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Flooding concern as Cameroon releases water from Lagdo Dam

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Flooding concern as Cameroon releases water from Lagdo Dam

Governor Muhammad Bindow of Adamawa State on Monday, August 20, 2018 urged the residents to prepare for flooding following the release of water from Lagdo Dam by the Cameroonian authorities.

Lokoja
Flooded parts of Lokoja in Kogi State in 2012

Bindow gave the warning during an emergency meeting with key stakeholders in Yola, the state capital.

In 2012, the state, as well as some other parts of the country, experienced a catastrophic flood following the release of water from Lagdo dam.

The flood resulted in the deaths of many, destruction of hundreds of farms while many families were rendered homeless.

The governor told the audience that the state government received a report two days ago that the Cameroonian authorities had released a high volume of water from Lagdo Dam.

“And we have started feeling the wave of the water because some boarder communities and farms along the bank of River Benue have been submerged.

“It has become necessary to invite all of you to put our heads together and mitigate the effects of the flood,” Bindow said.

He said that it was the responsibility of the stakeholders to sensitise the people to the effects of flood and find lasting solution to it.

Mr Ahmad Sajoh, the Commissioner for Information, said that the state government could confirm that four persons had so far died as a result of the flood in the state.

He said that the flood had also destroyed many bridges and culverts, adding that nine local government areas of the state had been hit by the flood.

He said that Furore, Yola South, Yola North, Demsa, Shelleng, Guyuk, Numan, Lamurde and Girei local government areas had so far been overwhelmed by the flood.

Gully erosion severs Nkpor-Nnobi Road in Anambra

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Gully erosion severs Nkpor-Nnobi Road in Anambra

Gully erosion has severed the Nkpor-Nnobi Road, a major road which links Onitsha and environs with Nnobi, Nnewi and other parts of the southern part of Anambra State.

Gully erosion
Gully erosion in southeast Nigeria

The road was built during the Dr Chris Ngige administration.

NAN reports that the gully erosion is few metres from the Ideani junction end of the busy road on the Nnobi bound lane.

Following the development, motorists tend to queue from both directions to take their turn in what looks like a “walk on a precipice”.

One lane of the road has already collapsed while that existing is under serious erosion threat.

A motorist, Mr Joel Nnodum, who works for a popular transport company on that route, said the road had become a nightmare for motorists in the last two months.

Nnodum said vehicles usually ran into themselves, especially at night, noting that it was more dangerous for those who were not familiar with the road.

He said that the development was a dilemma because there were no alternative routes to easily access the area.

“My brother, it is a pity that this quality road which we have used for over 13 years have been destroyed by this massive erosion and the road has collapsed.

“This road connects the entire Onitsha and Idemili to Nnobi, Nnokwa, Nnewi, Aguata and most of Anambra south.

“It is a dangerous route to drive on now, you can see it is at a sharp bend and these glasses on the ground are from accidents, we pray the worst will not happen,” he said.

Another motorist, Greg Unadike, who described the site as a disaster, called on Anambra government to urgently take steps to salvage the road.

Unadike said the colossal damage could have been prevented if flooding was nipped in the bud.

“This is a clear case of poor maintenance, the environment and works ministries could have prevented this if they were proactive, now see the damage, it requires a huge sum of money to fix,” Unadike said.

Reacting to the development, Mr Marcel Ifejiofor, the Commissioner for Works, said the government was aware and that it was working on how to remedy the situation.

“We are working on it, the contractor will soon move to site,” he said.

By Chimezie Anaso

6,000 still stranded, over 1m in camps in flood-hit Indian state

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6,000 still stranded, over 1m in camps in flood-hit Indian state

Authorities and military on Monday, August 20, 2018 stepped up rescue and relief efforts in the flood-ravaged India’s state of Kerala, where an estimated 6,000 people remained stranded in the worst-hit areas.

Kerala
Rescue operations in Kerala

Over a million people are being housed in relief camps.

Authorities opened a naval airbase for commercial flights in the state’s busiest city of Kochi to help with the operations, Civil Aviation Minister, Suresh Prabhu, said.

The main airport has been closed since last week due to flooding.

Other airbases in the region would also be opened to commercial traffic, officials added.

Around 380 people have been killed since the monsoon season began in Kerala in May with the second more devastating spell of flooding from Aug. 8 claiming 220 lives.

A disaster management official said 6,000 people were stranded, many of them trapped, including in worst-hit areas like Chengannur.

About 1.08 million people were in 3,646 relief camps on Monday, up from 850,000 on Sunday.

“Our priority is rescue operations which we aim to complete by today, 26 military helicopters as well as 1,200 large boats had been deployed for the effort,” he said.

“Relief efforts including air-dropping food packets and water are ongoing. “Rehabilitation and repairs of houses will be taken up in the third phase,” he said.

Floodwaters had started receding in some parts with the rains easing over the weekend, but bigger concerns remain over the lack of clean water and diseases in the aftermath of the inundation.

Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, said the floods are the worst seen by the state in a century and estimated the damages to infrastructure and property at nearly $3 billion.

Delta holds public hearing on urban renewal, regional planning bill

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Delta holds public hearing on urban renewal, regional planning bill

The Delta State House of Assembly Joint Committee on Urban Renewal, Lands, Survey and Urban Development on Monday, August 20, 2018 welcomed views from the general public at a hearing on a bill for urban renewal and regional planning in the state.

Asaba, Delta State
Asaba, capital of Delta State

The committee Chairman, Mr Oboro Preyor, said the bill would provide for the administration of urban and regional planning, urban development, urban renewal and building control activities, when passed.

Preyor said that the bill would also help to address the conflicts between local governments and the state Ministry of Lands, Survey and Urban Development, arising from the existing laws.

He said that the state government created the Ministry of Urban Renewal and the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency to ensure clear-cut functions in the urban renewal and regional planning sectors.

He noted that the bill had passed the first and second readings hence the public hearing to enable the stakeholders to make input before it was passed.

Preyor thanked the stakeholders for their envisaged contributions and assured them that the house would do the needful for the speedy passage of the bill.

Also, Mr Peter Uviejitobor, a member of the committee, said that the bill was important for the development of the state.

According to him, the bill would facilitate urban renewal, town planning, building control activities and establishment of urban and regional planning board and local planning authority.

Uviejitobor urged the stakeholders to feel free to recommend amendments to any clause or section of the bill found necessary before its final passage.

In his contribution, the Commissioner for Justice, Mr Peter Mrakpor, said that the bill emanated from the state government through the Ministry of Justice.

Professional bodies, including the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) and Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) attended the hearing.

Other stakeholders in attendance were the Association of Town Planners Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON) and the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA).

The participants recommended, among others, that the functions of the various tiers of government, especially in the area of town planning, should be well spelt out to eliminate conflicts.

By Mercy Obojeghren

ERA flays renewal of Shell mining license in Ogoniland

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ERA flays renewal of Shell mining license in Ogoniland

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has condemned the Federal Government’s renewal of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) Oil Mining License in Ogoniland which expires in 2019 despite the opposition of the Ogoni communities.

ERA-Ogoni-UNEP
Executive Director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Dr. Godwin Ojo (left); with the ERA/FoEN Head of Media, Philip Jakpor

In a statement issued by ERA/FoEN’s Head, Media & Campaigns in Lagos, Philip Jakpor, the group described the decision which comes seven years after the failed take-off of the Ogoni cleanup exercise as “a shameful betrayal of the people”.

According to him, the ERA/FoEN position echoes similar condemnation that has trailed the action by the Movement for Support of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) and other groups in the region.

ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Godwin Uyi Ojo, said: “This is a stab on the back of the Ogoni people and should be viewed as such by all believers of fairness and equity. The Federal Government has shown that it is only interested in profits over the people’s right to existence.”

Ojo explained that the renewal of the contentious oil mining license is a continuation of the shielding of Shell from the full weight of its atrocious extraction in the Ogoni communities which necessitated the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Assessment Report in 2011.

He stressed that despite the company’s claim at some point that it was not interested in returning to Ogoniland, “Shell had been covertly seeking the renewal of its lease, due to expire June 2019. The backdoor moves had attracted the attention of Ogoni people who feel it is insensitive on the part of the government to commence renewal of license even when no single drop of oil had been cleaned in the Ogoni environment”.

Ojo maintained that the Shell claim that the renewal of the lease for the Ogoni oilfields will enable it to contribute to the Federal Government’s revenue base “falls flat in the face of reality.”

“Our conviction that the cleanup flag-off and events subsequently have been mere whitewash is further reinforced by this action. We demand the immediate revocation of the oil mining license and removal of Shell from all the governing structures of the UNEP cleanup exercise which it has only used to stagnate the process. Anything short of this is intended to provoke the peaceful Ogoni people,” Ojo insisted.

Europe’s oldest gorilla, Fritz, put to sleep

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Europe’s oldest gorilla, Fritz, put to sleep

Fritz the gorilla at 55, the oldest of his kind in Europe, was euthanised on Monday, August 20, 2018 after becoming increasingly weaker in the past few days, the Nuremberg Zoo in Germany has said.

Fritz the gorilla
Fritz the gorilla. Photo credit: Erich Heimann

Fritz, born in Cameroon in 1963, was given to the zoo in southern Germany in November 1970 and had been a real character, it added.

The zoo had decided to close the ape enclosure as Fritz became increasingly infirm since the weekend, giving the group of gorillas some privacy.

Simply because there was no chance of an improvement in his condition, the zoo said, the immobilised leader of the group was put to sleep.

Not even his favourite dish – quark, a kind of German curd cheese, with raspberry jam – could cheer him up, the zoo wrote.

Fritz was loaned out only to two other zoos in the 1980s one in Berlin and one in the present-day Czech Republic, the zoo said.

Fritz had fallen seriously ill about a year ago before recovering again.

Nigeria ratifies International Cocoa Agreement

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Nigeria ratifies International Cocoa Agreement

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, August 20, 2018 in Abuja signed the Instrument of Accession to the International Cocoa Agreement, 2010.

Cocoa
Harvesting cocoa

Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, who confirmed this in a statement in Abuja, said the signing of the Agreement followed its approval by the Federal Executive Council.

According to him, with the execution of the instrument of accession, Nigeria undertakes “faithfully to abide by all the stipulations therein contained” in the Agreement.

Shehu listed other benefits of the Agreement to include strengthening cooperation between exporting and importing member countries.

He said that the agreement was expected to improve their cocoa economies through active and better focused project development and strategies for capacity-building.

He said: “The 2010 Agreement is also expected to build on the successes of the 2001 Agreement by implementing measures leading to an increase in the income of cocoa farmers and by supporting cocoa producers in improving the functioning of their cocoa economies.

“It will also deliver cocoa of better quality, take effective account of food-safety issues and help establish social, economic and environmental sustainability, so that farmers are rewarded for producing cocoa that meets ethical and environmental considerations.’’

By Ismaila Chafe

Agriculture holds key to solve youth unemployment in Africa – Experts

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Agriculture holds key to solve youth unemployment in Africa – Experts

Experts on Monday, August 20, 2018 said encouraging and supporting African young people to venture into agriculture and agri-business can potentially create wealth and address youth unemployment on the continent.

Jose Graziano da Silva
Jose Graziano da Silva, Director General of the FAO

They spoke at the opening of the Africa youth event in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, dubbed: “Youth Employment in Agriculture as a solid solution to ending hunger and poverty in Africa.”

Rwanda hosts the two-day conference with much emphasis on engaging African youth to take part in agriculture transformation on the continent through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Entrepreneurship.

“Investing in agriculture and making it attractive to young people has a big potential to solve joblessness among African youth,” said Jose Graziano da Silva, director general of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

He noted that agriculture is a huge wealth-creating sector that remains largely untapped by the African young entrepreneurs.

According to him, youth in Africa have the potential to revolutionise the food and agriculture sector and generate economic growth which can boost employment and the economic transformation on the continent.

The two-day conference has brought together participants from across Africa and beyond including representatives from governments, development partners, the private sector, youth and women organisations, civil society organisations, research and academia.

According to the oganisers, the high-level youth event also aims to foster exchange among stakeholders on knowledge and best practices regarding the interfaces between agriculture, youth employment, entrepreneurship and ICT innovations.

According to Josefa Sacko, African Union Commissioner for rural economy and agriculture, Africa has the world’s youngest and fastest growing population with less interest in agricultural initiatives which has resulted into massive youth unemployment on the continent.

“African leaders and policy need to support all efforts geared towards engaging young people to venture into agriculture in order address poverty and create meaningful jobs for youth,” she added.

According to the African Development Bank’s 2018 African Economic Outlook, in 2015, Africa was home to 226 million youth and the number is projected to increase by 42 per cent in 2030.

Speaking at the event, Geraldine Mukeshimana, Rwandan minister of agriculture and animal resources, said that sustainable solutions for decent youth employment in agriculture in Africa must address issues of making agriculture attractive to youth while maximising financial returns.

“Young people are moving away from agriculture because they consider it unattractive, unprofitable and labour-intensive.

“We need to make them love agriculture and turn these challenges into opportunities,” she added.

The conference features a high-level interactive panel involving policy makers, youth leaders, business and innovation leaders, as well as key partners.

It will also discuss solutions that offer new opportunities for youth entrepreneurship, including on-farm and beyond, along the agricultural value chains.

Nigeria to join global Green List Programme on environment

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Nigeria to join global Green List Programme on environment

The Federal Government says it is on the processes of joining the global Green List Programme for Conservation and Protected Areas (GLPCA), an International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), to achieve biodiversity.

FMEnv Retreat
The Conservator-General, National Parks Service, Alhaji Ibrahim Goni

Alhaji Ibrahim Goni, the Conservator General, National Parks Service (NPK) disclosed this at a stakeholders’ workshop on Monday, August 20, 2018 in Abuja.

He said, “The Secretariat of the Green List Nigeria will be domicile at the National Park Service, Headquarters, Nigeria.

“The pilot protected areas for GL include four parks namely Old Oyo, Cross River, Kainji Lake and Ghashaka Gumti National Parks and two conservation areas in Cross River state.’’

Also, Ms Beatrice Chataigner, Africa Coordinator, the Green List, said that the workshop organised by IUCN was to prepare Nigeria to engage in the Green List process.

Chataigner said that the workshop would provide Nigerian stakeholders with the understanding of the whole Green List processes.

“It is designed to assist national governments and their partners in conservation to meet the commitments embodied in the CBD Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and particularly Target 11.

“Although, the IUCN Green List standard has been developed first and foremost as the basis of a certification process.

“There is a strong interest in also using it as a framework to support learning and adaptive management and for monitoring change over time.

“Therefore, this workshop will highlight the requirements of Green List (GL) and a requirement of this target is the effective and equitable management of protected areas.

“This is not only to measure the Protected Areas (PAs) performance against the GL standards but also to diagnose the causes of their challenges in order to set up appropriate solutions that will enable the PA to finally meet the IUCN GL standards.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the IUCN Green List of Protected Areas (Green List) is an initiative that measures the success of protected areas in reaching good standards of management.

NAN also reports that the workshop was attended by representatives of Federal Ministry of Environment, FAO, USA Embassy, NTDC among others.

The participants pledged their support and assistance to the green List programme in Nigeria.

By Ebere Agozie

World Mosquito Day: U.S. reaches 570m people in 24 countries

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World Mosquito Day: U.S. reaches 570m people in 24 countries

On World Mosquito Day, the U.S. Government says it has reached 570 million people in 24 “malaria endemic” countries with malaria treatment and prevention services.

Malaria-anopheles
The malaria-causing anopheles mosquito feeding on a victim

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on its official Twitter handle on Monday, August 20, 2018 stated that it had been able to reach countries through the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).

Using the #WorldMosquitoDay hashtag, the USAID added that malaria “is the leading cause of death in children under five years old.

“In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria is the leading cause of death in children under five years old.

“The PMI and partners have reached 570 million people in 24 malaria endemic countries with malaria treatment and prevention services.”

USAID also noted that, through the PMI, more than 268 million insecticide-treated nets had been distributed in 27 countries since 2005.

The agency added that treated bed nets were responsible for two-thirds of the seven million lives saved between 2000 and 2015 worldwide.

“We look for these numbers to climb as more people get nets and net technology continues to advance.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that mosquitoes kill about 445,000 people each year, through the transmission of malaria.

The PMI report stated that some estimates showed that eliminating malaria could save 11 million lives and yield an estimated $2 trillion in economic benefits from gains in productivity and health savings.

“The last decade has brought a number of advances in fighting malaria-carrying mosquitoes, including long-lasting insecticide treated nets and new insecticides for indoor residual spraying.

“New uses of technology, such as mobile phones and internet, can enhance timeliness and quality of relevant data and improve decision-making.

“In the coming years, we anticipate innovations in insecticides and a possible malaria vaccine,” the report stated.

Also, in its 12th Annual Report to the US Congress, released in April 2018, it stated that malaria remained a major public health challenge, despite the progress recorded in malaria interventions.

It added that the challenge could slow down progress made.

“Malaria prevention and control remains an important U.S. foreign assistance priority.

“Foreign assistance investments by the U.S. Government empower people, communities, and economies to progress on the path to self-reliance, and malaria interventions are among the most cost-effective.”

NAN reports that the PMI and other global partners have continually supported governments to prevent malaria mortality, morbidity and ensuring its elimination through a five-year strategy.

The strategy, which spans 2015 till 2020, aims at creating a world without malaria.

World Mosquito Day, observed annually on 20 August, is a commemoration of Sir Ronald Ross’ discovery in 1897 that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.

Ross is responsible for the annual observance, having declared shortly after his discovery that the day should be known as World Mosquito Day in the future.

By Temitope Ponle

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