The World Health Organisation (WHO) said up to 650,000 deaths annually were associated with respiratory diseases from seasonal influenza, a report revealed on Thursday, December 14, 2017.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Photo credit: AFP / FABRICE COFFRINI / Getty Images
WHO urged all countries to work together to control influenza outbreaks.
Seasonal influenza is an acute viral infection that spreads easily from person to person and circulates worldwide.
Common respiratory diseases related to seasonal influenza that can cause death include pneumonia and bronchitis.
According to new estimates by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), WHO and global health partners, the latest death toll has marked an increase on the previous global estimate of 250,000 to 500,000, which dates from over 10 years ago.
The new figures of 290,000 to 650,000 deaths, including influenza-related deaths such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, are based on more recent data from a larger, more diverse group of countries.
According to Dr Peter Salama, Executive Director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, these countries include lower middle income countries, and exclude deaths from non-respiratory diseases.
“These figures indicate the high burden of influenza and its substantial social and economic cost to the world.
“They highlight the importance of influenza prevention for seasonal epidemics, as well as preparedness for pandemics,’’ Salama said.
According to U.S.-CDC, most deaths occur among people aged over 75 years and in the world’s poorest regions.
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the world’s greatest flu mortality risk, followed closely by the Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia.
Almost all deaths among children under five with influenza-related lower respiratory tract infections occur in developing countries, but the effects of seasonal influenza epidemics on the world’s poorest are not fully known.
“All countries, rich and poor, large and small, must work together to control influenza outbreaks before the arrival of the next pandemic.
“This includes building capacity to detect and respond to outbreaks, and strengthening health systems to improve the health of the most vulnerable and those most at risk,’’ said Dr. Salama.
Kenya’s Energy Regulator said it has embarked on initiatives aimed at reducing biomass fuel use in the country, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said on Thursday, December 14, 2017.
Uhuru Kenyatta, the President of Kenya
The commission’s acting Director for Petroleum, Mr Edward Kinyua, said plans were underway to introduce purchase of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) through mobile phones.
Kinyua said ERC would also present the introduction of 500 grammes gas cylinder for use by low income earners.
“We intend to contribute to the citizen’s wellbeing by ensuring that they use clean energy while cooking as opposed to firewood and kerosene that contribute to death of women and children,’’ Kinyua said.
He said that purchase of LPG would be operational once the smart meters were installed by a team of consultants that included scientists from Colorado University, currently running trials in the informal settlements in Nairobi.
Kinyua said that the technology will enable people to purchase LPG through prepaid token depending on the amount of money one had from their mobile phones anytime as was the case with mobile shopping.
“This will help to increase penetration of gas cylinders.
“It will also help to have access to clean energy to consumers and contribute to the reduction of indoor pollution that is blamed for death of many people in the country,’’ he added.
Kinyua also announced that additional gas cylinder weighing 500 grammes would be introduced to cater for people in the informal settlements and far-flung villages to reduce cutting of trees for fuel.
Report says in Kenya, LPG is sold in one, three, six and 13 kilogrammes unit, at a price that is far above low income earners who mainly depend on fuel wood and charcoal for cooking and heating their houses.
Air pollution is a major contributor to respiratory diseases in Kenya. It kills 14,300 Kenyans annually while the number of people with respiratory diseases increased by 63 per cent over a four-year period from 12.2 million in 2012 to 19.9 million in 2016.
Kinyua said that a number of people were victims because they used traditional fuels and kerosene for cooking and heating.
Air pollution from indoor and outdoor sources remains a major environmental and health issue, and a policy challenge, especially in Kenya that is rapidly urbanising.
The Managing Director, Nigerian Communication Satellite Ltd. (NIGCOMSAT), Ms Abimbola Alale, says the company will ensure that internet broadband gets to every part of country.
The NigcomSat-1R
Alale, represented by Mr Kazzem Raji ,the Executive Director, Engineering Services, said this at the First NIGCOMSAT Channel Partners Awards and Dinner Night in Abuja on Wednesday, December 13, 2017.
She said that NIGCOMSAT would ensure that broadband access would not only be in the urban areas but would also get to the rural communities, the served and under-served areas.
“We believe that majority of our people live in rural areas and we want to provide broadband services to the last village in Nigeria so that the people will appreciate their government more.”
Alale said that the award night was to celebrate the achievements of collaborative effort of the company and re-sellers in a bid to achieve outstanding levels of business excellence.
“This is of utmost importance as NIGCOMSAT gears towards the next phase of its economic development by our commitment to drive the market frontiers to the next level.
“Our economic environment in the communication satellite industry is being reshaped by industry and technological trend , which are disrupting business models.
“As more terrestrial networks are landing the shores of the country and more are penetrating the hinterlands.
“ Future growth and competitiveness will be anchored on redesigning new business models, innovation by ways of tailoring Value Added Services (VAS) to suit specific business needs in contrast to the traditional mode of service delivery.
“Jointly, we must expand our business frontiers aggressively to rake in clients from diverse industries and NIGCOMSAT will be well positioned as a company of the future to partner with in business delivery.
Mr Samson Osagie, the Executive Director, Marketing and Business Development, NIGCOMSAT said that the gathering was to appreciate their partners for their contributions on the achievement recorded in 2017.
Osagie said that the company’s strength lies in the continued partnership with its channel partners and re-sellers.
“We achieved a successful test transmission of over 50 channels as well as commercialisation of Direct to Home (DHT) services.
“ And this has led to the new signing on of a new partner in Botswana thereby expanding our market reach on that platform beyond the shores of Nigeria.
“This expansion has also led us to signing on new re-sellers to lead us into new playing fields.
“The year 2018, we believe holds greater opportunities for us as we continue to negotiate with investors on the launch of two additional satellites for business expansions and reach to increase revenue for both our wallets and yours.
Speaking on behalf of the re-sellers, Mr Brian Mitchel, the Managing Director, Content Oasis commended NIGCOMSAT for honouring the awardees.
Mitchel said that the re-sellers would do more in 2018 to move the company forward,
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Best Re-seller Highest Revenue generated revenue award went to Content Oasis while Best Re-seller – Higher number of sites activated went to Nalot Multi Systems Ltd.
The award of Best Innovating Re-seller (Adding Value) went to Trefol Networks, Best New Re-seller 2017 award went to Nalot Multisystems and Content Oasis also got the award of Longest Standing Active Re-seller,
The Director, Quality Assurance and SERVICOM, University of Lagos, Prof. Lucian Chukwu, on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 urged the Federal Government and Lagos State Government to begin the sanitisation of the Lagos Lagoon.
Pollution of the Lagos Lagoon at Makoko
Chukwu made this appeal in Lagos at a workshop organised by the Lagos Island chapter of Nigerian Environmental Society (NES) on the Pollution Status of Lagos Lagoon.
He said that the pollution of the Lagos Lagoon was at its highest level, while almost all the marine creatures, especially the fishes, in the lagoon were highly polluted with contaminants.
“There is a need to start the clean-up of the Lagos Lagoon from surface and sediment contamination, which is at the highest level.
“Most of this contamination is coming from unregulated human activities at the lagoon as well as heavy presence of municipal waste.
“Part of the proposed sanitisation project calls for the strict enforcement of waste management laws, especially at the Oko-Baba hub of the lagoon,’’ he said.
Chukwu, who was the former Head of Department of Marine Sciences, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, said that the lagoon pollution was affecting the ecosystem and biodiversity.
He said that fishes from the Lagos Lagoon had been found to be contaminated with heavy metals, ranging from lead to copper.
Also speaking, Mr Victor Irevbore, the chapter Chairman of NES, said that the pollution of the Lagos Lagoon had continued unabated.
Irevbore said that it was time to stop the pollution and cleanse the lagoon to enable it to retain its usefulness to different categories of people.
Dr Paul Uyimadu, a chemist at the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), said that the pH (potential of Hydrogen) of the Lagos Lagoon had been dropping because of emission of carbon monoxide.
“The dropping pH level of the lagoon is having negative effect on shell forming organism.
“Continuous analysis of the heavy metal content in the fishes at the lagoon showed that the level of contaminants in almost 20 fish samples exceeded the ratio permitted by the World Health Organisation,’’ Uyimadu added.
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has maintained that the Bill for an Act for the Establishment of the Non-Governmental Organisations Regulatory Commission, proposed by the House of Representatives, to regulate non-governmental organisations (NGOs), is apparently orchestrated to repress the voice of the people and subjugate civil society groups in Nigeria.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara
According to the CDHR, the bill is unnecessary, serves no public interest and so must not be passed. The organisation adds that the right of Nigerians to a democratic society with fundamental freedoms remains inalienable, and that any attempt to subjugate that right must be resisted.
“CDHR rejects the bill,” the body declared, adding: “Contributions by civil society organisations (CSOs) have always positively impacted on our democracy and development for several decades; CSOs have remained the beacon of peace, development, security, humanitarian services and Human Rights assessment in Nigeria; NGOs/CSOs form a critical platform that guarantees freedom, equality and Rights of all persons. Unnecessary Government interference is utterly inconceivable.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 and endorsed by its National Publicity Secretary, Henry Peter Ekine, and made available to the media, CDHR warned that the said bill, if allowed to become law, has the potential to threaten democratic ideals. Ekine emphasised that democracy succeeds on the principles of fundamental freedoms and citizens’ participation, adding that there are already sufficient provisions and legal frameworks in the nation’s body of laws that regulate the formation, registration, operations and finances of NGOs/CSOs.
CDHR charged Nigerians to compel the National Assembly to rather focus on making laws that will improve the welfare of citizens as ultimate priority; promote good-governance, eradicate all forms of servitude, stop the violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, especially economic and social rights, not undermining civil, political, as well as cultural rights.
“The National Assembly must make laws that demonstrate real commitment, concern and value for the lives of Nigerians anywhere and at all times, failure of which the collective capacity of citizens to enforce their inalienable rights will be activated.”
According to the CDHR, the civil and political rights of citizens (the first generation rights) as well as the social, economic and cultural rights (the second generation rights) must be seen to be protected. It noted that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, provides for the civil and political rights under Chapter IV as the Fundamental Human Rights.
“These rights are connected to the social, economic and cultural rights provided in the Constitution under Chapter II as the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy. The National Assembly must make only laws that improve security, safety and welfare as well as protect the rights of citizens.”
The human rights group, under the leadership of its President, Malachy Ugwummadu, therefore called on the National Assembly to immediately heed the views of Nigerians as represented at the public hearing on the bill. In line with the theme for the International Human Rights Day, 2017, CDHR also enjoined Nigerians and all persons of conscience to #StandUp4HumanRights and speak out in condemnation of the bill; remain firm and demand an immediate end to this Bill; and ensure that it is never passed to law.
The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) has warned retail stores across the country which are importing or trading in products that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to urgently formalise such dealings with it.
A retail store
Earlier in the year, NBMA directed all stores to declare all GM products in their stores, as part of an ongoing survey to document all imported GM foods/products across the country with a view to confirming their safe status and compliance with the NBMA Act.
Director General/CEO of the Agency, Dr. Rufus Ebegba, in what appears to be a renewed warning, urged all retail stores to comply with the NBMA Act 2015 to avoid disruption of their businesses.
The NBMA Act Part VII (22) directs that “no person, institution or body shall import, export, transit or commercialize any genetically modified organism or a product intended for direct use as food or feed, or for processing without the approval or permit of the Agency”.
The DG said that the agency was not interested in disrupting the business of the trading points stores but to ensure that they comply with the NBMA Act 2015 and ensure the safety of the health of Nigerians.
“The agency is prepared to work with super stores to formalise their GM products across the country in order to analyse and ascertain the genes of insert, and their safety to human health,” was quoted in a statement made available to EnviroNews on Wednesday, December 13, 2017.
He reiterated the agency’s commitment to ensuring proper regulation of modern biotechnology and its products, adding that the NBMA, as an unbiased umpire, would not compromise the health and safety of Nigerians.
Members of Olorunda community in Oyo State have expressed their displeasure over an apparent neglect by governments at the local, state and federal levels.
During a mini-town hall with the people of Olorunda, community leaders and representatives bare their minds on issues affecting their welfare. Photo credit: AMPLIFY/Awede Taiwo
Residents expressed this concern during a community outreach and needs assessment conducted by Amplify, a civic organisation advocating for development in rural and underserved communities. The outreach to Olorunda community revealed it lacked power supply, poor road network and potable water, among others.
“The government has forgotten about us,” a community elder, Salisu Raimi, remarked.
The presence of concrete electric poles, cables and even a transformer might suggest the community has access to power supply. But a closer observation revealed the transformers are weak and rusty while some of the electric poles lie on the floor broken. The community is said to have been off the grid for about 40 years since the installation of a transformer.
The power transformer has been in the community for about 40 years. Overgrown with weeds and rotting away it has not generated power for Olorunda community. Photo credit: AMPLIFY/Awede Taiwo
“It’s been about 40 years that transformer and electric poles were brought to the community. Since then, we have not had light,” says the community head.
“While there are many things that we need, power-supply is primary to us. It is the most important to us,” Raimi laments.
“We also want to use refrigerators and drink cold water,” Muideen Tijani, another community member expressed, his dissatisfaction.
Built in 1987 under a project funded by UNICEF and Federal Ministry of Health, this borehole is one of the three non-functional water sources in Olorunda community. Photo credit: AMPLIFY/Awede Taiwo
Olorunda community has a vast expanse of arable lands used for cassava cultivation which provides raw materials for garri production. Daily, hundreds of trucks convey agricultural produce to the main town. But these trips to and from the community are fraught with challenges as the roads are in a poor and deplorable shape.
Residents of Olorunda and other neighbouring communities have repeatedly contributed to keeping the road motorable.
“We constructed the road that led to this place,” says Yekini Raji. “We were given graders, but we were responsible for the fuelling. We also catered to the welfare of the drivers, which costs N50,000 daily and we were there for three days.”
Access to potable water is a significant challenge to residents of Olorunda community. Though there are four solar-powered water points and boreholes in Olorunda, only one of them supplies water for over 500 residents in the area.
Amplify team also visited the primary health centre in Olorunda and observed it is poorly equipped and lacked medical officials. According to some of the residents, there is only one healthcare officer in charge, and he does not reside in the community.
“If someone needs to be treated and the health officer is not on duty, we will call him on phone to come from Oyo town and attend to the patient.” With this kind of arrangement, someone in an emergency situation has limited chances of survival as the nearest health facility to the community is about one hour away.
As the community continues to grapple with the problems of lack of access to electricity, water, bad roads and a dysfunctional health care, it is important to point out that Olorunda has no public primary or secondary school; the modern garri processing factory has been abandoned as a result of poor maintenance.
These challenges might linger as long as the government is far away from the people. It begs the question, who will rescue the forgotten ones?
The Minster of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources in Gambia, Lamin B. Dibba, has reiterated government`s unsolved commitment to sound environmental management, including the aged long fight against bushfires, tree felling and charcoal burning.
Minster of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources in Gambia, Lamin B. Dibba
“It is important to note that 85% our population depend to a great extent on the forest and its rich resources in term of energy, food, medicine, income and employment. As a result, it is our collective responsibilities to conserve, protect and rationally utilise this precious and priceless heritage against the menace of fire.”
Dibba make these statements when addressing the nation on the eve of the national Anti-Bushfire Day 2017 celebration, observed annually on December 10, which is earmarked by government as a day to provide opportunities for reflection on the causes and impacts of bushfires on the nation’s natural resources base and the resultant impact on our socio-economic development. It also creates awareness as well as advocates for the active participation of communities in the prevention and management of bushfires, he observed.
The theme of this year’s commemoration is: “Prevention, A National Response”.
The Minister said the Government of The Gambia attaches great importance to the prevention and sustainable utilisation of forest resources, adding that environmental threats like bushfires are among the most serious drivers of forest degradation.
The negative impacts of forest fires are evidently seen not only on the forest cover and its ecosystem, but on the environment in general and the livelihood of the rural population, he pointed out, quoting from the highlight in the National Forest Assessment (NFA) 2010 Report that over 50% of the country forest cover is burned annually and the impact of these fires is unfortunately not limited to the destruction of the vegetation cover but habitats of wildlife species and other agricultural produce also perish.
Essentially, he said, forest fires change the forest structure leading to more open woodland which becomes prone to erosion and reduction in soil fertility, and the frequency and intensity could be reduced by including fire management in broader landscape management strategies and through more integrated approaches which include not only fire suppression but also fire prevention, early warning and preparedness.
“The Department of Forestry has put in place policies and strategies for better control and management of bushfires. These policies and strategies include improving dialogue and communication with the general public to sensitise them on the need for community participation in the effective management of forest resources of the country. The Gambia Forest Communication Concept has been designed along these lines to bring forestry services closer to the people through the sharing of relevant and timely information,” Dibba preached.
Adding on, the Environment Minister said the commemoration of the day helps raise the level of awareness of communities on the dangers of forest fires particularly at this prime time of the beginning of the dry season as the Department of Forestry is undertaking efforts to improve communication with the communities especially those close to the forest.
This year’s commemoration will be observed in the five administrative Regions in close collaboration with the office of the Regional Governors and District Chiefs.
Calling on Gambians and those alike residing in the country to change their attitude towards the environment, Minister Dibba implored every Gambian and resident to reflect on the loss being incurred as a nation due to bushfires. “The environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and livelihood resulting from annual bushfires is indeed worrying, while an incalculable volume of timber, firewood as well as non-timber forest products perish due to annual bush fires, creating further difficulties in efforts to meet national requirements for domestic energy and construction materials.”
Galvanising support for environmental protection, conservation and preservation, Dibba revealed that soil degradation assumes serious proportion in many parts of the country, resulting in significant reduction on farm productivity, thus the fauna is also seriously affected by large-scale forest fires which destroy their habitats and distribution. Consequently, he noted that the nation’s biodiversity continues to decline, steadily creating negative impacts on the promotion of tourism products and its potentials for diversification.
He challenged the general public to join efforts in preventing the occurrence of bushfires and participate fully in the control exercise whenever and wherever they occur.
In conclusion, he warned that the Government of the Gambia through the Department of Forestry would apply the full force of the law against anyone found guilty of illegally setting a forest on fire, and equally urged all Local Authorities to take responsibility of preventing bushfires in their area of jurisdiction, as a national and individual response.
The FADAMA III Second Additional Financing (AFII) programme, a World Bank intervention project, has been receiving widespread commendations for its efforts to boost food security and restore the livelihoods of people in the North East.
Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh
The beneficiary states of the $50 million project are Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Taraba, Bauchi and Gombe.
The Internal Mission Team of the FADAMA III (AFII) project, also known as the North East Food Security and Livelihood Emergency Support Project, recently visited the region to ascertain the progress of project implementation in last one year and restructure certain areas of the venture.
The main objectives of the exercise were to assess the level of implementation of the FADAMA III (AFII) project in the states, undertake field visits to verify the execution of approved Community Action Plans (CAPs) and provide technical guidance where necessary.
In Adamawa State, one of benefitting states, the beneficiaries lauded the FADAMA III (AFII) programme for promoting the state’s development and urged it to initiate more intervention projects across the state.
Mrs Felicia Nzomisaki, Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Agriculture, said that the FADAMA project had recorded laudable achievements in Adamawa, particularly because of its impact across all the local government areas of the state.
“FADAMA activities have really helped us. For instance, whenever non-governmental organisations (NGOs) come here and discover what FADAMA is doing here, they always want to align with us because of FADAMA,’’ she said.
Nzomisaki said that the recognition of the valuable input of the FADAMA programme to the state’s development had encouraged the government to approve the release of N20 million counterpart funds for the project.
Mr Hammaji Umar, the spokesman for the beneficiaries in the livestock sub-sector, said that Girei Local Government Area (LGA) of Adamawa State had four host communities with 160 beneficiary households.
He noted that 40 beneficiary households in each community were identified with the help of the community leader.
“FADAMA provides food items for us to eat before going to farm; we are now in the livelihood phase of the project, which involves the provision of livestock and inputs,’’ he added.
Mr Usman Abubakar, the Public Relations Officer of Girei Local Government Council, said that the FADAMA III (AFII) programme had appreciably improved the living standards of beneficiary households in the communities.
He solicited the sustainability of the project to enable it to record more achievements in the neighbourhood.
In the meantime, the Yola South LGA has provided land for the FADAMA III (AFII) programme to build a livelihood restoration centre.
Mr Dahiru Hammanyaji, the Training and Technical Assistance Officer of the FADAMA programme, made this known during the inspection visit of FADAMA Internal Mission Team to the site in Chakantare.
He said that the centre was established to boost livestock production via improved marketing operations, while enhancing the quality of local livestock breeds through the adoption of modern crossbreeding techniques.
“The crossbreeding technology, which FADAMA provided, is expected to trickle down to the people; this will soon have a visible impact on our livestock breeds and milk production.
“We don’t want to go into agriculture that will consume space with no or insignificant output,’’ he added.
Mr Ahmad Suleiman, the councillor representing Mbamoi ward in Yola South LGA, said that the residents of the area would benefit a lot from the livelihood restoration centre.
His words: “Our people have suffered a lot; they have been hosting the Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) and assisting them since they came to our local government area.
“Our council really appreciates the efforts of the FADAMA programme; it has provided the land for the construction of the livelihood restoration centre, as it will enable our people to benefit more from the project,’’ he said.
The Taraba Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr David Ishaya, who was represented by the FADAMA State Project Coordinator, Mrs Regina Festus, said that the FADAMA III (AF) project made tremendous impact on the lives of the people of the state.
“Sixty-seven communities with 2,680 households have access to food assistance and agricultural livelihood support in the areas of crops, livestock and fishery.
“The beneficiaries were given advisory services and capacity building training in sustainable development, while tangible efforts were made to restore agricultural production in the state,’’ he said.
Ishaya said that with the aid of FADAMA III (AFII) programme, the IDPs, who were mainly from Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Benue and Nassarawa states, now felt at home in our state.
He, however, appealed to the World Bank and the Federal Government to initiate more people-oriented programmes for the residents.
The District Head of Maihula, Malam Sulaiman Mohammed, said that the FADAMA III (AFII) project had really changed the lives of the beneficiaries, while reducing the suffering of the residents of the community in general.
“We have more than 3,500 IDPs who encountered problems and relocated from their communities; they have now come back to their homes and most of them are farmers but they are financially handicapped.
“The FADAMA programme has done a lot to restore their livelihoods,’’ Mohammed added.
Mr Umar Jibrin, a leader of the beneficiaries in Maihula, said: “Our people really benefited from the project; four households have received agricultural inputs to start farming and 36 households have engaged in livestock farming. The scheme has really tackled many economic problems in our community.
“We are still looking up to the World Bank, the Federal Government and the Taraba State Government to assist more IDPs because we want them to also enjoy what we have benefited from the project,’’ he said.
Mr Bem Nachigh, the spokesman for the beneficiaries in Bali community, said that the FADAMA project had made a lasting impact on the lives of the beneficiaries.
“Our joy has been restored after our harrowing experience during the Boko Haram crisis. We were once hopeless, not knowing where to start from, but with the advent of the FADAMA project, we are now having renewed hope,’’ he said.
The District Head of Bali, Inuwa Gidado-Misa, said that the community started benefiting from the World Bank’s programme since the launch of FADAMA I, II and III programmes, which were all aimed at facilitating agricultural, commercial and infrastructural development of the neighbourhood.
“I pray that this programme continues, while all its promises for Taraba and our local government area are fully fulfilled,’’ he said.
Mr Samson Augustine, a leader of the beneficiaries in Sabon Dale community, said that the FADAMA III (AFII) programme had done a lot to restore the livelihoods of ex-IDPs.
He said that the residents of Sabon Dale, who relocated to the community from IDPs camps in July after three consecutive attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, were happy and excited by the FADAMA intervention.
“Our people were overwhelmed with joy by the abundant supply of food items, livestock and agricultural inputs by FADAMA, which also provided us with advisory services to enable us to do the right thing,’’ he said.
Mr Michael Tobee, the traditional ruler of Sabon Dale, also commended the FADAMA III (AFII) programme for the improvement it brought to the people’s lives.
“When we came newly and saw how my people were suffering, I stopped wearing my beads because I could not stand seeing my people in that precarious situation and be happy as a leader.
“Nowadays, I have started wearing my beads and performing my duties as the chief since the FADAMA intervention has made my people happy again,’’ he added.
Tobbe, however, solicited the expansion of the FADAMA project to cover others members of the community, insisting that the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the project alike suffered a lot due to the insurgency.
“Whenever I look at my people who are not benefitting from the project, my joy becomes abridged because all of us went through the same calamities,’’ he said.
Sharing similar sentiments, several people, who are not benefitting from the project in different communities, urged the FADAMA programme to incorporate them in the project.
Some of the non-beneficiaries in Bali LGA called for the extension of the project to cover those who had yet to benefit from it.
One of them, Mr Kajiva Joseph, said: “We suffered together during the crisis but now, they are enjoying alone. We also want to benefit from the FADAMA project; we want to be happy like them.
All the same, Dr Ben Herbert, Leader of Internal Mission Team of FADAMA III (AFII) project, commended the project implementation processes in all the areas the team visited.
He thanked the traditional rulers, the beneficiaries and the state governments for their contributions toward the success of the project.
“The project is part of the efforts of the Federal Government to support those who were affected by the Boko Haram insurgency,’’ he said.
Herbert urged the beneficiaries to use all the resources that were given to them judiciously.
“We are executing the intervention with the funds given to us by the World Bank and I want to encourage you to use whatever you have been given very well.
“I am assuring you that FADAMA is just laying the foundation, compared to what is coming thereafter,’’ he said.
The team leader said that the Federal Government had already initiated a bill on the creation of the North East Development Commission, which would take care of all the areas in the North East that were affected by the insurgency.
“FADAMA has done very well with its food assistance, cash-for-work, infrastructure and livelihood support schemes and its impact would be reinforced by the implementation of other projects,’’ Herbert added.
The state controlled Herald Newspaper reported on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 that the ivory was intercepted at Robert Gabriel International Airport on Monday following a joint operation by wildlife officials and security agencies.
However, the owners were still not known and investigations to identify them were on-going.
Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo, confirmed the interception and said the case had since been reported to the police.
