Eighteen bio-fortified varieties comprising six vitamin A cassava, eight vitamin A maize, two orange sweet potato and two iron and zinc sorghum, which are bred conventionally, have been released officially in Nigeria.
Bio-fortified crops in Africa
Dr Paul Ilona, the Country Manager of Harvestplus, an international agricultural organisation, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, November 5, 2017 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
“Over two million farmers are estimated to be growing them now,” he said.
According to him, nutritious foods are of immense importance for good health.
“We must connect the dots among nutritious foods, health, income, women empowerment and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth,” he said.
He told NAN that the aim of the organisation was to tackle hidden hunger on a global scale by ensuring vitamins and minerals in food crops.
The country manager said that Harvestplus was working with partners to build sustainable food systems and bridge the gap between agriculture and nutrition.
He also said that an estimated 3,000 participants and 10,000 attendees would converge on the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, for the 2017 Nutritious Food Fair (NFF) aimed at improving the livelihood of Nigerians.
The country representative said that the fair would take place from Nov. 28 to 30.
Ilona said that mega livelihood and income generating opportunities would be facilitated for participants at the fair.
He hoped that the fair would result in success for new generation of micro, small and medium-scale businesses and investors in nutritious food.
“The event will be hosted by Harvestplus in partnership with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), National Root Crop Research Institute (NRCRI), etc; we expect at least 10, 000 attendees across the world.
“At the event funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID and DFID, the model of the largest nutritious cassava dish will be unveiled,” he said.
NAN reports that IlonaHarvestplus and its partners developed new varieties of staple food crops with higher amounts of vitamin A, iron or zinc to consumers in an effort to tackle malnutrition.
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.
Zenith Bank Plc has adopted the Triple R Principle of “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” in the bid to effectively manage the wastes it generates.
The Zenith Bank Plc head offices building on Victoria Island in Lagos. Solid waste produced at the head office has dropped from an estimated 24 tonnes in 2015 to 20 tonnes in 2016
The bank, which made the disclosure in its recently released 2106 Sustainabilty Report, noted that the initiative had helped it to lessen total solid waste produced at its head office on Victoria Island in Lagos from an estimated 24 tonnes in 2015 to 20 tonnes in 2016, representing a 16.7% reduction.
Similarly, it adds, solid waste generated per employee dropped from 0.0225 in the preceding year to 0.0196 tonnes in 2016, indicating a 12.9% reduction.
The project, according to the bank, involves wastes differentiation and segmentation into paper wastes, glass wastes, liquid (bio-degradable) wastes and plastic wastes.
The 2106 Sustainabilty Report has “Creating Wealth Sustainably” as its theme.
“As an environmentally friendly brand, we understand that we can significantly reduce the wastes we generate through more efficient use of assets and resources. We are also committed to sustainable waste management, and this entails, among other measures, reducing the amount of wastes sent to landfills, by adopting the principle of ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’,” the financial institution submitted in the report.
To improve efficiency in waste management bank-wide, the firm says it intends to invest in standard bins for both landfill and recyclable waste.
The firm stated in the report: “In Lagos State where we have our head office and the majority of our business offices, we use the services of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) for this purpose. This agency is currently responsible for the classification, measurement and disposal of wastes generated by the bank.
“LAWMA has adopted recycling as an effective, more environmentally friendly substitute for landfill and dumping. The agency’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) initiative is in accordance with the United nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
“Further, we monitor the and evaluate our contracted waste disposal agencies quarterly to ensure that our wastes, and especially electronic wastes, are disposed in line with standard recycling regulations.
“As a financial services institution, most of our waste type include fully depreciated and unserviceable items such as automobiles, computers, and accessories, generators, air conditioners, construction wastes, among others. Zenith Bank does not generate hazardous waste.”
Zenith Bank also disclosed that it had begun the process of fully integrating environmental and social risk considerations into credit and investment decisions, and that it had trained and built needed capacity within the workforce which enable the implementation of the process.
“This initiative will enable us manage the environmental risks posed by our third party business partners more effectively,” the bank stated.
The 2017 UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) opens in Bonn, Germany on Monday, November 6, 2017 with the aim of launching nations towards the next level of ambition needed to tackle global warming and put the world on a safer and more prosperous development path.
And aerial view of the construction site of the COP23 “Bonn Zone”
The Conference, coming just two years after the landmark adoption of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, will also further fuel momentum among cities, states, regions, territories, business and civil society in support of national climate action plans, the internationally-agreed temperature goal and the wider objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Extreme Weather Brings Fresh Urgency
Presided over by Frank Bainimarama, the Prime Minister of Fiji and the first small island developing state to hold this role, the conference comes against a backdrop of extreme weather events that have devastated the lives of millions of people in places like Asia, the Americas and the Caribbean.
“The human suffering caused by intensifying hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, floods and threats to food security caused by climate change means there is no time to waste,” said Mr Bainimarama, who takes over as President of the COP23 conference from Morocco during the opening.
“We must preserve the global consensus for decisive action enshrined in the Paris Agreement and aim for the most ambitious part of that target – to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees above that of the pre-industrial age,” he said.
“Wherever we live, we are all vulnerable and need to act. Fiji is helping build a Grand Coalition for decisive, coordinated action by governments at every level, by civil society, the private sector and all citizens on earth. That’s why we installed an ocean-going Fijian “drua” canoe in the entrance here to remind everyone of the need to fill its sail with collective determination to make COP23 a success and confront the biggest challenge humanity has faced,” he said.
COP23 in Bonn will respond to that call with new progress and initiatives in the two critical and inter-linked areas of action:
Governments working to increase climate action under the terms of the Paris Agreement and the UN Climate Change Convention
Showcasing, fostering and launching new and expanding global climate action initiatives by all actors with a view towards better coordination that aligns efforts in more efficient, effective and transformative ways.
Patricia Espinosa, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, said: “COP23 in Bonn will show to the world the two faces of climate change – firstly positive, resolute, inspiring momentum by so many governments and a growing array of cities and states to business, civil society leaders and UN agencies aligning to the Paris Agreement’s aims and goals”.
“Secondly, the reality check. The thermometer of risk is rising; the pulse of the planet is racing; people are hurting; the window of opportunity is closing and we must go Further and Faster Together to lift ambition and action to the next defining level,” she said.
Anticipated Highlights of COP23
The conference is itself a welcome mirror of international cooperation and coordination.
COP23 is organised by Bonn-based UN Climate Change, presided over by Fiji and organisationally and logistically supported by the Government of Germany, the region of North-Rhine-Westphalia and the City of Bonn.
Speakers reflect the broad spectrum of action. Those already confirmed include Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, Arnold Schwarzenegger, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, California Governor Jerry Brown, UN Special Envoy Michael Bloomberg, Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, Unilever CEO Paul Polman, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and Solar Impulse Explorer Bertrand Piccard.
Close to 20 country leaders are expected to attend, including President Emmanuel Macron of France and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Various transformative initiatives are anticipated including one from the UN on health and small islands; a platform to support engagement with Indigenous Peoples; a wide-ranging Gender Action Plan and the ramping up of a global risk transfer project that aims to deliver affordable insurance cover to an extra 400 million poor and vulnerable people.
The Paris Agreement is underpinned by national climate action plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) whose ambition needs to be collectively advanced over time to get on track to the Agreement’s temperature goal.
The Agreement’s goal is to keep the global temperature rise well below 2 degrees C and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees C.
Faster, immediate action is urgent because recorded pledges and efforts so far still have the world on track towards a 3C degree rise, maybe higher.
This risks the loss of the Greenland ice sheet, more sea level rise, significant damage to massive natural systems like the Amazon and the predictability of ocean circulation systems.
Currently temperatures have already risen by around one degree Celsius over pre-industrial times.
Government Negotiations
COP23 is structured according to the principle of one conference, two zones. The UN intergovernmental negotiations take place in Zone Bula, a Fijian word expressing warm welcome.
Countries in the negotiations plan to design and launch the Talanoa dialogue, named after the spirit of open exchange and constructive debate of Pacific island nations, to run during the course of 2018.
The dialogue will be underpinned by three fundamental questions – Where are we? Where do we want to go? How do we get there?
The dialogue will conclude at COP24 in Poland next year with the aim of setting the stage for a more ambitious response that better reflects the scientific state of climate change during the window 2019-2020.
Governments will also work on what can be called the Paris Agreement’s operating system – the detailed ways and means to assist all governments, supported by non-Party Stakeholders, better meet the goals of the Paris Agreement now and over the years and decades to come. The deadline for this is also scheduled for Poland in 2018.
The guidelines underpinning the operating system will need to ensure that the Agreement fosters transparency on action and support and that resilience-building and adaptation are boosted.
They also need to detail how governments will take stock of the evolving global situation and how mechanisms to facilitate implementation and promote compliance will operate.
COP23 negotiators will also be keen to move forward on other unfinished business under the Convention.
These include checking on the progress of the delivery of $100 billion of support for developing countries by 2020 and the bringing into force of the Doha Amendment of the first international emission reduction treaty, the Kyoto Protocol.
Global Climate Action and the Marrakech Partnership
Meanwhile, just along the river Rhine the German government is organising Zone Bonn, where governments, cities, states, business and civil society will be announcing achievements post-Paris and new initiatives.
“I look forward to great new initiatives. The economic and the public health and well-being benefits of a clean, green world are now utterly compelling for governments, companies, investors and consumers alike. But I look forward also to new breakthroughs in coordinating global expertise and resources to achieve faster concrete results,” said Barbara Hendricks, Germany’s Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
Known as the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (GCA), this is a five-day programme of well over 100 events demonstrating how cities, regions, businesses and investors are working with governments and the UN system to implement the Paris Agreement.
The first three GCA days (November 10 to 12) will showcase action in eight core thematic areas; namely Energy, Water, Agriculture, Oceans & Coastal Zones, Human Settlements, Transport, Industry and Forests. Daily morning press conferences will curtain raise these events.
The final two days (November 13 to 14) will pivot into the high-level segment, featuring the most prominent speakers spotlighting the crosscutting themes of finance, innovation, resilience, Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities & Communities) and Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).
These also demonstrate the depth, breadth and creativity of global climate action happening around the world, from the biggest corporations to local, small-scale initiatives with major
Former Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Turner Isoun, has commended the federal government on its directives to government agencies to patronise the Nigerian satellite.
The NigcomSat-1R
Recently, government issued Order 2 compelling its ministries, agencies and corporate bodies in the country to patronise Nigerian satellites.
Nigeria currently has satellites in orbit performing both observatory and communication functions, yet government agencies spend millions of dollars every year on the purchase of satellite imageries and internet data from other satellites across the world.
But Prof. Isoun said that the directive by government was a clear testimony that the investment in the satellite sector was not a waste as the sector is currently positioned to advance government efforts to create wealth and jobs for the teeming youth population.
“It is noteworthy that government investment in the space sector in the last few years has started paying off as the sector is now positioned to create wealth and jobs, and be in the first line of renewable resources of innovation,” he said.
“As the former minister who guided the nation in this direction, I must applaud this effort and urge government not to relent on its oars; government should continue to show leadership by monitoring and ensuring strict compliance with the implementation of the directive,” he added.
According to him, the satellite industry must be linked to other sectors of the economy especially agriculture, transportation and banking, adding that the acceptance of GSM, ATMs and other innovative facilities by Nigerians has demonstrated how technologically friendly we are as a country.
“Any nation averse to technology and innovation cannot compete globally. Nigerian universities must key into the current development especially in the space sector, they must play a significant role in efforts to create wealth and jobs for the population,” he said.
The former minister urged government to also step up action on the Nuclear Programme which was established to generate over 1000 megawatt of electricity. “Government must not shy away from the Nuclear for Peaceful Purpose Programme. We already have in place facilities such as the gamma irradiation that will add value to agricultural produce especially those for export.”
African Climate Reporters on Saturday, November 4, 2017 warned against indiscriminate bush burning, deforestation, and urged security agencies to arrest anybody caught burning bush.
Bush burning
The Assistant Director, African Climate Reporters in West Africa, Mr Mohammad Zakariyya, made the call in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.
He said setting bush on fire usually killed many plants, animals and destroyed natural vegetation thereby exposing human beings to many health hazards and diseases.
According to him, setting vegetation on fires, particularly in the tropics, are major sources of atmospheric pollution, affecting large areas of the globe.
“Most fires occur in the dry tropics, where large scale subsidence prevent deep convention associated with rainfall, and thus would not allow the vegetation to become dry enough to burn.
“Smoke has a range of health effects from eye and respiratory tract irritation to serious disorders, such as breathing problems, bronchitis, severe asthma, cancer and premature death.
“The very fine particles in smoke can go deep into the lungs and find particles, by themselves or in combination with other air pollutants, can make pre-existing diseases of the heart and lungs worse,” he said.
Mohammed pointed out that setting bush on fires had so many negative effects on human beings.
He said that it is glaring that particles, carbon monoxide, hydro-carbons, oxides of nitrogen a negligible percentage of oxides of sulphur are the major pollutants of bush burning and they all have various effects on man and his environment, like reduction of visibility and some respiratory diseases.
He added that oxides of sulphur and nitrogen are also hazardous as they cause respiratory disorders and irritants.
“Where there is short-term exposure to smoke, the particles are the most significant threat to public health.
“High levels of carbon monoxide are poisonous to humans.
He said, however, carbon monoxide arising from smoke events does not usually reach levels that pose a risk to the general population, although firefighters and people with heart disease can be at risk.
According to him, forests are greatly helping to reduce the amount of pollutants in the air, so, the depletion of these groups of trees is greatly increasing the risk that carbon monoxide would reach the atmosphere and result in the depletion of the ozone layer, which in turn results to global warming.”
Mohammad also said apart from the soil destruction and desert encroachment caused by bush burning, it also had a marked increase in global warming due to the emission of gases, which have tremendous effect on the ozone layer.
He called on all stakeholders in Nigeria, West Africa, to find means of educating the people of the region on the dangers of bush burning.
The focal person of UNICEF in Nasarawa State, Mr Adikwu Moses, made this known in an interview with newsmen after a two-day workshop held in Karu Local Government Area of the state.
The training was designed for various religious leaders from seven local government areas of the state on essential family practices.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that six religious leaders each representing Awe, Kokona, Doma, Keffi, Wamba, Nasarawa and Karu local government areas were drawn from Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’atul Nasir Islam (JNI).
Others are Women Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN) and Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN).
Moses said UNICEF’s concern about the welfare of children is because they were the most vulnerable in the society, hence the workshop to train and encourage them to sensitise their followers on prioritising the nutrition of children.
“UNICEF is about the children and the women who are vulnerable to certain situations. So how do we do promote these issues that are very key to their welfare especially issues that deal with essential family practices?
“These issues include promotion of infant and young child feeding because the child must be properly fed to get the required nutrition and nutrition is supreme to human life. This is what UNICEF is concerned about and the reason for this training,” he said.
He added that UNICEF in collaboration with National Orientation Agency (NOA) chose religious leaders because of the respect they command amongst their followers, their closeness to the people and their wide reach.
“That is why we brought in religious leaders. These religious leaders are close to the people and their words are authority because they have seen from the holy books areas that God in his own scriptures has given to man what it means to give nutrition. These things are there.
“As men of God, they can bring out research on nutrition from the holy books and talk to their followers so that they can have a change of attitude and knowledge. Once they talk to their followers, the society will be promoted and everybody will do what is expected for our children and mothers,” he said.
He said the expectation of UNICEF after the training is for the religious leaders to go back home to their various communities to ensure that their followers get the message of proper nutrition for Nigerian children.
“That is why they need to develop key messages that the people will understand. It is going to be a duty on them to continuously ensure that members of the society are informed on what they are supposed to do with regards to nutrition,” he said.
He also appealed to parents and followers to key into the messages the religious leaders would be disseminating on the nutrition of the children in the society as according to him, the effort is for the interest of the mother and child.
“The concern is to encourage parents to do all that is necessary so that children they give birth to will look healthy.
“A healthy child makes a healthy family. A healthy family makes a society to be healthy and a healthy society makes the country to be a healthy nation,” he said.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, November 3, 2017 approved legislation to continue a federal insurance programme for millions of lower-income children and pregnant women.
Donald Trump, US president
But, with an ongoing funding battle, it could be weeks before the programme gets more money.
The House Republican measure was approved by 242-174 votes largely along party lines.
It would continue the Children’s Health Insurance Programme (CHIP) for five years.
But Democrats warned that the partisan House approach would not fly in the Senate, further delaying cash for the programme that expired over a month ago.
“This bill is going nowhere … the Senate will not take it up, and we will be waiting around until Christmas” to get funding, Democratic Representative, Frank Pallone, warned.
Republicans control 52 of the Senate’s 100 seats, and 60 votes are needed for passage there.
CHIP, which provides health insurance to about nine million children, has been a bipartisan programme since its creation 20 years ago and reauthorising funding has not been contentious – until now.
Under President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress, healthcare issues have become highly politicised as Republicans have repeatedly failed to repeal and replace Obamacare, a top Trump campaign promise.
The programme’s funding lapsed on Sept. 30, but most states have enough money to continue it past 2017.
Still, 11 states, including Colorado, California, Utah, Ohio and Pennsylvania expect to exhaust their funding by the end of the year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Another 21 states anticipate running out of money by the end of March 2018.
The House bill extends the programme for five years, and continues funding of community health centres for two years.
It also includes one billion dollars for Medicaid programmes in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, hard hit by recent hurricanes.
The bill became controversial after Republicans added provisions that would affect the Affordable Care Act, former Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement.
They include slashing funding from the law’s Prevention and Public Health Fund, which among other things helps fight the opioid epidemic, and making it easier to kick people off Obamacare plans for non-payment of premiums.
However, Republican Representative, Greg Walden, pointed out the bill would block for two years the Medicaid cuts for hospitals that would otherwise occur under Obamacare.
Democrats criticised the legislation for asking Medicare’s wealthiest one per cent of beneficiaries, those, who make more than $40,000 each month, to pay more to help fund health insurance for low-income children.
UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP) have appealed to the government at all levels to increase humanitarian interventions in the North East by supporting agricultural production.
Suffyan Koroma, FAO Country Representative
They made call in Abuja on Friday, November 3, 2017 via recommendations at a stakeholders meeting to examine the results of the Cadre Harmonise analysis of food and nutrition insecurity in Nigeria.
Mr Suffyan Koroma, the FAO Country Representative, said that immediate actions on the implementation of the recommendation would help to strengthen food and nutrition security among vulnerable populations in the area.
Koroma, who was represented by Mr Patrick David, the Programme Liaison Officer, FAO Nigeria, said that increased humanitarian interventions would also aid efforts to save lives and protect livelihoods in the region.
Ms Myrta Kaulard, the Country Director and Representative WFP in Nigeria, said that no fewer than 300 data collectors drawn from the Federal Ministries of Budget and National Planning and Agriculture collated the data for the analysis.
She said that the Cadre Harmonise programme was aimed at reaching over 22,000 households in 16 states and the FCT.
Kaulard pledged WFP’s commitment to efforts to achieve food and nutrition security in Nigeria, particularly in the northeast.
Dr Bukar Hassan, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the harmonisation process was to guide the government in decision making, especially in the area of food and nutrition.
Hassan, who was represented by Alhaji Auwal Maidabino, the Director of Planning and Policy Coordination in the ministry, said that the Federal Government, through the ministry, had been part of interventions aimed at improving household and food security in the North East.
He said that the Federal Government would take appropriate actions on the implementation of the recommendations and the outcome of the analysis so as to ensure improved food security in the region.
“Our gathering here today is essentially to listen to the presentation of the outcome of the Cadre Harmonise process, with a view to taking appropriate actions and interventions.
“The efforts of partners in developing and financing the Cadre Harmonise processes are highly commendable,’’ he said.
Mr Kevin Tekpat, the Director of the National Programme on Food Security (NPFS), said the meeting was to consolidate and analyse the outcome to assist governments at all levels in decision making.
He said that judging from the analysis, most states were under food pressure but no state was experiencing famine in the North East.
“We want to make the analysis palatable for decision makers to utilise; we are looking at the categories of food insecurity in the country,’’ Tekpat said.
Some of the state Cadre Harmonise Coordinators, who spoke at the meeting, described the food and nutrition security situation in their states as “fair’’.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Cadre Harmonise is the current regional framework for consensual analysis of acute food insecurity situations in 16 states and the FCT.
It aims at using the results of the food insecurity analysis to prevent food crisis by identifying affected areas and populations, while proffering appropriate measures to improve their food and nutrition security.
The benefitting states are Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara and the FCT.
Cadre Harmonise is supported by the Federal Government, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), WFP and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), among others.
NAN reports that the analysis showed that 13 out of 16 states and FCT were in the minimal phase of food insecurity, while Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states were facing nutritional challenges.
The UN says three million people worldwide are stateless, most of them minorities, a status that deprives them of an identity, rights, and often jobs.
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres. Photo credit: UN /Mark Garten
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in a report on Friday, November 3, 2017 said, muslim Rohingyas in Buddhist-majority Myanmar form the world’s biggest stateless minority, with some 600,000 having fled violence and repression since late August and taken refuge in Bangladesh.
In the report, ”This is Our Home“ – Stateless Minorities and their Search for Citizenship”, the UNHCR called on governments to end the discriminatory practice by 2024.
“If you live in this world without a nationality, you are without an identity, you are without documentation, without the rights and entitlements that we take for granted … having a job, having education, knowing that your child belongs somewhere,” Carol Batchelor, director of UNHCR’s division of international protection, told a news conference.
UNHCR said governments should give nationality to people born on their territory if they would otherwise be stateless, and facilitate naturalisation for longtime stateless residents.
The UNHCR said other stateless groups, many of whom have lived for generations in their homelands, include many Syrian Kurds, the Karana of Madagascar, Roma in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and the Pemba of Kenya.
“We can concretely say there are over three million identified stateless persons, but that would certainly not be the scope in totality,” Batchelor said.
“We need to ensure that there is not a deliberate, arbitrary exclusion or deprivation of nationality.”
Asked whether Rohingya fell into the category of those deliberately excluded and deprived of nationality, Batchelor said: “We can only look at the result …
“Myanmar has a nationality law. It outlines categories of persons that are considered to be citizens of Myanmar. The Rohingya are not on that list.”
The office said some 30,000 stateless people in Thailand have acquired nationality since 2012 and the Makonde, a community of 4,000, became Kenya’s 43rd officially recognised tribe in 2016.
“We are seeing reductions in Thailand, in central Asia, in Russia, in Western Africa.
“The numbers are not nearly as substantial as they would need to be for us to end statelessness by 2024,” said Melanie Khanna, head of UNHCR’s statelessness section.
A visit to Kiokio in Isolo-Ajegunle along Ikorodu Road in Lagos, the area is situated approximately 36 kilometre to the North of Lagos. Ikorodu is bounded to the South by the Lagos Lagoon, to the North by a boundary with Ogun State, and to the East by a boundary with Agbowa-Ikosi, a town in Epe Division of Lagos State.
The sight of buildings that have either been abandoned or taken over by water from the nearby Ogun River welcomes you.
Kiokio is situated approximately 36 kilometres to the North of Lagos.
The people living here belong to Ilaje, Igbo and the Yoruba communities in Nigeria, which are regarded as the most populous.
Residents fetch water for domestic use from Ogun River, which drains its water into Ogun Dam.
A wetland community
Fishermen also eke out a living here, by diving into deep waters in search of fish, which they sell to locals as well as to nearby markets for income.
But these locals have to contend with a worrying trend. Every three years, the Ogun Dam bursts its banks, unleashing untold suffering in its wake. Because of the heavy flooding, several residents have to pack up on short notice and vacate their homes to safety.
A walk around Kiokio with Mr. Mauho Dosu, a resident, who took our reporter around the flooded and paths constructed with woods. “The flood is always much, pointing to the water “And as you can see some houses have been abandoned, while some of us that are here paddle canoe along the streets, which are usually dry when there is no flood,” he lamented.
Rapid urbanisation and increasing population are piling pressure on the infrastructural base of Lagos, Nigeria’s famed megacity.
A megacity is a metropolitan area with a total population in excess of ten million people.
A megacity can be a single metropolitan area or two or more metropolitan areas that converge.
In Kiokio, many homes are built on the water axis, as the demand for homes continues to rise.
It is due to this rising demand created by more people against less land, that is pushing people to build on water ways, igniting the ripple effect.
The demand for property development in Lagos State, which has a population of more than 20 million people, is drastically impacting the natural drainage in the city.
Lagos State is located in the South-Western part of the Nigerian Federation, on the North and East it is bounded by Ogun State; in the West, it shares boundaries with the Republic of Benin.
Behind its southern borders, lies the Atlantic Ocean, 22% of its 3,577 kilometre square are lagoons and creeks, with 1,381 square metre. Some of the areas that have been encroached serve as channels for excess water during flooding.
This means that conservation is being undermined as wetlands are gradually being reclaimed and used for property development.
Residents, especially fishermen and women in Kiokio are the worst hit, they now have to struggle to get species of fish.
A fisherwoman, Madam Asake Mowen, explained that they have to relocate to areas where they can have a good catch. “We have to move up into the river to get good catch, most houses around have blocked the waterway,” she said.
Another fisherman who simply gave his name as Jemade said, that urbanisation has taken over areas where they set their nets. “We are good in our job as fishermen, but we experience low catches and do not get all species of fish we want as mist have relocated or dead, it is not a good one for us at all but we have to survive.”
Other communities along Ikorodu Road in Lagos have also suffered a similar fate as they have to abandon their houses for safer ground where they can earn a living without fear.
A member of the Community Development Association (CDA) in the area Elder Sesan Ogunbiyi said the community needs good boundaries and removal of houses blocking waterways.
“All we need is good road leading to our area, we are close to the Lagoon, once we have a boundary, we will enjoy staying in our houses, once there is rain or the dam is opened, it is not a good time for us,” he said.
Mrs. Ojuolape Ajewole has been living in Kiokio for several years. Relocating from Kiokio, which she considers “safe haven”, is not an option for her.
“We cannot go anywhere, I gave birth to my children here and they all are grown-ups, government should help us resolve this problem, if we are given an alternative, we will happy,” she said.
An environmentalist, Mrs. Temitope Okunnu, describes the negative impact of urbanisation on the ecosystem, which is threatening the lives of residents as well as the survival of species.
“Wetlands degradation is caused by we, humans, as government has continue to build for the teeming population, Oworonsoki and Lekki Peninsula area are good examples and the most recent one,” she said.
“Whenever government moves to fill a particular wetland area, most species move away while some others die in the process of trying to survive, as they have no place to survive.
Mrs. Okunnu is urging concerned authorities to save the ecosystem as the value bestowed on Lagos wetlands is enormous.
Fish biologist at the Nigerian Institute of Fisheries, Niger State, Dr. Babatunde Olaosebikan, described the symbiotic relationships occurring in wetlands, noting that this is the more reason their conservation needs to be prioritised.
“It is good to know how to properly manage wetlands, though we are competing for space with major economic activities in and around wetlands in Lagos.
“Wetland maintenance can create employment for all especially the youths, wetland serves as habitats for some species too,” Dr. Olaosebikan stated.
Laws to protect wetlands as stated in the Nigeria constitution should be complemented by policy guidelines, yet there are none.
Wetlands are among the most biologically rich ecosystems as sources of water, food, medicine, handcrafts and shelter, and also serve as refuge for animals.
Despite these benefits, current global and local trends have shown that wetlands are being degraded at an alarming rate.
A study carried out by Nigeria Environment Study Action Team (NEST) in 2011 shows that 91% of wetlands in Lagos have been taken over by various man-made factors. NEST was founded in 1987 following a conference convened to mop up action for dealing with environmental challenges, most of which the conference participants linked to poverty. Among the environmental stresses include deforestation, soil erosion, desertification, air and water pollution, water scarcity, floods, solid waste, industrial pollution especially from petroleum production and use and loss of biodiversity.
The relatively small land area available in Lagos and the need to provide shelter for the growing population is not promising, a situation further compounded by the fact that Nigeria lacks a policy on wetlands.
The project adviser at the International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development (ICEED), Mr. Adedamola Ogunsesan, says it behooves the government to develop a participatory process to conserve wetlands in areas like Makoko, Ajegunle, Otodo Gbame and Epe, including those residing in coastal areas, through training communities.
Lagos State recently enacted a draft policy document which had gone through different levels of considerations.
It was presented for review at a one-day “Stakeholders’ Meeting on Policy Formulation on Wetland Conservation and Management in Lagos State.
The existing legislation gives little attention to wetland management.
This is coupled by weak enforcement of the existing law or policy on wetland degradation on the part of the Federal Government.
NEST became formally registered in 1989, under the Land (Perpetual Succession) Act (cap 98), as a non-governmental, not-for-profit, non-partisan, research, education, and advocacy organisation.
NEST arose out of the observation that the past decades had witnessed numerous negative impacts of human activities on the environment, the adverse effects of such degraded environments on Nigerians, linking environmental degradation tightly to poverty, and the uncomfortable adjustments that many people have had to make in the attempt to survive.
Professor Dele Olowokudejo of the Department of Botany, University of Lagos, said government should recognise that wetland resources are being adversely affected by the process of urban development, owing to the rapid expansion of Lagos State, hence, speed up enactment of the policy.
An urban planner, Mr. Abdulfatai Ogunsiji, gives a graphical explanation of areas that have been encroached in the name of urbanisation.
“As seen on the map, wetlands around Lagos lagoons have been encroached upon, many do not know that Apapa is a wetland as urbanisation has taken over, the area witness flood whenever there is a downpour,” he stated.
Mr. Ogunsiji stated that over 50 per cent of the wetlands were indiscriminately encroached on due to urbanisation, as the topography of Lagos State harboured about 78 per cent water bodies of various sizes such as lagoon, lakes, streams, and wetlands.
A littered wetland
The Commissioner for Urban Planning & Physical Development, Mr. Anifowose Wasiu, disclosed that plans are being reviewed to change the face of Lagos to become a mega city in reality, not just on paper.
“The state government will act soon once the policy on wetlands is regulated; we intend to achieve a lot as the state is facing challenge in the area of provision of houses for the teeming populace,” said Anifowose.
The Ministry, in which pocket urban development falls, says there is need to devise and implement the state policies on Physical Planning and Urban Development, as it is now time to prevent water habitats in Lagos from extinction.
This means that conservation is being undermined as wetlands are gradually being reclaimed and used for property development.
“All we need is good road leading to our area, we are close to the Lagoon, once we have a boundary, we will enjoy staying in our houses, once there is rain or the dam is opened, it is not a good time for us,” he said.
“Whenever government moves to fill a particular wetland area, most species move away while some others die in the process of trying to survive, as they have no place to survive.