Nigeria’s delegates to the 23rd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP23) holding in Bonn, Germany next month have been urged to solicit for international partnership and funding.
Dr Yerima Peter Tarfa, Director, Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment
Mr Richard Inyamkume, the Senior Programme Officer of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Initiative, an NGO, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday, October 23, 2017.
NAN reports that COP23 will hold from November 6 to 17.
Inyamkume said that delegates from Nigeria were expected to showcase the nation’s approaches and initiatives to address climate change impacts on the populace.
‘‘I understand that there are a lot of local initiatives in Nigeria that can assist in tackling climate change impacts but some of such vibrant initiatives exist within academic institutions and the private sector without funding.
‘‘Projects and initiatives can hardly see the light of the day where there is no funding to drive such projects.
‘‘The COP23 is another opportunity for government and organisations to solicit for international partnership and funding for viable climate change mitigation and adaptation of projects for Nigeria,’’ he said.
The programme officer expressed hope that delegates from Nigeria would pursue the nation’s climate change needs and be able to learn new strategies and approaches in solving climate-related problems.
“As a nation, we need to focus more on women clean cooking initiatives, youth advocacy, activism and capacity building initiatives, and the development of clean infrastructures that will speed up national development.
‘‘I believe that Nigeria is going to return from the conference with a lot of experiences and knowledge that can be harnessed to achieve the growth of green initiatives and projects,’’ Inyamkume said.
The re-appointed MD/CEO of the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), Peter Ewesor, has identified the issue of standardisation of equipment/materials and existence of quackery as major problems plaguing the sector.
MD/CEO of the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), Peter Ewesor
According to him, these have led to many unfortunate incidences of electrical accidents and electrocutions in Nigeria. The Chief Electrical Inspector of the Federation has however assured that these problems will be further strongly addressed as he begins his second tenure in earnest.
He was speaking at the mini hand-over ceremony during which T. T. Aliyu presented the report of his brief stewardship during the period he acted to the MD/CEO.
Ewesor noted and itemised the focus of the management as follows: “First is our unalloyed commitment to the implementation of the mandate of this Agency. As I had noted severally, the major challenge of the sector is quackery and we have evolved multiple strategies. We will make life unbearable for any group or individual who insist on endangering Nigerians through refusal to abide by professional safety standards.
“Recently, we secured a conviction of four accused persons at the chief magistrate court of Kaduna State for the offences of criminal conspiracy, forgery of the NEMSA Certificates and cheating contrary to section 59, 345 and 308 of the penal code of Kaduna State. This will serve as deterrence to those contemplating forging and counterfeiting NEMSA Certificate/instrument.
“We are going to intensify our efforts in terms of enforcement of technical standards and regulations, technical inspection, testing and certification of all categories of electrical installations, electricity meters and instruments to ensure the efficient production and delivery of safe, reliable and sustainable power supply and guarantee safety of lives and property in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) and other allied industries/workplaces safety standards.
“The second focus is our determination to empower our staff to effectively discharge their responsibilities by ensuring a conducive environment for work, scale up on the necessary work equipment and investing in human capital development. Importantly too, we are already expanding our services, getting closer to people by inaugurating new Inspectorate field offices, such as the new Owerri Office, Bauchi and one coming up in Uyo.
“And last but not the least is our rededication to the culture of integrity, transparency and openness in the management of the Agency. We are passionately committed to the anti-corruption crusade of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. We have always ensured due process in our operations and that has earned us the 12th position amongst 166 public institutions assessed by Public and Private Development Center (PPDC) in the 2017 FOI ranking recently conducted. Going forward we will ensure continuous maximum compliance with relevant extant rules and other regulations,” the Chief Executive said.
He assured Nigerians that the Agency would be more visible as it intensifies efforts to enforce safety of use of electricity and safety of lives and property in the industry and Nigeria at large.
Ewesor completed his first tenure on September 10, 2017 this year before his reappointment by President Muhammadu Buhari on the October 3, 2017 for a further term of four years in accordance with the provisions of section 7(3) of the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency Act, 2015.
Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has annulled his appointment of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe as the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases in Africa, apparently due to widespread outcry.
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe
“I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns,” said Dr Ghebreyesus in a statement issued on Sunday, October 22, 2017.
He had previously praised Zimbabwe for its commitment to public health.
But critics pointed out that Zimbabwe’s healthcare system had collapsed in recent years.
During the first 20 years of his 37-year rule, Mr Mugabe widely expanded health care, but the system has badly been affected by the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy since 2000.
Staff often go without pay, medicines are in short supply, and Mr Mugabe, who has outlived the average life expectancy in his country by three decades, travels abroad for medical treatment.
Mr Tedros said he had consulted with the Zimbabwean government and decided that rescinding Mr Mugabe’s position was “in the best interests of” the WHO.
He said he remained “firmly committed to working with all countries and their leaders” to build universal health care.
Mugabe’s appointment was met by a wave of surprise and condemnation. The UK government, the Canadian prime minister, the Wellcome Trust, the NCD Alliance, UN Watch, the World Heart Federation, Action Against Smoking and Zimbabwean lawyers and social media users were among those who criticised the decision.
Ghebreyesus’ statement reads:
Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment of H.E. President Robert Mugabe as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases in Africa. As a result I have decided to rescind the appointment.
I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns, and heard the different issues that they have raised. I have also consulted with the Government of Zimbabwe and we have concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the World Health Organisation.
It is my aim to build a worldwide movement for global health. This movement must work for everyone and include everyone.
For me, what is important is to build political leadership and create unity around bringing health to all, based on WHO’s core values.
I remain firmly committed to working with all countries and their leaders to ensure that every one has access to the health care they need.
We must build bridges that bring us together and help us move forward in our quest to achieve universal health coverage.
I thank everyone who has voiced their concerns and shared their thoughts. I depend on constructive debate to help and inform the work I have been elected to do.
Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Monday, October 23, 2017 in Akure, the state capital, signed Memoranda of Understanding with two firms on agricultural projects and appealed for speedy take off of the projects.
Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State
Akeredolu signed the MoU for the construction of a powderised egg factory with Greenfield Poultry Ltd.
The second MoU with Adventum Global Inc, USA, was for the construction of a factory for cultivation and processing of large scale agricultural products.
The governor thanked the managements of the companies for their interest in the state, adding that construction work at the project sites should begin in no distant time.
He said that his administration would do everything possible to establish an independent power station to service all industries in Ondo.
Earlier, Mr Paul Obanua, Team Leader, Greenfield Poultry Ltd., commended the commitment of the state government to the egg factory project.
Obanua said that the factory to be sited in Emure Ile, Owo Local Government Area of the state, would be the first powderised egg factory plant in West Africa.
He said that the ground-breaking ceremony would be on Nov. 20 and added that the firm was partnering with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the project.
The team leader said that the company was fully committed to helping in industrialising the state.
On his part, Mr Isaac Oghogho, Chairman, Adventum Global Inc, USA, said the firm would invest more than $40 million in the 4,000 hectare project.
Oghogho said the primary objective of the project was to set up an integrated agriculture value chain from cultivation to processing, marketing and distribution.
He said that more than 3,000 indigenes of the state would be employed by the scheme within the first three years of its commencement.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, says that only 40 per cent of Nigeria’s arable land is under cultivation.
Senator Abdullahi Adamu
Adamu, who said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, October 23, 2017 in Abuja, called for increased investments in agriculture, as the situation had elicited serious concern.
He said that one good thing that the recent economic recession had done to Nigeria was that people from all walks of life were now going into agriculture.
On some reports that foreigners had taken over farming in the country, the senator said that the Nigerian economy was a free and open economy.
“We need large-scale farming to increase our agricultural output if we are talking about food security.
“Yes, we have been fed by peasant farmers, smallholder farmers in this country for quite a long time,’’ he said.
Adamu noted that one of the reasons why the country had not been able to attain food security was because smallholder farmers had certain limitations, including how to use the little funds at their disposal in a pragmatic way.
“The smallholder farmer also has limits regarding the land he owns, how much money he requires to invest on it and the equipment he needs to some extent,” he said.
Adamu said that, as a country, Nigeria had decided to transit from smallholder farming to medium or large scale farming activities.
He said that most farmers had some waiting period for them to mature, in terms of attaining all the requirements for large scale farming.
“In the interim, if foreign investors can come in, on terms that are acceptable by government through policy, there is nothing wrong with it,” he said.
On reports of kidnapping of farmers in the northern part of the country, Adamu said: “I don’t know if that is completely true or correct.
“I accept the fact that there has been some degree of exposure of insecurity in farms across the country.
“It is not something that is just in the northern part of Nigeria, but what I do know is that government is striving to check the development.
“I know government has taken very specific steps to combat it,’’ he added.
The lawmaker said that government was deploying security outfits to farms, while that the Ministry of Interior was training young men and women to provide security in farms.
“We cannot be everywhere but at least, for a start, we cover substantially some of the farms where we know huge investments have been made, or where we know there is a menace of disruption of farm activities by these men of the terror world.
“Government is trying to make sure that the farms have some level of security. It is a national phenomenon and we are seeing it in that light: We are taking the steps that are absolutely necessary to contain the menace,” he said.
While assessing the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Adamu said that unfortunately, the programme was not quite going round all the 36 states.
The Anchor Borrowers Programme is designed to create a linkage between companies that are involved in processing of key agricultural commodities and smallholder farmers, among other things.
Adamu said there was concentration of ABP projects in certain parts of the country, while some areas have yet to benefit from the programme.
“Like anything in the world, everything has teething problems in the beginning; we can forgive the concentration in one part of the country to the detriment of the other part.
“The good excuse we have is that the programme is just beginning and it has recorded some successes by the grace of God.
“The CBN is anchoring the ABP projects through its various intervention funds and this is doing a lot of good to us,” he said.
National Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Mike Ogirima, has decried the declining immunisation coverage in the country and urged government at all levels to do more.
National Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Mike Ogirima
Ogirima gave the warning while addressing a news conference in Ilorin, Kwara State on Monday, October 23, 2017 to mark the 2017 Physician Week.
He said that the 2016/2017 National Immunisation Coverage Survey (NCIS) indicated that only 33 per cent of children around 12 to 23 months of age had three doses of pentavalent vaccine against the global target of 90 per cent and only 23 per cent were fully immunised.
He said 40 per cent do not receive any vaccines from the health systems, warning that a large population of Nigerian children particularly less than five years are unprotected.
According to him, these children are at risk of dying from vaccine preventable diseases such as measles, diphtheria, pertusis and tuberculosis among others.
Ogirima warned that this is a danger and threat to the survival of our great nation as no meaningful development could take place in a society where disease and death was ravaging the potential leaders and hopes of tomorrow.
The NMA chairman also warned that members would no longer work for 70 hours and be paid only 40 hours in a month.
He said: “Physicians will be compelled to take a sabbatical, if Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) does not contain its radicalism.’’
“Government should not allow itself to be intimidated with illegal bodies like JOHESU in the health sector; we expect each professional to stick to the ethics of their profession,’’ he said.
The chairman also alleged that doctors are now an endangered species in the communities and traditional hospital environment.
“The value for money and hospitals titles have made the members of JOHESU to set up fellowship colleges with the aim of bearing the title of consultants,’’ he said.
Ogirima appealed to the Federal Government to operationalise the National Health Act of 2014, which made provisions among others the pooling of not less than one per cent of consolidated revenue as Basic Health Provision Fund (BHPF) to cater for the vulnerable.
He also warned members against using the working hours in government hospitals to attend to their private clinics or hospitals.
Ogirima also urged the government not to dissolve the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCAN) without immediately re-constituting it.
Twelve major cities including London, Paris, Los Angeles and Cape Town promised on Monday, October 23, 2017 to buy only zero-emissions buses from 2025 and to make major areas free of fossil fuel emissions by 2030 to protect the environment.
Paris, France
The 12, with a combined population of almost 80 million, said they would promote walking, cycling and the use of public transport under a joint “fossil-fuel-free streets declaration”.
Many cities are setting tougher environmental goals than governments to limit air pollution and to achieve the goals of the 2015 Paris climate agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a statement:“air pollution caused by petrol and diesel vehicles is killing millions of people in cities around the world.
“The same emissions are also causing climate change.”
The mayors, part of the C40 group of cities which is seeking to slow global warming, said they would “procure only zero-emissions buses from 2025 and ensure that major areas of their city are zero emissions by 2030.”
C40, is a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change. C40 supports cities to collaborate effectively,
Other cities signing up were Copenhagen, Barcelona, Quito, Vancouver, Mexico City, Milan, Seattle and Auckland.
Zero emissions areas could mean more parks, pedestrian areas or roads where only electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles could enter to make cities more attractive places to live.
They did not define how big “major areas” would be.
Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, for instance, said the city was aiming to add 165 hectares of green space in coming years, extend bike lanes and cut the number of trips by private vehicles by a fifth.
Seattle Mayor Tim Burgess said the plan demonstrated “the power of cities to lead on climate.”
C40 estimated that there were 59,000 buses of all types operating on the streets of the 12 cities.
Among them, London says it has the largest electric bus fleet in Europe, with more than 2,500 hybrid electric buses made by China’s BYD and Britain’s Alexander Dennis.
In an expanding market, other makers include Volvo, Mercedes-Benz Daimler and Proterra Inc.
Caroline Watson, an expert in low-emission vehicles at C40, told Reuters the declaration was meant as “a clear commitment in writing to raise the bar and give a signal to the private sector” to encourage greener investments in cities.
No fewer than 500 rural traders were on Monday, October 23, 2017 sensitised on the importance of handwashing at Olufi Market, Gbongan in Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the handwashing campaign was organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with Ayedaade Local Government.
Addressing the traders, a UNICEF consultant, Mrs Bidemi Omopariola, said that “handwashing with soap was an easy, effective and affordable do-it-yourself protection that prevents infections and saves lives.’’
Omopariola said that the importance of hand washing could not be over emphasised at this critical period of reported outbreak of Monkeypox in some states in the country.
She said that the hand washing campaign targeted markets where sellers and buyers could help in spreading the message to the nooks and crannies of the state.
“It is important to turn hand washing to habit. The simple act of washing hands at this critical moment is an easy and affordable intervention.
“Good handwashing hygiene will reduce the risk of water borne diseases, flu, food poisoning and health care associated infection being passed from person to person,” she said.
Earlier, Mr Oduwole Bashir, Executive Secretary, Aiyedaade Local Government, said handwashing with soap was an inexpensive way of preventing diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections.
“It is important to turn hand washing to habit. The simple act of washing hands at this critical moment is an easy and affordable intervention,” Bashir said.
In his remarks, the Council Manager, Mr Olalekan Akande, also urged the traders to make handwashing a habit.
“When handwashing with soap is practiced regularly at key times, such as after using the toilet or before contact with food, it can dramatically reduce the risk of diarrhoea and pneumonia, which can cause serious illness and death,” Akande said.
Some of the traders who spoke with NAN commended UNICEF for the programme.
Mrs Bukola Oyediran, a pepper seller, said the programme was an eye opener for her on the importance of hand washing.
Another trader, Mr Segun Adeoye, a meat seller, said he hardly washed his hands after sales and commended UNICEF said for helping him to know the importance of hand washing.
The Minister of Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Jibril, on Monday, October 23, 2017 urged stakeholders to bridge the institutional and legislative gaps identified in the course of implementing the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act.
Minister of Environment, Ibrahim Usman Jibril
The minister, who was represented by Dr Shehu Ahmed, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, gave the advice in Abuja at a workshop organised on the revision of the EIA Act.
Jibril said that the EIA Act had been in operation for over two decades, adding that during its implementation, a number of gaps, omissions and inadequacies had been identified.
“As a result of this, the ministry, being the apex regulatory body for the protection and conservation of natural resources in Nigeria, has initiated series of consultations.
“The aim is to revise and prepare the EIA law for amendment so as to expand its legislative coverage, while incorporating emerging and global issues into the Act.
“This workshop is, therefore, organised to bring to an end the several attempts by the ministry to come up with a draft revised EIA Act, which suits the needs of the country and meets international standard, for all sectors of the economy to operate,’’ he said.
Jibril urged the stakeholders to brainstorm at the workshop and come up with a robust document that would stand the test of time.
According to him, the review of EIA Act is imperative because it sets procedures and methods to facilitate prior consideration of EIA of certain public and private projects.
“It also gives powers to the ministry to process EIA projects and programmes,’’ he added.
Also speaking, Mr John Alonge, the Director of Environmental Assessment Department in the ministry, said that the workshop was to make EIA process in the country less cumbersome, more result-oriented and timely.
Alonge said the workshop would also aid efforts to align Nigeria’s the EIA procedures with international best practices, while removing factors hindering in the EIA process in the country.
Nigeria’s National Climate Change Bill will be a subject of international discussion at the 23rd Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) scheduled to hold from November 6 to 17, 2017 in Bonn, Germany.
Participants at pre-COP23 meeting organised by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Abuja
Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change, Samuel Onuigbo, made the disclosure in Abuja on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at a pre-COP23 meeting organised by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).
Onuigbo, who was represented at the daylong forum by his Special Legislative Assistant (SLA), Stanley Nwabuisi, stated that this would come by via a special side-event – one of severally being planned by Nigeria at the two-week global confab.
The legislator stated that the side-event was informed by the need to share experiences and best practices with the international community on a similar topic, and sure that the bill emerges a better and more engaging document.
At a National Stakeholders Meeting Preparatory to COP23 in Abuja recently, Director, Department of Climate Change, Dr. Yerima Peter Tarfa, said Nigeria would host side-events on the Sovereign Green Bond (which is at the threshold of being launched) and implementation of the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
At the FES gathering, FES Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ulrich Thum, and Project Manager, Henry Okotie, introduced the organisation as a private, non-profit organisation committed to the values of Social Democracy. According to them, FES Nigeria cooperates with and supports the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on labour rights issues as well as how climate change affects labour and employment.
Prof Emmanuel Oladipo of the University of Lagos, Akoka, who chaired the meeting, stated that COP23 represents a platform to drive the implementation of the Paris Agreement that was committed to by a considerable number of Parties to the UNFCCC. He urged civil society organisations at the meeting to come up with issues they can put up before the government before, during and after the COP.
Hauwa Mustapha of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) shared Labour’s stand with participants, underlining the need for: social justices and a decent work environment for all, and reduction of emissions to zero.
According to Ovie Ainenehi, who represented the Federal Ministry of environment at the meeting, Nigeria negotiators will be aligning with the Africa Group’s stand, which includes operationalisation of adaptation as provided under the Convention through elaborating the global goal for adaptation of the agreement.
He listed government priority areas to include: NDCs implementation, agriculture (climate smart agriculture), renewable energy/energy efficiency, transportation, and green economy.
Participants eventually agreed of shared responsibilities and strategies towards the COP. Some are listed to include:
Identifying and aligning with government activities at COP23
Ensuring a proper access to information
Building interrelationships between different environment-related ministries
Proper coordination for the media, for effective information dissemination
Translating NDCs into different languages to help locals understand the process
Ministry of Environment should share information on its Pre-COP23 meeting
Civil society should be notified about all Nigerian side events at the COP
Need to effectively showcase Nigeria’s image at the conference
Need for more grassroots awareness
Need to appreciate the politics of climate change
Need to create a network of participants
Need to Itemise the working groups in Bonn and be organised to attend the sessions
Need to liaise with the Ministry for thematic area to work with during the COP
Need to help track Nigeria meetings, and build civil society strategies
Need to know how to make an input in Nigeria/African position
Need to identify where and how civil society interventions can be impacted
Need to identify and be familiar with Nigerian negotiators going for the COP
Need to respond to communication and strategic document
Need to review policies to be able to effectively engage with policy makers.
