for engagement of police to facilitate restoration of civil authorities.
The minister expressed concern over proliferation of humanitarian organisations especially in Borno,
saying most of the groups operate without proper registration.
She suggested effective modalities to fast track rehabilitation and training of teachers, nurses and doctors to address manpower shortage and enhance delivery of quality education and healthcare services.
Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, said Federal Government had signed a tripartite agreement with Cameroun and UN-Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to facilitate safe and voluntary return of refugees.
He said “there are about 90,000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroun alone.
“We have a technical committee and we are working with Cameroonian authorities to sort out some issues.
“The movement, expected to hold now, has, however, been shifted to next month.”
Dambazau said sound programmes were also implemented for rehabilitation, resettlement and de-radicalisation of repentant insurgents.
He added that government had adopted effective modalities to address social, economic and ecological challenges facing the northeast region.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the special town hall meeting was organised by the Ministry of Information and Culture.
The meeting was attended by Minister of Defence Mansur Dan-Ali, Minister of Information and Culture Lai Muhammad, Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmad and Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau.
Other participants included Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno, members of national and state houses of assembly, emirs, humanitarian and community based organisations, as well as civil society organisations.
As African countries embrace the latest technology that includes use of phones, computers and other electronic gadgets, quite a number have however not thought about a national e-waste management strategy that will address the unsavoury effects of this venture that appears to have taken the continent by storm.
E-waste
According to the Rwandan Minister of Environment, Dr. Vincent Biruta, the rapid growth of economies has contributed to massive generation of electrical and electronic waste commonly known as e-waste where, an estimated global quantity of e-waste generation in 2014 was around 41.8 million tonnes, with this amount of e-waste expected to grow to 49.8 million tonnes in 2018, with an annual growth rate of 4 to 5 per cent, with most of this heading to developing countries for reuse and disposal.
“Rwanda, being no exception, has grown dependence on the use of modern technologies in all sectors of her economy, which has led to an increase in the amount of discarded EEE,” he said.
He said the discarded EEE contains hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and selenium, among others, which poses peculiar threats and risks to human health and to the environment if not properly handled and disposed.
“Adequate e-waste management allows the recovery of precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper and tin from disposed components, and also creates new business and job creation opportunities in the e-waste collection and management value chain, while reducing environmental burden to landfills,” he explained.
He added that e-waste with such risks and potentials should be separated from other types of waste and either recycled or properly disposed. “There is an urgent need for a clear framework for handling and disposal of the E-waste,” he said.
E-waste Programme Manager at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Olivier Mbera, said one of the measures Rwanda adopted was to carry out a detailed inventory to establish the current e-waste situation, develop a strategy, policy and legal framework to enable the establishment of environmental friendly e-waste collection centres and dismantling facility.
Mbera said the ministry is also creating awareness in the private sector, public institutions and the communities, saying that the facility would benefit the conservation of natural resources, the creation of green jobs, the reduction of risks from hazardous materials affecting human health and environment.
“The national framework for e-waste recycling and a country wide collection scheme with incentives and the establishment of a dismantling facility will be as well as connected to a sustainable recycling industries on a national, regional and international level,” he said
David Toovey the communications advisor for Rwanda’s Green Fund said the country has invested close to $1.5 million in an e-waste facility.
Located in Bugesera in Eastern Rwanda, the second plant in Africa after South Africa, the facility is designed to collect and treat e-waste according the required standards.
“The recycling facility is now operational and yielding positive socio-economic impacts for the country. Some 300 people are already employed in green jobs and students have been given internships at the facility,” he said.
He also said collection centres have been established in each district across the country which has created more than 1,000 employments.
“The e-waste facility is so advanced that it can recycle 15,000 tons per year. Sustainable e-waste management is a robust engine of green growth as both consumers and recyclers play their part. We are proud of what we have achieved with support from the Rwanda Green Fund,” he said.
Precious metals such as gold, copper, and silver, along with other electronic components, are being extracted, recycled and sold to be made into other valuable items.
Jean Philbert Nsengimana, the Minister of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) said the demand on EEE has significantly increased in Rwanda due to its rapid economic development.
He said the demand is enhanced by the national initiative to enhance ICT that require varieties of ICT tools such as computers and mobile phones.
“As such, there has been an enormous increase in ICT usage that led to high demand of the newer products. Additionally, as people are eager for newer technologies, the period for use of these products is progressively decreasing. Consequently, older and outdated products are becoming obsolete and being discarded as E-waste in large quantities and at increasing rates worldwide,” he said.
“In most cases, e-waste is mixed with ordinary waste at homes and disposed of at regular dumpsites. The facility will therefore control end of life electronics and electrical equipment resulting industry development including ICT, thus enhancing green and healthy environment,” he said.
Uganda’s policy on e-waste in draft
According to Bob Nuwagira, the information officer at the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) said Uganda has formulated a draft policy on e-waste.
“We have a problem with e-waste,” said Nuwagira, adding that e-waste is currently considered as waste and ends up at the landfill which is supposed to receive only solid waste.
“We do not have a landfill for e-waste and do not know how to manage it.”
He added, “Old electronic equipment contains toxic materials and some of them are persistent organic pollutants.”
The quantities of e-waste remain unknown but it expected to be large volumes. “So many people use mobile phones and computers,” he said, adding that such gadgets are being changed without proper disposal of the old ones. “Most people are still keeping electronic waste in their houses because of low levels of awareness.”
In addition, the e-waste sometimes is worked by artisanal workers something which Nuwagira believes exposes them to toxic materials and endangers their health.
Such concerns, according to Nuwagira are behind the policy on e-waste, which is currently in draft form. “The National Environment Management Authority together with ICT Ministry has been developing a policy on e-waste,” said Nuwagira.
As Uganda grapples with e-waste, neighbouring Rwanda is showing the way out of growing e-waste problem.
