Concerned by the agony faced by travellers from eastern Nigeria to the northern part of the country, a former member of Federal House of Representative, Prince Ned Nwoko, has mobilised private resources to repair failed portions of the road linking South East and Abuja through Onicha Ugbo/Idumuje Ugboko and Ewohinmi in Edo State.
Passengers stranded at Oke-Oka axis of the Akangba-Owo Road in Ondo State recently
The road has become a vital short cut for travellers from the South East to the North, including Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory Abuja, but failed after heavy rain falls in recent months.
The single-lane road originally constructed by the Niger Delta Development Company (NNDC) had become a major transit for travellers from South East and the North thus increasing the economic activities for the towns along its path namely, Onicha Ugbo- Idumuje Ugboko-Ewohinmi.
The failed sections of the road exposed commuters to travel delays and other untold hardships, including attacks by hoodlums operating on the Onicha-Ugbo-Idumuje Ugboko axis.
Prince Ned Nwoko said: “I am funding the repairs of the road in my private capacity, to lessen the impact of the suffering of travellers caused by the terrible condition of the road.
“This is just a palliative effort, but I will continue even in my personal capacity, to push the Federal Government to urgently undertake a total reconstruction of the road.”
The rehabilitation work is expected to be completed in six weeks.
Many commuters have been stranded on other failed portions of other roads linking Abuja and the Southern part of the country, including the failed portion of Oke-Oka axis of the Akangba-Owo road in Ondo State.
Entertainer and social crusader, Charles Oputa, also known as “Charly Boy” or “Area Fada”, has filed a N500 million suit against the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory Police Command, challenging, among others, the alleged use of teargas canisters, water cannons and police dogs against him by the Police during a peaceful demonstration at the Unity Fountain, Maitama, on August 8, 2017.
Charly Boy
Mr. Oputa, in suit no: FCT/HC/CV/3037/17, in a matter for the enforcement of his fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and association, is seeking for an order of the court directing the Nigerian Police to pay the sum of N500 million; N100 million as general damages and N400 million as exemplary damages to the applicant for the violation of his fundamental rights.
The application was, through his counsel, Mr. Inibehe Effiong, a Lagos-based legal practitioner, in an originating motion dated October 4, 2017 brought pursuant to Sections 34, 39, 40 and 46(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), Articles 5, 9 and 10 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, CAP A9 Laws of the Federation (LFN) 2004, Order II, Order XI and XII of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009.
Mr. Oputa, who on August 8, 2017 led a demonstration along with Deji Adeyanju and a few others under the aegis of #OurMumuDonDo and Concerned Nigerians were attacked with teargas canisters, water cannons and about 30 dogs by the Police at the Unity Fountain.
The attack was seven days before another attack on the group by stone-throwing Pro-Buhari Protesters at Wuse Market where many where wounded including a Guardian Reporter, Oludare Richards. Mr. Oputa said a report of the attack was filed but the Police has done nothing about it.
Oputa condemned the reaction of the Police at the Unity Fountain, recounting how anti-riot policemen attacked protesters. He said he was hit with the butt of a rifle on his eye by a policeman, which resulted in his slump and was quickly rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Charly Boy resumed the next day to address a press briefing after having been rushed to a hospital after his collapse the previous day following tear gas and water cannon shots fired at him by policemen who were alleged to have been aggressive in their efforts to curb the group’s activities.
While the “Concerned Nigerians” coalition maintained their demand on President Buhari’s resumption or resignation, the “Our Mumu Don Do” chant was done under the watchful eyes of soldiers, Department of State Services (DSS) and the police in vans stationed around the protest area. Essentially, the protest at the Unity Fountain was against President Buhari staying for over 90 days in London, United Kingdom on a medical vacation.
To this end, Mr. Oputa is seeking, among others, a declaration of the court that the use of teargas canisters, water cannons and wild police dogs by agents and officers of the Respondent to attack, harass and disperse the applicant during a peaceful demonstration at the Unity Fountain, Maitama, Abuja on Tuesday, August 8, 2017 and a breach of the applicant’s fundamental right to dignity of the human person and contrary to Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 5, of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, CAP A9 Laws of the Federation (LFN) 2004, Order II, Order XI and XII of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009.
He is also seeking a declaration of the court that the use of teargas canisters, water cannons and wild police dogs by agents and officers of the Respondent to attack, harass and disperse the applicant during a peaceful demonstration at the Unity Fountain, Maitama, Abuja on Tuesday, August 8, 2017 where the applicant and other activist had gathered to demand that President Muhammadu Buhari should either return to the country from his long medical vacation in the United Kingdom or resign is unjustifiable, illegal, unconstitutional and amounts to a violation of the applicants fundamental right to freedom of expression and contrary to section 39 of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 9, of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, CAP A9 Laws of the Federation (LFN) 2004.
Mr. Oputa prayed the court to determine whether he, with facts stated, is entitled to public apology, compensation, damages and other reliefs sought which also includes an order of the court to make a compelling order on the FCT Commissioner of Police to publish a public apology to him in five national newspapers. Attached to the affidavit, as exhibits are three video clips recorded during the attack.
Furthermore, he is seeking for an Order of Perpetual Injunction, restraining the Respondent and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) from further interfering with or violating the Applicant’s Fundamental Rights to Dignity of the human person, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.
Meanwhile, a date is yet to be fixed for the matter.
With 1.6 billion people living in inadequate housing, one billion of whom reside in slums and informal settlements, the United Nations is spotlighting affordable homes on this year’s World Habitat Day, which was observed on Monday, October 2, 2017. The Day also marks the official start of Urban October – a month of worldwide celebrations and citizens’ engagement in urban life worldwide.
Joan Clos, Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). The UN conference agreed new urban development agenda creating sustainable, equitable cities for all. Photo credit: UN-Habitat/Julius Mwelu
“While millions of people lack suitable homes, the stock of vacant houses is gradually increasing,” said Dr. Joan Clos, Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in a message commemorating the Day under the 2017 theme “Housing Policies: Affordable Homes.”
“Ensuring housing affordability is therefore a complex issue of strategic importance for development, social peace and equality,” he added.
This year’s celebrations are noteworthy as they coincide with the first anniversary of the New Urban Agenda, adopted at the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, better known as Habitat III, in Quito, Ecuador, which enshrines urbanisation as an indispensable for development and a prerequisite for prosperity and growth.
“It is thanks to this paradigm shift that urbanisation and development are indivisibly linked one to another,” Dr. Clos said.
‘Handing over housing to the market has proved a failure’
An analysis of housing affordability over the last 20 years reveals that despite increasing demand, housing – including rentals – has been largely unaffordable for the majority of the world population.
“Handing over housing to the market has proved a failure in providing affordable and adequate housing for all,” Dr. Clos continued.
“We all remember well that housing was at the epicentre of the eruption of the global economic crisis of 2008, instead of being at the heart of the urban policy. Today, 1.6 billion people live in inadequate housing, of which one billion live in slums and informal settlements,” he underscored.
Dr. Clos emphasised that addressing the housing needs of the poorest and most vulnerable, especially women, youth and those who live in slums, must be a priority in the development agendas.
Promoting sound housing policies is also crucial for climate change, resilience, mobility and energy consumption.
Which is why, the Executive Director said: “we would like to remind on this Day the importance of locating housing at the physical – and holistic – centre of our cities.
“For housing to contribute to national socio-economic development and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the New Urban Agenda calls for placing housing policies at the centre of national urban policies along with strategies to fight poverty, improve health and employment,” he stressed.
Each year, World Habitat Day takes on a new theme to promote sustainable development policies to ensure shelter for all – often promoting one of UN-Habitat’s focal areas such as inclusive housing and social services; a safe and healthy living environment, with consideration for children, youth, women, elderly and disabled; affordable and sustainable transport and energy; and job creation.
“As we strive to create cities for all, an urgent action for achieving affordable homes requires a global commitment to effective and inclusive housing policies,” Dr. Clos concluded.
Urgent investment into infrastructure more resilient to climate change is needed to allow Caribbean island nations to achieve their clean energy, sustainable development plans, a high-level meeting of representatives from Caribbean governments, development partners and regional organisations in Saint Lucia has concluded.
A view of the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on Sint Maarten Dutch part of Saint Martin island in the Caribbean, Sept. 6, 2017.
In the wake of this year’s shocking damage inflicted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, delegates focused on rebuilding national infrastructures which will withstand such extreme weather and give them the chance to implement the ambitious climate action plans they have put forward under the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
The September Investment Forum, hosted by Saint Lucia in partnership with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), NDC Partnership, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the UN Climate Change Secretariat, appeared tobe a timely reminder that for many developing countries investment must be carefully balanced between adapting successfully to climate change and building clean energy solutions.
Nyasha K.K. Hamilton, from the Ministry of Economic Planning, Sustainable Development, Industry, Information and Labour, of St. Vincent and the Grenadines said that climate change should be seen as not just an environmental issue, but a developmental one as well.
“Countries were already in the process of rehabilitating their critical infrastructure to withstand 1 in 100-year and 1 in 200-year events. These efforts have proven to be quite costly but are also appearing to be insufficient as the probability of rarer events occurring has increased which has had the effects of negating these efforts.”
Dr. Ubaldus Raymond from the Ministry of Finance, Saint Lucia, said: “It is technically feasible to construct buildings, roads and other infrastructure that can withstand Category 3 and higher hurricanes. But the cost of new construction, especially for Category 5 hurricanes would be significantly higher, and in some cases, unaffordable. Many countries are experiencing Category 4 hurricanes so there is need for further research and analysis.”
Building the Project Pipeline for Rapid Action
Inspired by the Pacific Energy Conference in 2016, which raised more than $1 billion for Pacific Island energy projects, the meeting was aimed at galvanising key development stakeholders to lay the groundwork for a wide range of projects across many sectors to provide clean energy, safe drinking water, eco-friendly transport solutions among others.
The six member states of OECS have set ambitious targets in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for environmental sustainability and protection from climate change.
NDCs are national climate action plans submitted by signatories of the Paris Agreement setting out their plans for reducing carbon emissions and for adapting to climate change.
“Developing countries need much more international support to increase their capacity to implement their plans,” said Don Cooper, Director of UN Climate Change’s Mitigation, Data and Analysis unit, “but they also need at the same time to build up a pipeline of agreed and funded projects ready to go, as soon as that capacity has been achieved.”
Participants stressed the importance of building partnerships for technical and financial support, including with private investors, to fund these development projects since governments’ budgets would not be sufficient due to the level of investment required.
For example, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) data presented at the event show that Grenada’s plans to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030 require investment of at least $105 million. St. Lucia plans to increase the contribution of renewable energy to 50% by 2030, requiring an investment of over $200 million.
The successful implementation of NDC-based renewable energy targets in the Eastern Caribbean States has the potential to add around 227 megawatts of power capacity by 2030, based on a mix of geothermal, wind and solar energy sources.
The cost involved in the transition toward a renewable future is a big challenge. In another presentation during the meeting, Rocky Mountain Institute showed estimates that $2.4 billion will be required to transition OECS countries to 70% renewable energy penetration in the next two decades. The role of the private sector would therefore be key to fill the financing gaps and turn countries’ climate goals into concrete actions.
Additionally, these is a need to conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy, build technical capacity, align all stakeholders around a clear strategy and remove regulatory and policy barriers.
Clear data on the aspects and costs of an energy transition, including the requirement for a greater level of resilience, would help countries attract donors and help overcome their limited borrowing capacity for development projects.
Forum First Step in Long-term Effort Supported by the Partners
The OECS will now work together with development partners and private sector stakeholders to develop a pipeline of investible projects suitable for the region to draw investment for their key development initiatives.
In addition to exploring bilateral funding sources, governments will reach out to financial actors from the domestic and international private sector and multilateral development banks.
OECS countries believe that so far most private investors have preferred to go to countries where they can make large investments and reap bigger returns. Governments recognise this challenge and are stepping up efforts to ease policy and legislative barriers to facilitate the entry of the private sector.
“We are updating policies to ensure there are guidelines in place to manage increased interest in investment. We will need rigorous review and approval processes in place in order to streamlining the process of responding to the investors,” added Nyasha K.K. Hamilton.
Dr. Raymond meanwhile identified the need for island nations to work more closely together to draw investors’ attention to the region and to make investments in human resources, institutional arrangements to access the required resources and support.
A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 prayed the Federal High Court, Lagos to join her in the suit filed against a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Dele Belgore, and a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Diezani Alison-Madueke. Photo credit: TODAY.ng
The defendants were charged before Justice Rilwan Aikawa for allegedly collecting N450 million from Diezani and laundering it in the build-up to the 2015 general elections.
The EFCC in the charge claimed that the N450 million was part of a sum of $115 million, which Diezani allegedly doled out to compromise the 2015 general elections.
Diezani said she would like to appear in court in Nigeria to defend the criminal charge.
At the resumed proceedings on Tuesday, a lawyer, Obinna Onya, appeared before Justice Aikawa with an application seeking to join Diezani as one of the defendants in the charge.
The application, filed pursuant to Section 36(1), (5), (6 (a)-(e) of the Constitution and sections 216 (1) (2) (3) (4) and 217 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, sought an amendment to the charges against Belgore and Suleiman, so as to join Diezani as one of the defendants.
The lawyer contended that, contrary to the declaration by the EFCC that Diezani was at large, the former minister was in the UK and was willing to return to Nigeria so that she could appear in court to take her plea and defend the charges.
The lawyer argued that since Diezani’s name had been mentioned in the charge, it would be against her right to fair hearing for the case to proceed without affording her the opportunity to defend herself.
The application prayed for an order “mandating the Attorney General of the Federation, being the agent of the complainant, to facilitate the prompt appearance of the applicant in court on the next adjourned date, to take her plea and to defend the allegations made against her in counts 1, 2,3 and 4 of the charge, numbered FHC/L/35c/2017..”
Onya urged Justice Aikawa to hear and determine the application before proceeding with the case on Tuesday.
But the prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, opposed him, saying the application was not ripe for hearing as he was yet to be served.
However, Onya told the court that he had attempted to serve Oyedepo on Tuesday morning in the court premises but that the prosecutor declined, adding that his effort to serve the application at the EFCC office on Friday was also frustrated.
But Oyedepo advised him to go and serve the application at the registry of the EFCC, assuring him that the application would be accepted.
Responding, Justice Aikawa said the court could not entertain the application until all the parties had been properly served.
Meanwhile, the trial proceeded with the second witness for the EFCC, Usman Zakari, continuing his testimony.
Through the witness, Oyedepo tendered two letters written to the EFCC in relation to the case by Standard Charted Bank Nigeria Limited and Guaranty Trust Bank.
Justice Aikawa adjourned till Wednesday, October 4, for continuation of trial.
Up against development projects threatening their forests, Indigenous Peoples and local communities in Indonesia, Mali, Peru, Cameroon, Liberia and Panama are using cutting-edge technology with the help of government agencies to map and secure their rights to 1.78 million hectares of their customary lands and territories. With assistance from a new global organisation backed by an international coalition of donors, these communities are said to be strengthening their rights while generating economic and environmental benefits that bolster the world’s race to slow the warming climate and combat inequality.
An organisation is working to secure land rights, which enables it to develop and maintain Mali’s fragile peace
The new organisation, The International Land and Forest Tenure Facility, was formally launched on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at an event in Stockholm, Sweden. With funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Ford Foundation, the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA) and Acacia, and committed finance from the Norwegian International Climate and Forests Initiative (NICFI) administered by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), the Tenure Facility has been described as the world’s first and only funding institution dedicated solely to supporting Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ efforts to secure their rights over their forests and lands. The facility is helping communities and their allies to take advantage of existing laws and policies that are on the books but that, in many cases, have not been implemented by governments due to lack of capacity, resources or will.
“Inequality is the greatest challenge of our time and we can measure its detrimental effects on the economic, social and environmental progress across the globe,” said Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. “Strengthening and enforcing the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to manage their own forests and lands rebalances the equation. By focusing on this issue the global community has the ability to address climate change and entrenched poverty, promote sustainable development, and even achieve a lasting peace in places suffering some of the world’s most unrelenting conflicts.”
If the facility invests at least $10 million a year for its first 10 years, experts project that this investment could increase titled, protected and well-managed community and indigenous tropical forestland by over 40 million hectares, an area roughly the size of Sweden. These efforts would prevent deforestation of at least 1 million hectares, the emission of more than 0.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide and the poverty that befalls communities that lose their lands and livelihoods.
Up to 2.5 billion people live on and manage more than half the world’s land area in customary or traditional systems, yet Indigenous Peoples and local communities have formal legal ownership of just 10 percent of the world’s lands. Insecure rights lead to abuses and protracted conflicts with governments, companies and migrant settlers. Caught in the middle are many of the world’s tropical forests, a key bulwark against climate change but also a resource under siege from global agribusiness, mining and energy investments.
At least one quarter – or 54.546 GtC – of the carbon stored above ground in the world’s tropical forests is found in the collectively managed territories of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. This is 70 percent more than the amount of carbon dioxide emitted globally in 2015. Research has shown that where Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ rights are secure, rates of deforestation are lower and carbon storage and biodiversity higher.
“Indigenous Peoples and local communities offer a sustainable solution to saving the world’s forests.” said Carin Jämtin, director general of Sida. “The Tenure Facility gives these often-unsung forest stewards an opportunity to partner with governments to secure and protect their forests. The new organisation provides a powerful solution to save the world’s forests from the ground up – keeping a lid on the carbon they contain and sheltering the communities they support.”
Initial results from the Tenure Facility’s first round of projects reveal the power of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to secure their own rights and manage and protect the world’s precious natural resources, and the power of collaboration with supportive governments to accelerate and scale-up the implementation of progressive laws and policies. The results were released on the eve of the Stockholm conference, co-hosted by the government of Sweden – which recently pledged to go carbon free by 2045. Representatives of 65 countries, governments, companies and organisations are joining, and will take home the urgent message that recognising the land rights of rural peoples is a low-cost solution toward achieving the world’s development, environment and climate agendas.
Leaders from three of the Tenure Facility’s six pilot projects – in Indonesia, Mali and Peru – spoke at the event, along with government counterparties/collaborators and the organisation’s new Executive Director Nonette Royo, about the urgent need to support this new approach.
“Research shows time and time again that Indigenous Peoples are the best stewards of their lands, and have been tirelessly maintaining the resources we all depend on for centuries,” said Ms. Royo, a lawyer, activist and author who most recently led the Samdhana Institute in Southeast Asia. “Leaders from all over the globe see that the crises of deforestation, climate change, endemic poverty and rights abuses in the rural world have their roots in insecure indigenous and community land rights.”
Indigenous Peoples see a string of “firsts” in Indonesia
In December 2016, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced that his government would transfer title for 12.7 million hectares of forestland to indigenous communities who have long faced conflict with palm oil, mining and pulp and paper companies responsible for the country’s deforestation epidemic. He made the pledge at a ceremony where nine communities that had mapped their lands and drafted legal regulations – some with support from the Tenure Facility – received title to 13,000 hectares of forest.
President Widodo’s commitment followed a 2013 ruling from Indonesia’s Constitutional Court declaring that the national government had wrongly appropriated an estimated 40 million hectares of customary forestland. To accelerate the recognition of indigenous land rights, the Tenure Facility’s pilot project in the country, led by the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), has drafted regulations in 32 districts and three provinces that, once passed, will lead to tenure security over 1.5 million hectares belonging to 450 indigenous communities. In an innovative new approach, these local regulations include recognition of specific indigenous territories by embedding community maps directly in the legislation.
“In September and October, everyone in Indonesia worries about the forest fires set by palm oil and other companies to clear our forests,” said Rukka Sombolinggi, secretary general for AMAN. “Not a year goes by without at least a few of these fires blowing out of control. But with strong and secure land rights, we can manage and protect our forests instead of watching our livelihoods and homes go up in flames.”
Secure land rights and peace in Mali
The 2015 Peace Accord that ended the civil war in Mali opened a critical window of opportunity to build lasting peace, but failed to address the local land-based conflicts that contributed to the war. These conflicts continued to erupt afterward in many parts of the country where laws and customary rights overlapped, threatening the country’s fragile peace. Impacts from climate change increased this tension; the expanding Sahara Desert was claiming more and more of the contested land. Much of the remaining arable land was privatised for large-scale agriculture enterprises.
The Tenure Facility helped the National Coordinating Body of Peasant Organisations in Mali (CNOP) and HELVETAS Mali to organise and train 17 local land commissions to sort through conflicting claims to determine who owns the land, helping to diminish local conflict by as much as a third and contributing to greater stability throughout the country. The land commissions provide an alternative to the overburdened and inaccessible court system. Pilot leaders are sharing the land commissions’ successes throughout the country, with an eye to extending this work to those communities most directly affected by the national conflict.
“Just as the forests in the south of our country prevent the desert from spreading, resolving disputes over land tenure in a sustainable manner prevents conflict and poverty from becoming more entrenched,” said Boubacar Diarra, pilot project coordinator for HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation. “The local communities have borne the brunt of all that has taken place in Mali. Our work to secure their land rights enables them to develop and helps maintain Mali’s fragile peace.”
Protecting the land rights of uncontacted communities in Peru
More than half of Peru’s territory is forest, and much of that land is indigenous territory. Peer-reviewed research shows that titling these community lands in the Peruvian Amazon led to an immediate and significant reduction in deforestation. Securing tenure would also set the stage for more sustainable and equitable development. Yet indigenous communities in Peru must navigate 27 separate bureaucratic hurdles before obtaining clear title to their lands, a costly process that can take more than a decade.
In the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon – in the southeast part of the country – the Tenure Facility supported the Native Federation of the River Madre de Dios and Tributaries (FENAMAD) in partnership with the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA) and the Regional Government of Madre de Dios (GOREMAD) to secure the land title of five indigenous communities covering 60,000 hectares and home to 890 indigenous people.
FENAMAD also worked with the Ministry of Culture to strengthen systems for monitoring and defending the land and forest tenure rights of Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation, protecting those in the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve, which covers more than 800,000 hectares and is under intensive pressure from illegal logging, mining and petroleum exploration.
“In Madre de Dios, we have seen so much of our forests cleared and we have lost much,” said Julio Cusurichi, president of FENAMAD. “Today, however, we move forward in protecting our culture and livelihoods, along with the lands that sustain us. Our roots are in these forests, and we care for them like any other people tend to their own homes.”
Out of the 12 beneficiary nations mentioned in the 11 new projects and programmes approved by the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) at the weekend in Egyptian capital of Cairo, three African countries have emerged lucky recipients.
GCF Co-Chair, Ewen McDonald (left); Egypt’s Minister of Environment, Dr Khaled Fahmy (middle); and a delegate, during the B.18 in Cairo
Senegal, Egypt and Ethiopia are getting their fair share from a total $392.86 million in funding to assist developing countries respond to climate change. The 18th meeting of the Board (B.18) approved the funding for 11 climate finance initiatives during a recent three-day meeting.
In Senegal, via a collaboration involving the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), some $9.98 million will be used to build climate resilience of food insecure smallholder farmers through Integrated Management of Climate Risk.
Egypt, on its part, will work with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to enhance climate change adaptation in the North Coast and Nile Delta Regions. The project is estimated to gulp $31.39 million.
With $45 million in the kitty, Ethiopia, along with its Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation (MoFEC), will attempt to respond to the increasing risk of drought by building gender-responsive resilience of the Most Vulnerable Communities.
Other projects and programmes approved at B.18 include:
$8.65 million for the Renewable Energy Programme No. 1 – Solar in Mongolia with XacBank.
$110 million for the GCF-EBRD Kazakhstan Renewables Framework programme in Kazakhstan with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
$20 million for Low Emissions and Climate Resilient Agriculture Risk Sharing Facility programme in Guatemala and Mexico with the Inter-American Development Bank.
$26.56 million for the Bhutan for Life project in Bhutan with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
$17.35 million for the Scaling-up Investment in Low-Carbon Public Buildings project in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
$26.91 million for the Sustainable and Climate Resilient Connectivity for Nauru project in Nauru with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
$58.53 million for the Implementation Project for the Management Plan of the Lujan River Basin in Argentina with the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF).
$38.5 million for the Scaling up Climate Resilient Water Management Practices for Vulnerable Communities in La Mojana project in Colombia with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The Fund’s portfolio now consists of 54 projects and programmes amounting to $2.59 billion in GCF funding.
The 24 members of the GCF Board, who equally represent developing and developed nations, also took a number of key policy decisions to further strengthen the operations of the Fund and its support for high-quality climate finance initiatives. Among these were decisions to approve a simplified approvals process for certain small-scale activities, and to approve a Request for Proposals for REDD+ results-based payments.
Additionally, the Board approved the accreditation of five new partner organisations as Accredited Entities. The newly endorsed organisations, bringing GCF’s total of Accredited Entities to 59, are:
China Clean Development Mechanism Fund Management Centre (China CDM Fund Management Centre), based in China;
Department of Environment (DOE) of Antigua and Barbuda;
Fiji Development Bank (FDB), based in Fiji;
Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), based in Bangladesh; and
Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), based in Tunisia.
“My thanks go to the Government of Egypt,” said Ayman Shasly, Board Co-Chair from Saudi Arabia. “The Board has received a warm and generous welcome in Cairo, and this has resulted in a highly productive and enjoyable meeting. The decisions we have taken here will benefit climate-vulnerable developing countries and strengthen GCF’s role in delivering sustainable climate change adaptation and mitigation outcomes.”
“Cairo has been a great GCF experience,” said fellow Co-Chair, Ewen McDonald from Australia. “Encouraged by a challenge for ambitious outcomes from His Excellency Dr Khaled Fahmy, Egypt’s Minister of Environment, in his opening address, the Board has taken a number of important decisions at this meeting. Notable among these is our approval for a REDD+ results-based payments system which has the potential to make a globally significant contribution to efforts to tackle deforestation.”
More than 300 participants took part in the 18th Board meeting, including observers from civil society and private sector organisations, National Designated Authorities (NDAs), Accredited Entities, and GCF Delivery Partners.
The next GCF Board meeting, B.19, will take place in Songdo, Republic of Korea, from February 27 to March 1, 2018.
Nigeria, the most populous black nation with so much tourism potentials, seems to be blinded by petrodollars; hence it abandoned tourism, which, experts say, could earn more foreign exchange than the dwindling black gold. The beaches, which abound in the coastal areas, are among the tourist sites. But they are in a sorry state; hence some non-profit organisations are taking it upon themselves to give them a facelift.
Funmi Oyatogun (left) and Nnenna Fakoya-Smith
It started with some groups like Beach Samaritans who clean the beaches around Lagos. They did not mind that some individuals are living off the proceeds from the beaches.
Now, a partnership between Nene-Uwa Hub Limited and TVP Adventures seems to be upping the ante. They not only clean the beach; they plant more coconuts to replace the ageing ones.
Nnenna Fakoya-Smith, a tourism promoter, founded Nene-Uwa Hub Limited, while Funmi Oyatogun, a tourist and environmentalist, founded TVP Adventures a year ago. The two young ladies found a common ground in tourism.
So, as part of activities to mark the World Tourism Day (WTD), marked globally on September 27, the two organisations, through the social media, selected volunteers to help give one of the popular beaches in Lagos a facelift. The Badagry Beach that hosted the Point Of No Return – from where slaves were ferried to the “New World” many centuries ago – was the destination.
A youngster planting a tree by the beach
The journey started from the National stadium in Surulere, where the volunteers gathered, before they were transported in two coaster buses to Badagry. The trip was somewhat interesting. The volunteers did a bit of trekking and travelled in the notorious Lagos traffic gridlock. Imagine leaving Badagry by 4pm and getting to Surulere about 8.30pm. The distance from the Lagoon to the Point Of No Return had to be trekked. However, it was like a picnic; lots of fun for both the organisers and the volunteers.
With spades, rakes, waste bags, latex gloves and nose masks, the group made up of tourists and even under-10 children stormed the beach, which was in a sorry hygienic state. Within one hour, there was a transformation; the debris had been gathered in about 10 waste bags.
Not done, with the help of the tour guide identified simply as “Cornerstone” and his partner identified as “Stone”, they planted 40 coconut trees bought from a nursery. Even as the holy books promised reward in paradise for those who do good, the volunteers got some reward from within when a Red Cross member bought one coconut fruit for each participant. The water was rejuvenating.
Oyatogun, who had her first degree in Environmental Studies from a United States university, told EnviroNews that the project got her interest because of its environmental and tourism significance.
The essence of the campaign, she added, is for awareness creation on the need to keep the beaches clean.
“I want to create awareness. After this exercise, none of the volunteers or even their family members will ever litter the beach,” she said.
The tourist disclosed that she was partnering Nene-Uwa for the beach clean-up.
Fakoya-Smith, on her part, told EnviroNews that she was practically going the project alone, wishing that government and public-spirited individuals could buy into the project and lend a helping hand.
She seems not to be aware of Beach Samaritans who also sanitise beaches, but she would be glad to partner with them.
Her aim of embarking on the project is for sustainable tourism, which she believes would replace oil, an exhaustible resource.
She was also creating awareness for cleaner beaches, trying to reach as many people as possible.
The Federal Government has been called upon to turn a new leaf and give priority to research and development.
Dignitaries at the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy’s induction of new Fellows ceremony
Professor Isa Marte Hussaini, world-renowned cancer researcher and professor of Pharmacology at the University of Maiduguri, who made the submission recently in Lagos as the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy inducted new Fellows, called for greater commitment on the part of the government to the funding of research in the country.
“Inadequate funding is still a big challenge for Research and Development in Nigeria, as well as lack of constant power supply and non-availability of reagents which we have to buy from US and UK. We need more research grants in our country; it is not about the personnel but the tools to work with. All over the world, there are Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in the field of medicine,” Hussaini lamented as he delivered a keynote address at the investiture ceremony.
Prof. Hussaini, whose cancer research is exploring the use of local herbs in cancer therapy, reminded the audience that “cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, adding that the first is cardiovascular diseases with 8.2 million deaths reported worldwide as at 2012.
“Sadly, a lot of the research grants in Nigeria are focused on deaths arising from preventable diseases like Malaria, TB when we should really be funding ground breaking research on cancer. We have seen fruitful evidence of the use of local herbs in the management of cancer in Nigeria,” he said.
The Academy, which has been in the fore-front of educating, mentoring and motivating young pharmacists, recently organised in partnership with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and active engagement with other health professionals, a workshop on inter-professional collaboration in Nigeria’s healthcare sector. The workshop, it was gathered, helped to complement other efforts that seek better cooperation amongst Nigeria’s healthcare professionals, in the interest of the health of people in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy inducted six distinguished professionals into its ranks as fellows at the investiture ceremony.
Those inducted include Director-General, Nigerian Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Prof. Karniyus Gamaniel; former deputy provost, University of Lagos, Prof. Herbert Coker; one-time national pharmaceutical advisor, World Health Organisation, Dr. Ogori Taylor; first African woman to bag the fellowship of American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) in the US and Professor of Pharmaceutics, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye; Pharmacy Residency Director, Mercer University College at Atlanta Medical Centre, Dr. Teresa Pounds; and communications management consultant and CEO of XLR8, Calixthus Okoruwa.
Speaking at the Investiture of the new fellows, President, Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, noted that the “individuals we are today inducting into our ranks are those with a strong passion for scientific research. These are tested professionals who appreciate the value of research in fast-tracking the social and economic progress of societies.”
He described pharmacy as the bedrock of effective healthcare delivery in the country and the most trusted healthcare provider as well as a driving force behind the discovery of new drugs.
According to Adelusi-Adeluyi, “Pharmacy is the key that unlocks all you need to know about medicine, Pharmacists are with you in sickness and health, counseling the patients and we serve with integrity. The Academy is exploring ways by which we can collectively convert the massive footprint of visitors to hospital pharmacies into real value for the profession and its practitioners.”
On his part, President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, (PSN), Ahmed Yakasai, said the body was committed to making Nigeria the hub of pharmaceutical production and research in Africa.
“Through a well-tailored plan which we have broken down to short, medium and long-term plan, we are looking to promote pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria and examining the possibilities of producing about 70% of what the industry needs especially the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients while importing the remaining 30%.”
Yakassai also announced the establishment of the PSN Foundation which would be launched in Abuja on October 17, 2017 while noting that the 90th celebration of the PSN, scheduled to hold in Umuahia, would be a grand, epoch making occasion for all pharmacists.
The Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy is a specialised academy that, among others, seeks to promote scientific research and professional development especially in the health, pharmaceutical and related sectors in order to help overcome challenges posed by pain and disease as well as fast-track social and economic development in Nigeria and beyond.
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has set up a total of 15 different committees to investigate various allegations contained in petitions against 15 Judicial Officers, including two Chief Judges.
Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen
The Council, which is under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, took the decision at its 83rd meeting, after considering the reports of the two Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees, on 46 petitions written against judicial officers in the federal and state judiciaries.
According to the statement issued on Monday, October 2, 2017 by the Director of Information, NJC, Barrister Soji Oye, the Council had dismissed a total number of 31 petitions, 29 of which it found unmeritorious, while the remaining two written against Justice James T. Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, and the Acting Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice O. O. Akeredolu, were withdrawn at the instance of the petitioners.
Al-Sagr National Insurance Company, which wrote against Justice Tsoho withdrew its petition since the Judge had delivered the ruling in his case.
Also, Chief Raheem A. Badmus, who wrote against Justice Akeredolu voluntarily withdrew his petition for personal reasons.
The Council treated the two petitions as withdrawn, since it did not find anything in them sufficiently serious for further consideration as stipulated in Regulation 9 (1) of the Judicial Discipline Regulations.
However, it considered and found worthy of further investigation, the petition written by Azi A. Phillip on behalf of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Plateau State Chapter, accusing the immediate past Chief Judge of Plateau State, Justice P. D. Damulak of bias, for failing to make his judgment in Suit No. PLD/J/236/16 delivered on November 4, 2016, available to him till the time he wrote the petition.
But the Council had decided not to constitute an investigative committee to look into the matter, because the Chief Judge had already retired from service and therefore, no longer in the employment of the National Judicial Council.
It also considered and dismissed petitions written against two other Judicial Officers – High Court of Justice, Abia State, Justice L. T. C. Eruba and Grand Kadi, Sharia Court of Appeal, Kano State, Abdullahi Waiya, for lacking in merit.
It also decided to issue two letters of advice to Justice M. A. Dada of the Lagos State High Court of Justice, and Justice Chukwudi Charles Okaa of the Anambra State High Court, for violating the extant laws in the course of their judicial duties.
This position was based on petitions written against them by Dayo Adamolekun, Ridwanulah Olanite, and Reverend F. U. Ekavhiare & Associates, respectively.
The Council also unanimously agreed to report Adesina Ogunlana to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (L.P.D.C.) for misconduct bordering on the use of uncouth language in a petition written to NJC against the immediate past Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice O. O. Atilade.
The Council however welcomed as good development, a letter from Zamfara State Government, approving the recommendation of the NJC for the removal of Justice Musa Ibrahim Anka from office, for allegedly receiving N200,000 bribe from one Zubairu Abdumalik in order to deliver judgement in his favour.
The recommendation was made to the Zamfara State Government by the Council in 2011.
