An environmentalist, Mr Johnson Abang, has called on the citizens to ensure proper sanitation of toilets before to prevent them from contracting toilet infections.
Environment Minister of State, Ibrahim Usman Jibril
Abang, an Environmental Health Officer in Odukpani Local Government Council, Cross River State, gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He gave the advice while speaking on the sidelines of an event organised to mark the 2017 World Toilet Day which was celebrated on Nov. 19.
Abang said that the call became imperative because of the need to raise public awareness on how to tackle issues surrounding toilet sanitation.
He said that human waste, if not well-managed, could turn out to be causative agents of some air-borne and killer diseases, which can spread and trigger serious epidemics.
Abang said: “To achieve a healthy society, we must engage in regular sanitation and proper management of toilets and human waste.
“Toilets play a crucial role in creating a strong economy, a vital role in improving the people’s health and protecting their safety and dignity.
“Proper sanitation of toilets before use will facilitate efforts to keep people away from catching diseases that can impact negatively on their livelihoods.
“Toilet sanitation entails the proper treatment and disposal of human waste in a safe and sustainable way.”
Abang stressed that inadequate toilet facilities had engendered open defecation and poor sanitation practices in many communities.
He also said that human waste should always be channelled to sealed pits or sewage tanks to prevent people from having contact with it and getting infected.
NAN reports that the theme of this year’s World Toilet Day is “Wastewater’’ and it seeks to create global awareness on the dangers of poor toilet sanitation.
The Global Environmental Facility/Small Grant Programme (GEF/SGP) says it has spent $39,000 dollars (about N14 million) to execute land reclamation in Delta State.
Ibironke Olubamise, National Coordinator SGEF/SGP programme
Mrs Ibironke Olubamise, the GEF/SGP’s National Coordinator, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, November 22, 2017 in Abuja.
She said that the project was on reclamation and restoration of degraded lands affected by oil spill in the state.
The national coordinator said that Initiative for Community Development, an NGO, handled the project in Emede Isoko South Local Government Area in Delta.
Olubamise said the GEF/SGP and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded the project.
She said that the effort would help to restore degraded lands, caused by oil spill and promote environmental sustainability.
“We discovered that oil spill in the area has affected lands as well as the farm lands and we decided to intervention to restore the affected lands.
“If we don’t intervene, it will definitely affect the farm production, in other words, food security will now become a big challenge in the state.
“Degraded land can cause a lot of environmental challenges and we are working tirelessly to prevent land from degrading and to ensure that degraded lands are restored in the area.
“The effort will keep the farmers on farm as well as promoting environmental health in the state,’’ she said.
Olubamise said that land degradation could cause the dry lands to become increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife.
She urged affected communities to embrace effective sensitisation
to help them to take necessary precaution on how their lands and environment should be managed.
Olubamise said GEF/SGP supported actions to combat major environmental issues such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, polluted international waters, land degradation, desertification and persistent organic pollutants to stimulate green growth.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced plans to support Nigeria to access crop insurance, to mitigate the impact of climate change in the country.
Dr Peter Tarfa, Director, Department of Climate Change (DCC) in the Federal Ministry of Environment
The President of the AfDB, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, announced this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Adesina said that the bank would implement the support under its Second Climate Action Plan for 2016 to 2020.
“When it comes to Climate Financing, what we will do is to support Nigeria, especially to have access to Crop insurance.
“A lot of pastoralists actually needs to have insurance as well because lack of access to water can become a big problem because of drought.
“Also, I have being a big supporter of the need for the global climate financing mechanism to support countries to pay the premium to insure them against catastrophic risk.
“For example, there is a facility, which is called Africa Risk Capacity and this is the Africa Union Facility that allows countries to buy insurance.
“It allows countries to buy insurance and if there is drought and flood, they will pay it back into the confer of government to cover a lot of recovery activities.’’
The Boards of Directors of AfDB had, on Nov. 8, approved the Africa Thriving and Resilient: The Bank Group’s Second Climate Change Action Plan, 2016-2020 (CCAP2).
The approval of this document is propitious as it echoes at just concluded Climate Change Conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany.
This is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change and achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
According to Adesina, the Chair of the Africa Risk Capacity Facility is the former Minister of Finance in Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
“I consider it as unfair that Africa, which has been shortchanged by climate change, is now shortchanged in terms of climate financing.
“It is very important therefore, that the global mechanism for climate should pay insurance for African Countries that are suffering this disproportionate in negative impact of climate change.
“I have reached out as well to President Buhari on this issue because I know within the context of what is trying to push for Lake Chad Basin.
“If somebody pays the premium, if there is any catastrophic event, they will be able to get money from Africa Risk Insurance.
“I have said that Africa Development (Bank) is willing to co-finance the premium payment. I don’t want Africa to be short-changed because we are suffering quite a lot from the impact of Climate Change,’’ he said.
Adesina, however, said that the international community had bought into the idea and it would also form part of the agenda at the forthcoming World leaders meeting.
“I have discussed it with the former UN Secretary-General and incumbent UN Secretary and I have discussed it with a number of G7 leaders.
“Also, I have discussed it with President Buhari and several African Heads of State; we will continue to push it and look forward to One World Summit in December.
“This is for me a big agenda that I am pushing. I think Africa must have access to financing, to adapt to the impact of Climate Change and mitigate the issue of greenhouse gases emission.
“ It will have big impact on our urban centres and rural areas; we have to make our economy more resistant and resilient in face of climate change,’’ he said.
A new report from the Forest Peoples Programme assesses six different certification schemes being used by companies to facilitate their access to international markets for edible oils and biofuels.
Oil palm plantation
The desk-based study used the same yardstick to assess the various schemes against a range of criteria including:
fair land acquisition, respect for customary rights and Free, Prior and Informed Consent
treatment of smallholders
social and environmental safeguards
core labour standards
gender and discrimination
quality assurance
access to remedy
After scoring and ranking the various schemes, the study concluded that the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has the strongest set of requirements, followed by, in declining order of ranking, Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC), and Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO). The Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) standard came out worst in the ranking and provides very little protection of human rights and community livelihoods.
The review also assessed the High Carbon Stocks Approach against the same yardstick, although it is not a certification scheme, in order to gauge the relative risks and benefits of the approach being used as a stand-alone endorsement of performance.
The report’s author, Angus McInnes, notes: “The schemes vary a lot. None is perfect and all could benefit from adopting some stronger provisions from competing schemes. RSPO now provides the most robust standard for oil palm certification, although there are still some gaps. The main challenge for RSPO is to ensure RSPO members actually apply the standard in practice. The unreliability of complaints and remedy procedures when non-compliances are identified is also worrying.”
Marcus Colchester, FPP’s Senior Policy Advisor, says: “The European biofuels market by and large relies on the ISCC certification scheme to fulfil EU requirements. Although precise figures are not available, it seems that about half of RSPO members’ palm oil sold in Europe, mostly for biofuels, is ISCC- and not RSPO-certified. For those concerned about human rights and social justice, this is very troubling as the ISCC standard, while quite strong on environmental requirements, falls way below the RSPO standard on social protections.”
As an addendum, the study also compared the standards of the Palm Oil Innovation Group (POIG) and RSPO Next, both of which have added social and environmental provisions on top of the RSPO generic standard but lack additional challenge and remedy procedures. The POIG standard includes additional human rights and workers’ rights provisions.
President, African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, says the bank will support urban transportation system in Abuja.
The Abuja city gate
He said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, November 22, 2017 in Abuja.
According to him, the bank is also working with the Nigerian government to ensure that the Abuja Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system was effective.
The AfDB boss said the bank was also supporting the Abuja Monorail System and other rail networks.
“If you take a look at urbanisation, it goes without saying that the population is increasing.
“The need for infrastructure continues to expand, for water and electricity, but also for urban transport and mass transport is the biggest way that we have to do this.
“So, I think as a bank, we are looking with the government into what they want to do in the wider Abuja metropolitan area, especially in terms of urban transport.
“I really believe that it is important to continue to invest in rail transport.’’
Adesina said when the bank invested in Nigeria; it invested in a lot of areas depending on the decision of the government.
He said the bank did not make decisions for the government, because the government prioritises its needs.
He said the current portfolio investment of the bank in Nigeria was about six billion dollars, adding that this was in the areas of infrastructure in the power sector, water, sanitation and private sector investments.
AfDB is a multilateral development finance institution aimed at fighting poverty and improving the living conditions on the African continent.
AFDB does this by promoting the investment of public and private capital in projects and programmes that are likely to contribute to the economic and social development of the region.
The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission has renewed the power generation licence for Afam VI Power Plant, a 650MW-capacity facility that has delivered over 25.97 million Megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity into the Nigerian grid since inception in 2008.
L-R: Commercial Manager, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), John Kadiri; General Manager, Business and Government Relations, Bashir Bello; General Manager, Gas, Philip Mshelbila; Commissioner for Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dafe Akpeneye; and the General Manager, Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Olufunke Dinneh, at the presentation of power generation licence for SPDC Joint Venture’s Afam VI Power Plant, in Abuja… on Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Afam VI is owned by The Shell Petroleum Development Company Joint Venture (SPDC JV) and located in Afam in Oyigbo Local Government area of Rivers State.
Presenting the renewed licence to the leadership of SPDC at the Commission’s office in Abuja on Tuesday, the Commissioner, Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Mr. Dafe Akpeneye, described SPDC JV as a committed partner in the Nigerian power sector adding that the company’s belief in the sector and its resolve to help it develop were remarkable.
“We hope for greater efficiency and improved operations from Afam VI in the next 10-year phase of your operations just as we look forward to working together to resolve some of the challenging issues in the power sector,” he said.
Receiving the licence, the General Manager, Gas of SPDC, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, described the Afam VI as a model worthy of emulation by government and other players in the power sector. “Here’s a power plant with a dedicated gas plant operating with high uptime generating clean and efficient power from the combined cycle of three gas and one steam turbines.”
He lamented the challenges of debt, power evacuation and off-take which he said prevented the plant from delivering optimally at 15 percent of the total national grid-connected electricity.
Afam VI uses combined cycle gas turbine technology that burns 40 percent less gas than plants using older open cycle technologies. This also contributes significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2016, Afam VI power plant supplied approximately 12% of the nation’s grid-electricity.
Built with the most efficient technology in the industry and utilising waste heat energy from the gas turbine exhaust, the plant generates an additional 200MW from the steam turbine without consuming any additional gas, thereby considerably reducing its carbon footprint.
As a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project under the United Nations Executive Board for Climate Change, Afam VI Power Plant eliminates over 500,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year, while also maintaining excellent safety standards.
The operations at Afam VI have generated subcontract opportunities and employment for over 150 people from the 16 host communities. It also provided hands-on and offshore training for 30 youths in Electrical, Mechanical and Instrumentation engineering on Combined Cycle Power Plant operations and maintenance. All the trainees are already employed in the Nigerian power industry.
The power plant also won SPDC the Best Company in Climate Action Award in the 2016 edition of Sustainability, Enterprise, Responsibility Awards for Corporate Social Responsibility (SERAs–CSR), an annual event to celebrate organisations that invest resources to improve the socioeconomic living conditions of people in Nigeria and Africa.
The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) on Wednesday, November 21, 2017, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in the bid to ensure proper regulation of genetically modified (GM) foods in Nigeria.
DG/CEO of NBMA, Dr. Rufus Ebegba, with the team from NAFDAC and the management staff of NBMA
The Director General/CEO of NBMA, Dr. Rufus Ebegba, while addressing the team from the NAFDAC, emphasised the need for both agencies to work together for the good of Nigerians.
Dr. Ebegba stated that the MoU signing was necessary as the agency had previously signed MoUs with other sister agencies like Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) and National Seed Council (NaSC) and is set to sign more memoranda with other line agencies to ensure the safe practice of modern biotechnology and use of its products.
He said, “NAFDAC is a major stakeholder in biosafety as the NBMA Act 2015 specifically states that NAFDAC will also be involved in the certification of GM foods. In view of this, the agency has been working tirelessly for several months to get this memorandum signed and it is a thing of joy to sign this today.”
Dr. Ebegba stressed how germane the role of NAFDAC is in the food safety system of Nigeria. He further stated that, recently, the agency was alerted of imported GM maize and a team of biosafety officers was sent to take sample for analyses. After confirmation that the maize was genetically modified, NBMA took the most responsive action by repatriating the shipment.
In his remarks the Director General, NAFDAC, represented by Prof. Samson Adebayo, Director PRS, stated that NAFDAC is ready to collaborate with NBMA to ensure GM products in the country are safe for consumption by Nigerians.
Prof. Adebayo expressed gratitude for the initiative to draft and sign an MoU by both agencies and assured that there would be adequate collaboration between NAFDAC and NBMA for proper regulation of GM foods in the country.
Two off-grid projects were recently announced in Nigeria, one consisting of a partnership between Pan Africa Solar and BBOXX (PAS BBOXX), adding to the growing momentum of the off grid sector across Africa.
Off-grid lighting in Africa.Photo credit: unep.org
The first project, headed up by Pan Africa Solar, is an 80MW utility scale Photovoltaic Power Plant located in Katsina State, near the town of Kankia. The project focuses on a stable state in the north of the country, where – due to lack of available hydro resources and gas supply – renewables are the only long term sustainable option. The project will integrate panels mounted on tilting structures that track the path of the sun throughout the day, constructed on 210 hectares of land.
BBOXX is collaborating with Pan Africa Solar on a second project supplying the distributed energy service that is operating in Kano State, Northern Nigeria, with hopes to expand across the country.
BBOXX’s VP of Business Development, Anshul Patel shared his comments on the partnership and its plans: “Pan Africa Solar is a dedicated team with a core understanding of the Nigerian market; a very exciting BBOXX partner in a much underserved market. Nigeria has 60 million people who lack access to electricity. To date, 2000 people have been impacted by our work in Kano, and the business is currently in the process of scaling its operations. The partnership between BBOXX and PAS is instrumental in leveraging expertise in the off-grid business combined with local market knowledge to successfully scale operations with a goal of electrifying one million people by 2020.”
EnergyNet launched the Off the Grid Club initiative in 2016 to provide a networking platform for off-grid technology providers, financiers and regional leaders working in Africa’s off grid industry. The membership programme collaborates with partners such as the Shell Foundation, ElectriFi, Akon Lighting Africa and Solektra in developing and financing off grid projects to electrify rural communities in Africa.
From February 6 to 8, 2018, off-grid developments will be discussed by energy leaders in Kampala, Uganda at the “Africa Energy Forum: Off the Grid Summit” – held with the endorsement of Irene Muloni, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development of Uganda.
This meeting is co-located with the regional East Africa Energy & Infrastructure Summit. Both meetings will unite governments from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia, leading utility and regulatory companies from the region as well as international financiers, donor organisations and power developers to focus on what is needed to unlock investment in energy for regional growth.
Officials of the Water Resources Commission (WRC) have introduced to and discussed with stakeholders in Accra a regulatory instrument passed to govern dams in the country. Known as the Dams Safety Regulations, 2016 Legislative Instrument (LI) 2236, its purpose is to promote the safety of dams and prevent or minimise damage to people, the environment and property.
A farm dam
The LI is also aimed at ensuring dams are properly designed, constructed and maintained to help prevent cracks and other dam related accidents.
While it may seem that the LI contradicts the mandate of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA), in reality there is no conflict. The mission of GIDA is “to provide effective and efficient Agricultural Water Management services, and maintain reliable irrigation systems for sustained benefit to the national economy through the formulation, regulation and execution of appropriate policies to benefit farmers, industry and institutions within a sustainable environment.”
Thus, GIDA’s main objective is “to provide efficient technical services in irrigation infrastructure development to enhance water and soil conservation best practices,” in addition to “assisting farmers and other clients in irrigation and other Agricultural Water Management (AWM) technology transfers.”
So, there is no contradiction in the mandates of the two institutions. For a while, in this instance, the WRC seeks to regulate the safety of all dammed facilities, GIDA is focused on ensuring the availability and provision of agricultural water to enhance food security.
LI 2236 came into effect on July 27th, 2016, and makes provision for the WRC to establish a Dams Safety Unit purposely to review and approve procedures and guidelines as well as the Operation and Maintenance Manual prepared and submitted to the WRC by owners or operators of dams.
The Dams Safety Unit shall also inspect and classify dams to which the regulations apply; investigate any report on dam safety; co-ordinate consultations on the formulation of dam safety policy within the WRC; and co-ordinate inter-agency consultations on dam safety policy. The Unit will additionally develop technical materials on dam safety, and create public awareness on dam safety and related matters.
The LI further prescribes steps for determining the risk potential of a dam. The assigned Dam Safety Officer shall consider the type of dam, the purpose for which the dam has been constructed or is being constructed, its name, the description of the location as contained in the title deed of the land, the District in which the dam is located, and the nearest settlement. Other considerations include the maximum height of the dam or the proposed maximum height of the dam; the gross storage capacity of the reservoir and surface area of the reservoir when filled to capacity.
Furthermore, in the case of a modification or repair of an existing dam, a description of the nature and the extent of the alteration or repair has to be stated.
Provision is also made under the LI to declassify dams based on recommendation in an inspection report by a Dam Safety Officer to the WRC. Declassification may also be effected when the WRC “receives information from a licensee who is constructing a dam, that there has been a deviation from the expected condition of the foundation of the dam, or when in the opinion of the WRC, a condition of the dam is hazardous.”
The coming into being of LI 2236 makes it an obligation for dams to be registered through an application to the WRC. Accordingly, the registration should be done “within three months after the date on which the dam is capable of containing, storing and impounding water.”
The LI instructs that “a person who fails or neglects to register a dam in accordance with these Regulations commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than five hundred penalty units and not more than seven hundred and fifty penalty units and a further fine of two hundred penalty units for each month that the offence continues.”
Stakeholders at the meeting were from the various water related institutions and organisations, The Engineer in charge of Surface Water at the WRC, Dr. Bob Alfa took them through the LI. He explained the process of dam classification as provided for under the LI, and said, “Dams are categorized according to their classes of consequences from class zero to class four… where zero has insignificant impact and class four has the highest impact.”
Dr. Alfa said: “The issue of dam safety hinges on the three pillars of design and construction, supervision and preparedness,” adding, “it is important to ensure it is right from the beginning, since dams are serious weapons in waiting if the necessary steps are not taken.”
He mentioned the causes of dam failures as including sub-standard construction materials, design error, poor maintenance and natural causes. Dr. Alfa cited instances of dam failures in which thousands of people were killed and millions of others were displaced.
The list include the failure of the Banqiao Dam in China in 1975 that killed 171,000 people and displaced 11 million others; the failure in 1979 of the Machchu Dam in India that killed 25,000 people and displaced over 2 million people; and in 2012 the failure of the Kopru Dam in Turkey that killed 10 people and displace over 200,000 others.
As part of the meeting’s agenda, the Principal Legal Officer of the WRC, Mrs. Bernadette Araba Adjei facilitated a discussion on the Riparian Buffer Zone Policy for Managing Freshwater Bodies in Ghana. She the purpose of the policy “is to improve water quality by trapping sediment and chemicals from runoff before reaching water bodies.” It also seeks “to create shade which lower water temperatures and hence improve habitat for aquatic organisms and prevent soil erosion.”
Mrs. Adjei noted that in implementing the Riparian Buffer Zone Policy, “where the standards and management requirements … are in conflict with other laws, regulations, and policies, the most restrictive requirements shall apply.”
Earlier in his Welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the WRC, Ben Yaw Ampomah, said the discussion on the Riparian Buffer Zone Policy for Managing Freshwater Bodies in Ghana, was the last in the series of Regional Stakeholder Consultations. He explained that the purpose was to collate Stakeholder input as part of preparatory measures to formulate the needed Legislative Instrument to implement the Policy, which was launched in May 2014.
It is worth noting that the Riparian Buffer Zone Policy for Managing Freshwater Bodies in Ghana, has been introduced at a time when lots of challenges confront conservation efforts. For instance, the built-up of areas within riparian zones through housing, construction and commercial activities weakens the feasibility of establishing buffer zones.
Both the Densu Delta and Sakumo Ramsar sites are typical examples of areas where considerations for the functioning of natural ecosystems have been discarded in favour of human activities that undermine long term livelihood sustainability.
Then, there is also the issue of the destruction of riparian vegetation hastened by irresponsible mining facilitated by illegal mining or “galamsey,” which has destroyed almost all of Ghana’s fresh water bodies.
In this context, the Policy calls for the introduction and in some instances, the re-establishment of buffer zones, to be considered as an integral part of the general socio-economic development process, which needs equal support to make the policy implementable.
The Water Resources Commission (WRC) was established by an Act of Parliament (Act 522 of 1996) with the mandate to regulate and manage Ghana’s Water Resources and co-ordinate government policies in relation to them. The Act stipulates that ownership and control of all water resources are vested in the President on behalf of the people, and clearly defines the WRC as the overall body responsible for water resources management in Ghana. The Commission, which provides a forum for integration and collaboration of different interests, is composed of the major stakeholders involved in the water sector.
It took about two and a half hours from the heart of Lagos, Ikeja to Seme Border, plying an almost non-motorable and grid-locked road on the so-called ECOWAS high-way; but that is a story for another day.
Comptroller Nigeria Customs, Seme Area Command, Abdullahi Mohammed (hand in the air), pointing at the imaginary border line beacon between Nigeria and Benin Republic at Seme as participants look on
The trip in a 30-seater coaster bus was on Day One of the recent United Nations Office on Drugs (UNODC) Sensitisation of Seme Border Communities on Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) in Promoting better management of migration in Nigeria by combating and reducing irregular migration that occurs, inter alia, through Trafficking in Persons (TIP) & Smuggling of Migrants.
The team’s first point of call was to pay advocacy on the Comptroller Seme Command of NIS, Ibrahim Liman. His warm welcome eased off the tension from the tortuous trip and then, the entourage proceeded to sight see the coastal line and border between Nigeria and Benin Republic while they awaited an interface with officers of the security formations at Seme Border.
It was both intriguing and frightening standing at the edge of the Atlantic, staring into the unknown, endless distance of the ocean. The cascading, rolling and roaring waves smacked of beauty and terror. Beauty in the form of nature’s wonder and terror in the form of the oceans ruthless claim of lives usually smuggled to other shores.
The ocean, just like the desert has claimed many Nigerian lives who are unfortunately misinformed and make the perilous journey to Europe in search of greener pastures. Such gave rise to the fight against smuggling of migrants in Nigeria which is championed by the UNODC through EU funding in conjunction with over 100 state and non-state actors.
The project aptly titled: “Promoting Better Management of Migration in Nigeria by Combating and Reducing Irregular Migration” which occurs, inter Alia, through Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) is targeted amongst other things to encourage Nigeria to maximise the potential of migration, considering that the country is opportune to have a vibrant population with 70 percent within the range of 40 years.
As elucidated by UNODC National Project Officer, Sylvester Atere, at all meetings, they desire to see people have informed knowledge to make informed decisions and choices that will deter irregular migration and rather encourage regular migration in the Country.
The entourage went into a closed door meeting with the top brass of the NIS, Nigeria Customs and other federal establishments/agencies at Seme border with the same enlightenment message on SOM. The meeting which held at the Officers’ Mess of the Nigeria Customs and under the Chairmanship of the Nigeria Customs, Seme Area Command Comptroller, Abdullahi Mohammed brought the the fore the tapestry that connects smuggling of migrants with all aspects of smuggling.
Accordingly, representatives of all the formations where in unison over the germaneness of fighting against SOM in respect to its ever growing menace. According to them, they have been working together to address the issue in view of the fact that it is all encompassing and constitute security, economic, health and developmental challenges amongst others.
An excursion to a section of the colonial pillar at the imaginary border line between Nigeria and Benin Republic by officers of the formations gave the participants a clearer view of the seemingly fluid flow of traffic from one end to another. However, this flow could very well be misused by some unscrupulous elements to engage in any form of smuggling.
The next point of call to the Oba Akran of Badagry Kingdom, HRM, De Wheno Aholu Menu Toyi 1 in his palace heralded a rich culture of a people within the mix of trans-border activities. The entourage on arrival at the palace encountered a folklore singer with his band, heartily singing praises of the Oba and giving a rendition of the proud history of the Ogu (Egun) people who inhabit Badagry.
The warm reception made colourful by a full palace of high Chiefs and other subjects was made even more worthwhile with the pledge by the Oba to enlighten his people on SOM with the view to stemming its practice.
Day Two of the programme saw the UNODC and NIS team engaging traditional leaders, religious leaders, transport union members, market men and women, artisans, community leaders, youth groups, business community, agencies and NGOs/CBOs in an interactive session over SOM. A video display of the ills of SOM was shown to the crowd. At the end of the session, the stakeholders had a better understanding of SOM as enthused by a participant, John Okun who stated that he is happy with the sensitisation which has informed him more on the dangers of smuggling of migrants adding that it is a useless endeavour that bears no good.
Day Three which was the wrap-up constituted of an interface with officers and men of various Federal Agencies involved in border management at Seme Border, including those from Benin Republic and then, an advocacy visit to Lords New Generation Schools. The target of the officers was apt on the premise of the rationale that they are managers along the border.
In all these sessions, after proper sensitisation on SOM, distribution of the campaign paraphernalia such as T-shirts, Fez cap, pen and flyers, a mock display of handing over red card to SOM was carried out by the crowd.
It is worthy of note that the SOM business is the 3rd most profitable and criminal business around the world and majority of those swallowed up by the desert are Nigerians. To this end, the call for synergy, purpose and union amongst security agencies at border communities is now or never. As earlier stated, the purpose is not to discourage people from traveling but to be be well informed and not do it irregularly. So to say, the security formations at the border need to be at peace with border communities and work closely with the communities, so they can have their ears to the ground and curb the menace of SOM as well avert chaos.
It is worrisome that since 2012 when the UNODC programme to “Promoting Better Management of Migration in Nigeria by Combating and Reducing Irregular Migration,” statistics by NIS show that from January-December, 2012, January-December, 2013, January-December, 2014 and January-December, 2015; 800, 2,900, 8,700, 23,000 respectively have been registered as irregular migrants. From January-September, 2016 and January-May, 2017, the same NIS records that 22,500 and 10,000 irregular migrants case have been recorded respectively.
Meanwhile, another statistics by the Ministry of Interior, Italy indicates that, by 2016, irregular migration in Nigeria stood at 36,000 while that of Ghana stands at a distant 5,636. Accordingly, 316 convictions have been recorded by National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIB).
It is hoped that, by the end of this year, when the SOM project by UNODC would come to a close, the rate at which Nigerians engage in irregular migration would have reduced considerably, due to the acquired knowledge and informed decisions that no nation’s economy is totally exceptional and anyone can actually make it right here in Nigeria, once they are hardworking. Most importantly, seeing the sustainability of this programme will go a long way in ensuring that its ideals do not die off, but are sustained by the government as well as both state and non-state actors or stakeholders as it were.
