Chairman, House Committee on Climate Change, Samuel Onuigbo, says the House of Representatives will soon pass a bill seeking to create an agency on climate change.
Chairman, House Committee on Climate Change, Sam Onuigbo
Onuigbo disclosed this on Saturday, October 21, 2017 in Abuja at a climate change walk programme organised by Ecolife Conservation Initiative, an NGO, as a pre-event to mark the International Day for Climate Change Action on Oct. 24.
Onuigbo, representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/South Federal Constituency of Abia State, said the bill would address challenges of climate and environment in the country.
He said that the bill would also provide a legal framework for the mainstreaming of climate change, seek responses and actions into government policy formulation.
He said that the bill had passed through first and second reading in the House, adding that it would soon be considered by stakeholders at a public hearing.
“With the passion the Speaker and Senate president are having towards ensuring that the law is being passed, I am sure that this bill will become law by second week of November.
“The bill has gone through first and second reading on the floor of the House on Thursday, Oct. 19, and the bill is also going to get everyone involved because climate change issues concern every citizen,” he said.
Onuigbo however advised all the Ministries, Department and Agencies as well as other stakeholders to support the government in ensuring that the environment was protected.
Mr Henry Akwitti, the National President of the NGO, said that the walk programme was to create awareness about climate change and educate FCT residents on steps to take to reduce carbon emission and develop climate-resilient pathways.
Akwitti said that the programme was to commemorate this year’s International Day for Climate Change Action marked on Oct. 24 annually.
“We all are aware that climate change is a very important subject matter considering its devastating effects as we have seen in case of floods, drought, famine and practically all spheres of human life.
“Therefore, our environment must not be ignored, we must protect our environment for better and healthy life,” he said.
He said that the organisation was focused in achieving environmental stability through sustainable green projects and massive public campaign.
He called on Nigerians to imbibe the culture of keeping the environment clean to promote environmental health.
This theme for this year’s programme is: “Sustainable Solution’’.
The World Habitat Humanitarian and Philanthropic Awards for Excellence is designed to encourage notable Nigerians to do more in the area of human and capital development.
World Habitat Day 2017
Chief Sunnie Chukumele, the Chairman, Board of Trustee of the World Habitat Ambassador Foundation (WHAF), made this known on Saturday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Chukumele also said that the award was to mark the UN World Habitat Day.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia says, “World Habitat Day is observed every year on the first Monday of October throughout the world.
“It was officially designated by the United Nations and first celebrated in 1986.
“The purpose of the day is to reflect on the state of our cities and towns and the basic human right to adequate shelter.
“It also aims to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the habitat of future generations.’’
According to Chukumele, it is also aimed at promoting environmental sanitation, personal hygiene and healthy livings, while encouraging human capacity building through schemes and jobs creation, promote culture, cultural pride, intercultural communication and religion tolerance.
“It is also aimed at encouraging and promoting social and environmentally sustainable human settlements, development, urbanisation and shelter for all.
“WHAF is working to help people to access decent, healthy and secure shelter through identifying innovative housing policy, practices and promoting these ideas through programmes, events, summit, workshops and conferences,’’ he said.
Chukumele also said that essence of the World Habitat beauty pageant was to give young women the opportunity to come together, regardless of their background, tribe or religion to build and foster better relationships.
He said that the pageant was to inspire and empower young women to develop and utilise their inner strength and qualities positively to impact on their society and the world.
The WHAF chairman, Board of Trustee, said that the foundation, annually gave a maximum set of awards to celebrate and appreciate the efforts of certain individuals, organisations, corporate bodies and government parastatals agencies.
“These are organisations that have shown dedication to the growth and development of Africa and have been in the forefront in addressing issues affecting urbanisation, environment and human capital development.’’ he said.
According to him, the 2017 awardees are selected on criteria set by the Advisory Governing Council of WHAF.
The 2017 awardees include Retired Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the President Amnesty Programme and DIG Emmanuel Inyang, Department of Training and Development, Force Headquarters.
Chukumele said that the 2017 Miss UN-World Habitat winner, Miss Fawaz Zahra, won the crown in a highly-contested competition.
He said that the first runner-up was Miss Goodnews Otor; second runner-up is Miss Rosella Iferike; third runner-up Miss Joy Israel, while Miss Joy Salami, emerged the fourth runner-up.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has developed a new initiative called the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) initiative – a knowledge and innovation-based response to the recognised need of scaling up proven technologies across Africa.
Acting Vice President of AfDB, Dr. Kapil Kapoor
Already, 25 African countries have written letters to the AfDB confirming their interest and readiness to participate in TAAT, and help transform their agriculture.
It will support AfDB’s Feed Africa Strategy for the continent to eliminate the current massive importation of food and transform its economies by targeting agriculture as a major source of economic diversification and wealth, as well as a powerful engine for job creation.
The initiative will implement 655 carefully considered actions that should result in almost 513 million tons of additional food production and lift nearly 250 million Africans out of poverty by 2025.
TAAT will execute bold plans to contribute to a rapid agricultural transformation across Africa through raising agricultural productivity along eight Priority Intervention Areas (PIAs).
The commodities value chains to benefit from this initiative are rice, cassava, pearl millet, sorghum, groundnut, cowpea, livestock, maize, soya bean, yam, cocoa, coffee, cashew, oil palm, horticulture, beans, wheat and fish.
“TAAT was born out of this major consultation and brings together global players in agriculture, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, World Food Programme, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, Rockefeller Foundation and national and regional agricultural research systems, ” said AfDB President, Akinwumi Adesina, at a TAAT side event at the 2017 World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa.
“It’s the biggest consolidation of efforts to accelerate agriculture technology uptake in Africa. Technology will address the variability and the new pests and diseases that will surely arise with climate change,” he said.
Adesina explained that TAAT would help break down decades of national boundary-focused seed release systems. Seed companies will have regional business investments, not just national ones, he said. “That will be revolutionary and will open up regional seed industries and markets.”
TAAT, he explained, is to be implemented through a collectively agreed central delivery platform, coordinated by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, with national, regional and international agricultural research centres.
“TAAT is a transformative and landmark partnership effort. The African Development Bank, World Bank, AGRA, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation intend to mobilise $1 billion to help scale up technologies across Africa.”
The Director, External Communications in the African Region of the World Bank Group, Haleh Bridi, described TAAT as a regional technology delivery infrastructure for agriculture, linking countries across agro-ecological zones.
Bridi stressed that Africa can learn from Asia, which had made “amazing strides” in its agricultural revolution. “This is why we are involved in the TAAT programme,” she said to resounding applause.
The Director for Agricultural Development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Nick Austin, said, “Technology obviously evolves the journey to prosperity, the way economies transform and the way small-holder farmers engage.”
“Locally, there are varieties. Locally, there are new technologies and solutions to small-holder farmers. We are in the position to play a key role in bringing the best technologies available and supporting new ways in delivering this to farmers. We are delighted and excited to be part of this initiative.”
President of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Agnes Kalibata, stressed that African governments should drive technological development in agriculture.
“What TAAT is going to have to do is work with the governments. We have lots of institutions that are ready for these technologies. We should work with governments to ensure that the technologies are not just ready to work, but become available to their country people. I think that ensuring that the farmers get all the technologies they need is going to be very important,” she said.
President of the Rockefeller Foundation, Raj Shah, highlighted the impact of technology on agricultural yields.
The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Ms Amina Mohammed, has asked older Nigerians to pave the way for the youth by creating leadership opportunities for them.
Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, speaking at the Cultural Night at Nigeria House, New York, organised by Nigerians working in the UN System
Mohammed, who stated this at a Cultural Night organised by Nigerians working at the United Nations System, urged older Nigerians to stop competing with the younger ones for employment opportunities.
“Whenever there are opportunities, try and pave the way for the young ones; you are getting old and we want to see the young ones in the system.
“We need to give the youth the opportunity because if we don’t give them the opportunities, they can easily fall victims of crimes,” she said.
According to her, the Nigerian employees at the UN system are getting old and there is the need for the Nigerian youth to be allowed to come into the system.
Mohammed has repeatedly stressed the need for Nigeria to create opportunities for its burgeoning youth population at the UN System through the Junior Professional Officers’ (JPO) Programme, including internship for young Nigerian graduates.
According to her, Nigeria has the opportunity to sponsor its youth for UN careers through the JPO.
But Nigeria has not seized the opportunity in a long while, she noted.
JPO is a programme for the young people to come and grow their career at the UN and it has 37 positions for Nigeria – one for each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory.
The JPO programme provides young professionals with hands-on experience in multilateral technical co-operation, and is one of the best ways to gain entry level positions within the UN system.
JPOs are sponsored by their own government, which fund their placement in one of a range of UN organisations.
“Home really does need us; there are leaders and we are trying with the professionals that we see in the United Nations.
“The work we need to do is not just to the world but also to remember that at the root of all that, you are only as good as where you come from.
“And it’s really important that we remember, with what we do here, what we can get back home, that we can encourage those at home, and inspire them.
“It’s not just what we do for the world but can’t we take those expertise back home? Amina said, urging them to make the best use of every opportunity they got.
She condemned what she termed alarming gender-based violence in Nigeria, saying it has increased in dimensions that one could never imagine.
“So when I look back home and I see that there are women that are coming back from Boko Haram captivity, they come back with a type of violence that many, for the rest of their lives, can’t recover from.
“But I also see that what is worse is the kind of violence that is visited upon the young girl. She is indoctrinated and convinced to tie a bomb around her and blow it off; that’s violence against girls; that’s violence against women.
“But what I wanted to say was that as we look at the gender-based violence initiative that we put a spotlight on our own nation; we all have a part to play.
“I know we would spend some money in Nigeria on this initiative but we all have a part to play individually and collectively in trying to bring it to zero,” she said.
Mohammed also lamented how girls were left behind in education, stressing that everyone needs to have an education – the boys and the girls.
“The boys we didn’t educate are the same ones that kidnap the girls that we educated.
“So education for everyone is exposure for everyone; it matters so much; it really does give us the basis, the moral compass to help us navigate through life.”
Nigeria’s Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Samson Itegboje, commended the Nigerians in the UN and particularly lauded the appointment of Mohammed as the UN Deputy Chief.
Itegboje said Nigeria was proud of Mohammed, describing her as an “ultimate authority and a reference point when it comes to Sustainable Development Goals’ issues”.
The Nigerian envoy said: “Nigeria is a great country; we are a happy people, you can’t take that away from us; we have gone through difficult times but we are happy that we have a government that is responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of dear people of Nigeria”.
Col. Jolly Abu (rtd), President, United Nations Staff Recreation Club Nigeria Association, said the cultural night was organised to showcase Nigeria’s culture.
According to him, the Nigerians in the UN are very proud of their culture adding, it is also for them to mingle, rekindle and renew their bonds.
“The UN encourages that we should meet and foster unity among ourselves and also enjoy ourselves; so that’s what we’re doing,” Abu said.
Amb. Audu Kadiri, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN Office and Other International Organisations in Geneva and Nicholas Ella, acting Consul-General in New York also attended the event.
The Rotary Club of Abuja has urged the Etsu Bwari, Mr Ibrahim Yaro, to always sensitise his subjects about polio immunisation to prevent recurrence of the viral infection in the community.
Polio immunisation. Photo credit: Ruth McDowall for Rotary International
Mr Ben Omogbene, the President of District 9125 Kubwa-main Rotary Club, gave the advice at the courtesy visit of club members to the Etsu’s palace on Saturday, October 21, 2017 in Bwari, FCT.
The visit was organised in conjunction with other Rotary Clubs such as Maitama, Life Camp, Kubwa gateway, Gwarimpa and Kubwa Federal Housing, all in Abuja.
He said that the aim of their visit was to commemorate this year’s World Polio Day with the theme: “A walk keeping Nigeria on zero’’ being celebrated globally on Oct. 24.
“We are here to sensitise the residents of Bwari on the need to bring polio to zero level; we are celebrating the ultimate quit notice given to polio in Nigeria.
“We also want to put an end to polio infection in the community and the country at large.
“You are the eye of Bwari, we want you to sensitise your subjects on the need to go for vaccination to achieve the goal,” Omogbene said.
The Chairman of the organising committee, Mr Festus Agbazue said that the Rotary awareness campaign started since 1985 in the bid to create relevant awareness on danger of the disease.
“Over time, Rotary has always employed sensitisation as a tool to stem fights against polio, it is so good we have been able to sustain it yearly and we will also do it in 2018 until it is eradicated.
“You are the eye of the people of Bwari, we want you to sensitise your subjects and through your support, we will be able to kick polio out of the community.’’
Responding, Yaro decried the practice by some community dwellers who disallowed polio vaccination in their houses to hinder efforts driven toward eradication of polio.
Yaro said: “we all know polio virus infection is a bad disease, we tell our subjects to get immunised, but the only quarter that gives us problem is the Hausa community.
“All we wish for is that they should allow their families to take the vaccines; the campaign is to help us and if the vaccine is free, we should be able to stamp out polio to zero in Bwari.
“I am determined to work with you; we have been trying on our part. Going forward, we will meet with Hausa community leaders and clerics to spread the message,’’ he said.
NAN reports that the high points of the visit were installation of the Etsu Bwari as Polio Ambassador by Nollywood actor, Bruno Iwuoha and a 26km-Polio-Awareness Walk by the club members.
Wife of the Executive Governor of Kebbi State, Dr Zainab Bagudu, on Saturday, October 21, 2017 said about 250,000 Nigerian women die of cancer annually.
Women
She said this during a walk to create awareness on cancer in Abuja with the theme: “ Walk Away Cancer’’.
According to her, the walk is to create awareness as well as to try and save 250 women who die from cancer annually.
Bangudu noted that 95 per cent of women who developed cancer in the developed society had five years of survival, saying that Nigeria had only five per cent survival rate.
She said that this year’s event was using football as a tool to mobilise and create awareness, adding that “cancer is a global epidemic but it is worse in Africa’’.
She, however, stressed the need for every hand to be on deck to remedy the poor statistics.
“Health care facilities in Nigeria are poor and weak and there is no effective screening system in place.
“We at MedicAid Cancer Foundation are reaching out for the low and poor people, and to improve awareness and as well disabuse the minds of people about cultural and traditional beliefs that cancer is caused by witchcraft.
“We also bring people together to raise funds so as to help the poor and the ignorant women of Nigeria who are dying from cancer yearly.
“Early screening of the breast and cervical for cancer will help to effectively detect and treat it,” she said.
Mr Abubakar Bagudu, the governor of Kebbi State, said creating awareness on cancer would help beat the disease as well as save lives.
According to him, awareness is an important element to ensuring that everybody, both the rich and poor had the knowledge about cancer.
“My wife, who is passionate about humanity took up the challenge and through Medicaid Foundation, has been organising cancer events annually.
“We are glad that people are responding and more awareness is being created and the significance of the walk is that something can be done about cancer.
“ Exercise is very important in order to help prevent it,’’ he said.
A cancer survivor, Folake Olabisi, said that early detection was important to saving lives and therefore stressed the need for women to have routine checks.
She admonished women with family history of cancer to always have themselves checked as well as pass on the habit to their children and future generations.
She, however, said that creating awareness and being courageous to talk about cancer would help in encouraging people to come out.
Mr Kanu Nwankwo, professional footballer and a former Super Eagles player, in his words advised that the awareness be taken to the rural areas to reach the unreached.
He also appreciated the wife of the executive governor for the cause and pledged his support for the walk against cancer.
A marriage counsellor and psychologist, Dr Rose Chukwuma, on Saturday, October 21, 2017 said more women were embracing the concept of having children outside wedlock to avoid marital disappointments.
A Nigerian couple. Photo credit: Akara Ogheneworo
Chukwuma, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigerian (NAN) in Abuja, said that single parenting, which was once frowned upon due to cultural and religious ethics, was fast becoming the norm.
“More women have come to the conclusion that men no longer take marriage seriously.
“Women are scared of either finding out that their partners might be involved in infidelity or being hurt in other ways, thereby causing them to rule out the thought of getting married.
“More women are also becoming financially independent, with many of them having their own jobs and businesses, thanks to the gradual achievement in equal rights across the world and improved education.
“However, most women naturally want to become mothers so they decide to have children without the attachment of a man,” the marriage counsellor said.
The psychologist added that some women would rather have children while single to prevent eventualities of being unable to have children with future partners.
“Women normally get pressured by society to get married but it seems the pressure is having less effect on women these days.
“Women don’t want to be pressured into getting married but they know that as they age, their ability to have children reduces, so they rather have a child when they can while searching for their potential life partner,’’ she said.
Chukwuma said that there were favourable ways for women who were open to the concept to have children without depending on a life partner.
“Modern day women don’t want to stress themselves with the issue of a possible divorce after being dedicated wives.
“There are opportunities made available for women who wish to start a family unit without a man, these include adoption, artificial insemination and the old-fashioned mode of pregnancy.
“We should keep in mind that most of the women who choose to get pregnant the normal way usually don’t request for financial support from the man chosen to get them pregnant.’’
“Some people are opposed to the idea of women having children alone because they believe that single parenthood is not good for children; however, we have seen many people who were raised by single parents that became wonderful adults.
“We just hope that the concept of marriage becomes strengthened over time but I support any woman who chooses to go down this path, “ she said.
Soil scientist, Prof. Ayodele Odofin of the Federal University of Technology in Minna, Niger State, has called for more attention on agriculture to increase profits, food security, preserve, and enhance the resource base of the nation and its environment.
A smallholder female farmer
The don made the call when he delivered the 56th Inaugural Lecture of the university titled: “Nigerian Soil Resources: The Neglected Base of Our National Development,” at the Caverton Lecture Theatre, Main Campus, Minna.
Odofin, who is of the Department of Soil Science and Land Management, School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology (SAAT), said that conservation agriculture would increase profits, food security, preserve, and enhance the resource base of the nation as well as its environment.
He disclosed that conversation of agriculture centres around three inter-related core practices namely; continuous no-or minimal mechanical soil disturbance, maintenance of a permanent organic soil cover and mixing or rotating at least three different crops, with a balanced mix of legume and non-legume crops.
According to the don, the thrust of the lecture was to draw attention to soil management techniques which majority of Nigerian farmers must embrace if the nation’s soil resources are to be exploited in a sustainable manner to ensure food security.
Odofin said that, before independence, agriculture was the most important sector of the economy and accounted for more than 50 per cent of GDP and more than 75 per cent of export earnings.
“However, with the rapid expansion of the petroleum industry, agricultural development was neglected due to inadequate funding and massive importation of food items.”
This, he said, has given rise to high food prices, hunger, domestic inflation, depletion of foreign reserves and
rural-urban migration.
The lecturer noted that intensification of agriculture and agro-industrialisation remains the only logical option for
food import bills to be reduced.
In conservation agriculture, Odofin said planting holes are made in line with cutlass, dibble stick or jab planter for direct sowing (zero tillage) and the advantages of conservation agriculture are erosion control, time saving and labour, timely planting, elimination of tillage machinery expenses and profitability.
He, therefore, enjoined farmers to switch from tillage agriculture to conservation agriculture and recommended that government should officially recognise conservation agriculture as a production system to be actively promoted and supported.
According to him, this will enhance food production and sustainability.
He also recommended that conservation agriculture should be added to the schedule of Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the appointment of Desk Officers for conservation agriculture, which should also be replicated in all the states and the Federal Capital Territory.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Musbau Akanji, commended the Inaugural Lecturer for his presentation.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) says 5,400 agro-inputs dealers and farmers have benefitted from its three million dollars Feed the Future Nigeria Agro-Inputs Activity.
Nigeria Mission Director of USAID, Stephen Haykin
The Nigeria Mission Director of USAID, Stephen Haykin, said in a statement in Abuja that the three years Agro-Inputs Activity had built approximately 1,400 agro-inputs dealers and 4,000 smallholder farmers.
Haykin said: ”It demonstrated the productivity-enhancing technologies of Urea Deep Placement and soil and crop specific fertiliser blends.
”The activity worked with microfinance institutions to improve access to credit and easing the burden normally faced by farmers during the planting season.
”Through this partnership, 60 per cent of beneficiary farmers and agro-inputs dealers were able to access finance to grow their businesses.”
He said that the Activity had also strengthened the private sector-led agricultural inputs market in Nigeria.
Haykin said that it had helped to provide extension advisory services to farmers and to compensate for a shortfall of public extension agents in the Federal Capital Territory and seven target states.
He said that the interventions focused on maize, sorghum, rice and cassava value chains.
The director explained that the Agro-Inputs Activity had strengthened the capacity of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
He also said that the scheme had helped to regulate the agro-inputs sector and improved the entrepreneurial capacity of agro-dealers to extend their networks to rural areas.
Haykin said that the activity had helped to increase smallholder farmers’ demands for high-quality inputs, technologies and good agricultural practices.
He said that it had also helped to empower women and youth farmers to access inputs and new technologies.
According to him, the scheme has strengthened the private sector-led agricultural inputs market, which enabled farmers to access quality inputs and increase their agricultural productivity.
”We are heartened to see that the strong actions of Government of Nigeria and other stakeholders have fortified these gains, and we are confident that we will continue to see progress,” he said.
Amazon on Thursday, October 19, 2017 announced that its largest wind farm yet – Amazon Wind Farm Texas – is now up and running, adding more than 1,000,000 MWh of clean energy to the grid each year.
A wind farm. Photo credit: offshorewind.biz
Amazon has launched 18 wind and solar projects across the U.S., with over 35 more to come. Together, these projects will generate enough clean energy to power over 330,000 homes annually. These projects also support hundreds of jobs and provide tens of millions of dollars of investment in local communities across the country.
Amazon Wind Farm Texas includes more than 100 turbines – each over 300 feet tall with a rotor diametre more than twice the wingspan of a Boeing 787. Amazon Wind Farm Texas is built, owned, and operated by Lincoln Clean Energy (LCE), an I Squared Capital portfolio company and a leading developer of wind and solar projects across the U.S. Amazon, LCE, and local officials and residents celebrated the grand opening of the wind farm with a BBQ event onsite. To thank and support the local community, Amazon is donating $50,000 to the Snyder Education Foundation to provide students and teachers with STEM learning opportunities.
“Investing in renewable energy is a win-win-win-win – it’s right for our customers, our communities, our business, and our planet,” said Kara Hurst, Amazon’s Worldwide Director of Sustainability. “We now have 18 wind and solar projects across the U.S. with more than 35 projects to come. These are important steps toward reaching our long-term goal to power our global infrastructure using 100% renewable energy. We’d like to thank the leaders at LCE, the Scurry County community, and our partners across the country who are helping us continue to bring new renewable energy online.”
“I applaud Amazon’s leadership in supporting renewable power. Corporations like Amazon have become a major force in the transition to renewable power, and with their involvement, we look forward to producing power in Scurry County for years to come,” said Declan Flanagan, founder and CEO of LCE.
“Scurry County has long been a hub for the energy industry and we’re excited to expand our commitment to wind power generation with Amazon and LCE. The wind industry has boosted the Texas economy with jobs, revenue to area landowners, and property taxes that support our schools,” said Scurry County Judge Ricky Fritz.
In addition to its investment in renewable energy, Amazon’s commitment to sustainability includes innovations like Frustration-Free Packaging programmes, which eliminated more than 55,000 tons of packaging last year, the District Energy system at its HQ in Seattle that heats more than 3 million square feet of office space using recycled heat from a nearby non-Amazon data centre, and more.
