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Agency may utilise space technology to promote smart, precision farming

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Agency may utilise space technology to promote smart, precision farming

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) says “smart and precision agriculture’’ could be promoted through the application of space technology.

Prof. Seidu Mohammed
Prof. Seidu Mohammed, Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA)

Prof. Seidu Mohammed, Director-General of the agency, said this measure would go a long way to spur economic recovery and growth in Nigeria.

He made this assertion on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 in Abuja at the “Annual Space Conference and Exhibition,’’ organised by the Centre for Satellite Technology Development (CSTD).

Smart agriculture is an approach to understand the basic requirement as well as the changes in current environment due to external factors.

The theme of the conference is “Revolutionising Agriculture through Space Science and Technology Applications.”

Mohammed said it was important that Nigeria’s Space Policy be tailored to the country’s reality and socio-economic situations to enable citizens’ benefit from space technology.

According to him, the population of the country is increasing, which requires regular geo-mapping of its environment for proper planning and it will reduce farmers/herders clash.

He emphasised that revenue from oil was insufficient to sustain the population growth of the country and there was the need for diversification in enhancing economic growth.

“Most of the Nigeria laws were gazetted in the 1950’s and that was when the population of Nigeria was below 45 million.

“Today, we are talking about 200 million; the land has remained the same.

“Satellite is the tool we can use to acquire data and enable us to see the earth.

“We have to reach a compromise in terms of resources to use to create stability for the movement of herdsmen to avoid encroachment of farms.

“Although oil revenues contribute two third of state revenues, it only contributes about nine per cent to the Gross Domestic Product.

“The huge labour force requirement of the sector makes it a viable employer of labour, which is an important ingredient for Nigeria to grow fast being an emerging economy to an economic power.

“Research in modern farm practices will be greatly aided by space technology.”

In his remark, Dr Spencer Onuh, Director CSTD, said a nation that could not feed itself would become a threat to its own sovereign existence.

Onuh said there was the need for African countries to employ effective economic agricultural practices, modern tools and innovative technologies in agriculture for high yield, reduction of hunger.

“We believe that the merging of the space and agricultural sectors will deliver what Nigeria needs.

“With the application of space, science and technology, you can feed a nation and not a family.”

The director said people would value space technology when they realised that it affected their lives directly, adding that space application worked in online banking and mobile communication.

He, however, said that when food was lacking, the security of the nation would be at risk.

According to him, the old fashion of using cutlasses and hoes for farming should be phased out and replaced with irrigation, mechanised farming using space technology.

He called on stakeholders to collaborate with the agency for the country to benefit from space technology.

Also, Prof. Placid Njoku, in his keynote address, said Nigeria needed to come along with scientists, technologists across the world.

Njoku said unmanned aerial vehicles, artificial intelligence, climate change and agricultural insurance were part of emerging issues in revolutionalised agriculture.

“The issue of precision farming is gaining grounds around the world because it helps determine the soil, the plants and it will help for a better output.

“We need to develop its applications and the packages that will enable the farmers to understand what is happening on his farm.

“When we had the e-wallet, it enabled farmers to know where to get fertilisers and the cost.

“With agriculture space technology, we can educate the farmers on crops to plant, what to produce on their land, fertiliser to use and also measure productivity of the farm.”

He recommended that the Federal Government should upscale its understanding of space, science and technology.

According to him, the government should provide three per cent of the country’s consolidated revenue fund to CSTD and NASRDA annually.

He said that if they were adequately funded, they would provide proper and timely information to the government as well as averting climate change.

By Ijeoma Olorunfemi

Five German states to reduce private car use, curb air pollution

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Five German states to reduce private car use, curb air pollution

Five sites in Germany are due to present plans to make public transport more enticing in the bid to reduce private car use and tackle air pollution.

vehicular pollution
Vehicular pollution

The cities of Bonn and Essen in the west of the country and Mannheim, Reutlingen and the town of Herrenberg in the south-west are expected to share €130 million ($148 million) through 2020 from the central government for the projects.

The plans are due to be presented soon in Berlin with Transport Minister, Andreas Scheuer, and Environment Minister, Svenja Schulze, and are expected to include more cycle paths and better traffic controls.

The test or “model” places will try out a package of measures to reduce air pollution, which has exceeded EU limits in many German towns and cities.

If successful, the measures will be expanded nationwide.

Bonn, for example, plans to introduce an annual public transport ticket for new customers of €365, or 1€ per day.

“The pilot project aims to discover which measures really take hold and not just reduce (traffic) at certain places in the five places,” Bonn-Mayor Ashok-Sridharan said.

Brussels has threatened to take Berlin to the European Court of Justice for repeated violations of nitrogen oxide pollution limits.

Berlin has set aside one billion euros to combat air pollution, with 250 million coming from German carmakers.

Car manufacturers have pledged to upgrade the software of 2.8 million older diesel cars to improve emissions; the coalition government cannot agree on whether to insist on hardware fixes.

Government, Kano sign N12.7b agreement to expand water, sanitation facilities

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Government, Kano sign N12.7b agreement to expand water, sanitation facilities

The Federal Government on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 signed a N12.7 billion agreement with the Kano State Government on the expansion of water and sanitation services to the populace.

Osinbajo
The programme was inaugurated by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, in 2016

Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, at the event in Abuja, said the Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) agreement was a 15-year programme targeting mobilisation of all stakeholders to channel efforts to increase access to potable water and sanitation.

He said that the programme, inaugurated by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo in 2016, was a three-tier collaborative effort, which spans from 2016 to 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goal six for overall target of providing adequate and qualitative access to water at an affordable price.

He noted that the PEWASH was fallout from the efforts by Nigerian Government to meet its SDG commitment, saying these efforts was obvious with the development of a National Action Plan on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).

“On water supply, the planned scope of the PEWSAH Programme is the rehabilitation of 77,693 facilities and provision of 17,264 new facilities to increase access to rural water supply from 57 per cent to 62 per cent.

“On Sanitation, we are targeting a total of 20,600,000 household toilets from 2019 to 2025 to end open defecation,” he said.

He said today’s agreement signing with Kano state, which came after Ogun had shown that the states were taking the lead from the remaining 22 states which had shown interest by signing the PEWASH Protocols.

Adamu urged the Kano Government to attend to water supply through setting aside more funds for the implementation of the programme, saying this would go a long way to improve the lives and reduce diseases especially among under-fives.

The minister added that the responsibility of providing water supply rests with the states, hence the need for continued efforts to complement the gains recorded.

Responding, Gov. Umar Ganduje said N12.7 billion earmarked for the programme clearly showed the concern and commitment of the present administration to improve the lives of Nigerians.

He said most rural populace depended on hand pump and motorised boreholes, saying with the implementation of the agreement, more lives would be improved.

Ganduje said that the state had budgeted N32 billion for provision of water supply in its 2018 budget, saying this would augment current efforts, and further maintain an average water production capacity of 150 to 200 million litres daily.

He said the state government had established a water law for the establishment of a WASH department in all 44 local councils to further strengthen water delivery services to the grassroots.

Ganduje, while commending the efforts of all stakeholders, pledged to speedily commence the implementation of the agreement for the betterment of Kano populace.

He also appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the $200 million Islamic Development bank credit facility to promote water and agricultural development in the state.

By Tosin Kolade

Ebola may be spreading undetected in Congo’s conflict zones – WHO

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Ebola may be spreading undetected in Congo’s conflict zones – WHO

The Ebola virus may be spreading undetected in no-go zones in Congo’s conflicted North Kivu province, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 in Geneva.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Photo credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

So far, 57 confirmed and suspected cases, including 41 deaths, have became known since late July in this north-eastern region.

Ghebreyesus, who visited North Kivu last week, said WHO workers will find it difficult to fight the virus in the so-called “red zones.”

These areas are inaccessible because of the more than 100 armed groups that are mainly fighting over access to mineral resources.

“That environment is really conducive for Ebola to transmit freely,” the WHO director general told a press conference.

“These red zones could be hiding places for Ebola,” he added.

Ghebreyesus warned that the difficult outside access, patients in these zones would find it hard to reach medical help.

The movement of internally displaced people in North Kivu, and the cross-border travel into neighbouring countries such as Uganda further complicate the situation.

Ebola is a highly infectious disease that causes a fever and often leads to massive internal bleeding and death.

Congo’s Health Ministry has started a vaccination campaign that has reached more than 200 health workers and 20 people who have had contact with infected patients since last week, according to the WHO.

The new outbreak became public only days after July 24, when Congo declared its previous Ebola outbreak to be over.

That outbreak killed 33 people starting in May in the western Equator Province.

Governments urged to train youths in waste management

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Governments urged to train youths in waste management

A waste manager, Prof. Dele Osibanjo, on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 advised the three tiers of government to be involved in the training of youths in waste management.

Prof. Oladele Osibanjo
Prof. Oladele Osibanjo

Osibanjo, the President, Waste Management Society of Nigeria (WAMASON), gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

“Let the various levels of government get involved in the training of youths in waste management.

“The time is now for all to join hands to see waste as a resource and wealth provider to reduce unemployment in the country,” he said.

According to him, a lot of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) owned by youths are involved in the ‘Garbage Green’ aimed at teaching people on effective ways to handle waste.

“There are people going around dustbins, picking materials and reselling them to make a living.

“Waste is a goldmine of the future, as people buy into it.

“There is a great unemployment, especially among the youth, and this should not be,’’ Osibanjo said.

He said that WAMASON was providing training for the NGOs to ensure that those saddled with waste collection were equipped with sound waste management.

Osibanjo said that more people needed to be trained as waste managers on a continuous basis.

He said that with the slogan ‘Gab Green’, the youth’s outlook on waste could be changed for better with the establishment of recycling companies in different parts of the country.

Osibanjo said that such step would also serve as an avenue for advocacy on proper waste management.

“Now, people build houses on waste dump sites. Many housing estates are being developed on waste dump sites.

“Many government housing programmes are being planned on waste dump sites.

“All these are chemical time bombs waiting to explode,” he said.

By Chidinma Agu

Enugu pledges to support sanitation projects

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Enugu pledges to support sanitation projects

The Enugu State Government has pledged to support and promote the implementation of sanitation projects in the state.

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State

Senior Special Adviser to the state governor on Water Resources, Mrs Felicia Ikpeama, made this promise at a workshop organised by WaterAid Nigeria for sanitation stakeholders in Enugu.

Ikpeana noted that WaterAid has been working in the state for about 13 years in the areas of water and sanitation.

“They implemented European Union projects in the state which had water and sanitation components and was followed by the implementation of another project known as Sustainable Total Sanitation (STS).

“The project also followed with Sanitation Marketing (SanMark) in six local government areas of the state, namely: Igbo-Etiti, Igbo-Eze North, Igbo-Eze South, Nkanu East, Udi and Udenu.

“It may also interest you to know that WaterAid Nigeria has touched the lives of so many people in the state positively with safe and potable water, and improved sanitation to those in small towns and rural areas,’’ she said.

The WaterAid Director of Programmes, Mr Anddy Omoluabi, said that Enugu state has been selected as one of the states to benefit from the new phase of the WaterAid project owing to its contribution to the previous project.

He said that the ongoing workshop was to brainstorm ways to ensure durability, affordability and sustainability of the project and ways to improve on the project.

“WaterAid project will be extended to those areas we have not touched, and before now when you talk of WaterAid all mind goes to toilet and water but this time we want to go beyond,’’ said the director.

The WaterAid project Sanitation Co-coordinator in the state, Mrs Nneka Akwunwa, explained that the organisation has decided to come up with SanMark.

She explained that sanitation marketing would provide durable, affordable and accessible sanitation options and create sustainable livelihood in commercial and social space.

“To support attainment and sustainability of Open Defecation Free (ODF) status by communities, through supply of durable, inspirational and affordable sanitation toilets,’’ Akwuna said.

By Nicholas Obisike

Congo starts using experimental Ebola treatment

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Congo starts using experimental Ebola treatment

The Democratic Republic of Congo has started using the experimental mAb114 Ebola treatment on patients in the east of the country, the health ministry said on Tuesday, August 14, 2018. This is the first time it has been deployed against an active outbreak.

Oly Ilunga
Oly Ilunga, the Congolese Minister of Health

The outbreak in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province has now spread to neighbouring Ituri province, where a person who was a confirmed case died after returning home from the flare-up’s epicentre in the North Kivu town of Mangina, the ministry said in a statement.

Five new cases have been confirmed, the ministry said, bringing the total number of cases between 57.

The ministry said that 41 people are believed to have died in all from the haemorrhagic fever.

The mAb114 treatment was developed in the U. S. by the National Institutes of Health using the antibodies of the survivor of an Ebola outbreak in the western Congolese city of Kikwit in 1995.

It was 100 per cent effective when tested on monkeys.

The ministry said that several other experimental treatments have arrived in the regional hub of Beni and are awaiting approval from an ethics committee, including Remdesivir, Favipiravir and REGN3450, REGN3471 and REGN3479.

World Elephant Day: An urgent call to protect Nigeria’s elephants

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World Elephant Day: An urgent call to protect Nigeria’s elephants

“Are we happy to suppose that our grandchildren may never be able to see an elephant, except in a picture book?” – David Attenborough.

elephant ivory
Poaching: Forest elephants are poached for their ivory and skin, and threatened with extinction

Of the five big games, it is not so easy to come by an elephant in Nigeria today – both in the wild and in captive areas – except you find yourself in the Yankari National Park, believed to have the largest and most important elephant herd of merely 100 to 150 or the Omu-Shasha Forest in Ogun State. The other place you can readily come by an elephant is at the Jos Wildlife Park where an 8-foot, one-tusked, African Savannah Elephant (Loxodonta africana) has been stranded in an isolated block for 38-years.

A report by the United Nations in 2015 asserts that up to 100 elephants – both Savannah and Forest species – are being slaughtered daily in Africa by poachers, primarily for their tusk which the Chinese market constantly demands.

As organisations and conservationists intensify efforts to halt illegal ivory trade and wildlife trafficking, recent research posits that the whole of Africa has an estimate of 352,271 Savanna Elephants left, a far cry from between 3 to 5 million censored by World Wildlife Foundation in the 20th century.

Some 25 years after a ban was placed on ivory trade, emerging markets still make it more difficult to address the menace. In 2015, the Chinese government, in a bid to reduce the demand for African tusks and protect wild elephants, made conscious efforts to curb ivory imports; however, reoccurring reports and pictures stress that a lot more elephants are being poached in southern and northern Nigeria and their tusks exported to Asian countries. The most recent that made the news are in Bauchi, Ogun, Osun and Idanre area of Ondo state, Nigeria.

Across the globe, as World Elephant Day is celebrated on August 12, one wonders what will become of the few elephants left in Nigeria; hence, the call for pragmatic, pro-wildlife actions to turn the tide and save the remaining elephants in Nigeria. The efforts of Nigeria-based organisations like Wildlife of Africa Conservation Initiative through her various Wildlife Education programmes and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation through her Forest Elephant Alive Campaign, among others, should not only be commended, they should be better funded to help them explore effective, science-based conservation strategies.

If we want future generations to live in a world where elephants thrive, the Wildlife Conservation Society has outlined and advocated the need to:

  • Increase aerial surveillance in strongholds.
  • Train and deploy more rangers in the protected areas.
  • Supply new rangers with equipment.
  • Assist the authorities in tracking and shutting down trafficking networks.
  • Grow our community development programmes to support local communities to co-exist with wildlife.

By ‘Seyifunmi Adebote, Abuja

World tourism industry pledges climate neutrality

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World tourism industry pledges climate neutrality

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has signed up to the United Nations Climate Neutral Now initiative with a pledge to measure its greenhouse gas emissions, reduce what it can and offset the rest, while promoting the same climate-friendly regimen to its 150 members worldwide.

Tourism and tourism
Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, Patricia Espinosa, with travel and tourism industry officials

This pledge adds momentum to global climate action taken by organisations, companies, events and individuals to limit the average global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Travel and tourism is said to generate just over 10% of global GDP and plays a crucial role in climate change. WTTC supports 313 million jobs in this industry and seeks to reduce 50% of total travel and tourism carbon emissions by 2035.

During the this year’s WTTC Global Summit, WTTC announced a partnership with UN Climate Change and agreed on a common agenda for climate action in travel and tourism.

The Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, Patricia Espinosa, said: “We recognise that travel and tourism has a huge role to play in addressing climate change. While climate change itself poses significant risks to some tourism destinations, in many of the most high-risk areas, tourism can provide opportunities for communities to build resilience to its impacts.”

As part of the commitment, WTTC will compile the best sustainability practices in the travel and tourism sector and encourage companies to set science-based targets.

Chris Nassetta, WTTC Chair and CEO of Hilton, said: “Building on the global scientific consensus around decarbonisation efforts that came out of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and WTTC’s subsequent call for the dialogue on carbon to turn to science-based targets, now it is time to turn that dialogue into action.”

To push for sustainable growth in tourism, WTTC has initiated the “Tourism for Tomorrow” awards to encourage companies to do business in an environmentally-friendly way. This involves a wide range of activities such as investments in green technologies, development of environmental policies, and strategies to address climate change.

Here are 10 categories of climate action in the travel and tourism industry in which stakeholders have demonstrated inspiring leadership:

 

Supplying sustainably sourced food:

  • The Accor Hotel chain grows its own vegetables, on site, at many of its hotels.
  • Soneva Group in South East Asia also grows organic food to serve its guests 15,000kg of produce per year, worth $48,000.
  • Virgin Atlantic has worked with the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) to create the world’s first framework designed to address the sustainability challenges of inflight catering.

 

Using renewable energy

  • Xanterra Parks & Resorts powers its Ohio park with a 10kilowatt wind turbine and uses electric vehicles to transport guests and laundry.

 

Using sustainability dashboards

  • Many companies now use a dashboard monitoring system to measure carbon emissions and energy usage. In March 2017, EarthCheck launched the Global Sustainable Tourism Dashboard to gather information on global tourism and sustainable development. Their clients operate across 70 countries in more than 30 tourism sectors.

 

Improving technology 

  • The Climate Neutral Groupand its partners developed Carmacal, a tourism oriented businessto-business carbon calculator able to provide carbon footprints for complete holiday and travel packages.
  • Cruise Lines International Association(CLIA) now paints its ship hulls with nontoxic coatings to reduce fuel consumption by up to five percent. In addition, the association uses LED lights, higher efficiency appliances and solar panel installations to provide emissions-free energy.

 

Reducing water usage and waste

  • Chepu Adventures Ecolodgein Chile displays resource usage, and challenges customers to use maximum amounts of water and energy per person with tablet screens in each room.

 

Using electric vehicles and alternative fuel

  • Many large car rental companies now offer electric and hybrid vehicles as a standard. Enterprise Renta-Car established the Institute for Renewable Fuelswhich works towards the advancement of alternative fuels and clean technologies.

 

Offsetting from large corporations

  • Marriott has committed $2 million to preservethe Juma reserve in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest.

Over 30 International Air Transport Association (IATA) member airlines have introduced an offset programme either in their websales engines or through a third party offset provider.

 

Using cycling options for transport

  • Paradisus Playa del Carmen, run by Meliá Hotels Internationalencourages the use of bicycles among its staff and has improved its local community’s access to wellbeing facilities through donating a bike path and a sports park. Many other hotels also offer free bike hire to encourage guests to travel sustainably.

 

Building infrastructure with sustainable materials and low-impact designs

  • InterContinental San Franciscois a LEED Goldcertified hotel with about 2 million gallons of water saved each year from low-flow faucets and toilets, as well as other water-reduction features.
  • The Zetter Hotelin London used sustainably sourced building materials and is controlled by an intelligent building management system.

 

Protecting local environment and enhancing biodiversity

  • Misool resortin Indonesia has established an 828 sq km ‘No take zone’ where all fishing, shark finning, and harvesting of turtle eggs and shellfish are prohibited. As a result, fish biomass has increased by over 250% in the last six years, and in some areas, the increase has been over 600%.
  • Over the last 17 years, Biosphere Expeditionshas delivered over 150,000 hours of voluntourism, wildlife conservation and research, helping projects such as the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.

As part of the “Common Agenda For Climate Action”, the WTTC engagement with the UN Climate Change, Global Climate Action will be showcased in a Travel & Tourism event at the upcoming COP24 in Katowice, Poland.

Unlocking Nigeria’s potential through standard gauge rail service

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Unlocking Nigeria’s potential through standard gauge rail service

In fulfillment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign promises to unlock the country’s potential through sustainable and effective rail services, the 154km Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri standard gauge line will be ready for commercial operations by September, after 35 years of neglect.

Standard Gauge Rail line
Minister of Transportation, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, after a trip on a newly commissioned rail service

The Minister of Transportation, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, gave the assurance on July 27 while inspecting the railway line which connects Kogi State to Delta State and will later extend to Lokoja (in Kogi State) and Abuja (Federal Capital Territory).

Amaechi, the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr Fidet Okhiria, and some other members of the NRC management, were on an almost 10-hour train ride from Itakpe in Kogi State to Agbor, Delta State.

According to the minister, the standard gauge line from Itakpe to Agbor is 80 per cent completed, while the contract for the extension has already been advertised.

The rail line involves completion of 12 modern stations with two to be located between Itakpe and Ajaokuta, and 10 between Ajaokuta and Warri.

Other features of the rail project are construction of a railway city and a facility yard.

“While we cannot be sure when this line would be commissioned by Mr President, we are happy that the line has been stabilised and we can commence activities on it by September, after more test-runs would have been carried out,” Amaechi said.

The minister, who took delivery of two double-end-driver’s-cabin standard gauge locomotive engines from China, on July 27, 2017, believes that improved rail system will boost trading and encourage transportation of up to three million tonnes of cargo in the first year of service.

Amaechi is optimistic that effective rail system will reduce traffic pressure on roads.

He is convinced that the rail project will create more than 250,000 jobs during and after completion.

Buhari had in July 2016, inaugurated 10 coaches and two locomotives for the Abuja-Kaduna rail service in preparation for the standard gauge train service.

During the inauguration, the president promised that his administration would vigorously pursue railway development through implementation of the 25-year strategic railway master plan.
According to him, train will be a preferred means of transportation from Abuja to Kaduna on completion of the project.

“We are also looking forward to a more efficient railway service on the narrow-gauge line to be driven by the private sector, creating a conducive environment for participation by strengthening the legal and regulatory framework,” Buhari had said.

Consequently, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on March 7, 2017, performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Track, saying that a viable self-sustaining rail service was vital for the country’s economic growth.

Osinbajo said at the event in Lagos that the improved rail service would cut across the nation.

He gave the assurance that the government would focus more on costal rails such as Lagos-Calabar rail line with branches to Benin, Agbor and Onitsha; Port Harcourt to Maiduguri standard gauge rail line with branches to Owerri, Akwa, Abakaliki, Yola and Damaturu.

According to Osinbajo, the government would give priority attention to the Kano-Kazure, Daura, Kastina, Jibya rail route to link to Maradi in Niger Republic as part of regional railway inter-connectivity of the ECOWAS sub-region.

“The new standard gauge will also help the country in its economic diversification process and help to ease distribution of good and services across the country.’’

Sen. Gbenga Ashafa, Chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transport, predicts that the Lagos-Kano and Calabar- Lagos rail project alone will create up to 7,000 jobs.

“On our part as senators holding the mandate of our constituents, we are totally committed to assisting the executive arm in the actualisation of every developmental project within our purview,” Ashafa assures Nigerians.

He spoke during an oversight visit of the committee to the NRC in Lagos. The committee paid the visit together with its Local and Foreign Debts counterpart.

“As requested, the sum of $5.851 billion being the total approved loan would be expended on modernisation of Lagos-Kano, Lagos-Ibadan and Calabar-Lagos segments.’’

According to Sen. Shehu Sani, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, the senate attaches much seriousness to the successful completion of the rail projects.

He is convinced that the projects will to fast-track the nation’s economic growth, provide gainful employment and overall development of the country.
Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos desires that Nigerian workers should be heavily involved in the execution of the projects.

The traditional ruler appeals to the contractors handling the rail projects to employ indigenes while executing them.

The monarch observes that many Nigerian youths are jobless and can be employed by the contractor to carry out the projects.

Alhaji Muhammed Musa, the Chairman of the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter, hopes that, when completed, the projects will reduce annual spending on road maintenance.

“It will give passengers the option of travelling by rail as obtained in advanced countries.

“The standard gauge line will modernise the country’s transport system and boost economic activities of various communities,’’ he says.

Musa is optimistic that efficient rail services will enhance freight services and reduce the number of articulated vehicles on roads.

In the view of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), standard gauge rail line will address the perennial gridlock on Apapa roads in Lagos, which resulted from indiscriminate parking of articulated vehicles.

“Trains will help in evacuating containers in bulk instead of using trucks to pick them, thereby reducing traffic on roads,” says Mr Hyginus Omeje, the Lagos State Sector Commander of FRSC.

For the NRC, one of the gains of the standard gauge line will be a permanent end to sitting or hanging on train roofs by commuters.

The NRC Lagos District Manager, Mr Jerry Oche, believes commuters hang or sit on train roofs because of the relatively low speed of the trains in operation now.

“When standard gauge line starts, it will bring an end to that. If you are in a train with high speed, how will you sit on the roof? The wind will knock you off,” he argues.

Analysts commend the Federal Government for renewed efforts to improve rail transportation and urge it to sustain the commitment to implementation of all rail projects to give Nigerians a lease of life.

They call on states, relevant agencies and communities to support the projects and join hands to tackle challenges that may arise such as relocating pipelines and cables on the routes.

By Kazeem Akande and Augusta Uchediunor, News Agency of Nigeria of Nigeria (NAN)

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