Peatlands have so far been underestimated in global climate change negotiations, but this is starting to change.
Land clearing on peatland, Indonesia. Photo credit: Ryan Woo/CIFOR
Discussions alongside the UNFCCC Bonn Climate Change Conference last week showed an increasing interest in the carbon dynamics of these critical landscapes, and their potential contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and partners held a side event on Thursday, May 11 2017, titled “Re-discovering the magnificent carbon storage potential of wetlands and peatlands.” Co-hosted by the European Space Agency (ESA), Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU Jena) and Wageningen University & Research (WUR), the event highlighted the latest research on how to best manage, conserve, monitor and restore peatlands, and how they can be incorporated in climate change action.
Millions of people earn their livelihoods off peatlands, but unsustainable practices are threatening the integrity of these ecosystems, and could accelerate global climate change. Drainage, burning and conversion of peatlands for agriculture and other purposes is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. There is an urgent need to develop low-impact agricultural practices that can sustain both peat and people.
Participants at the side event on peatlands: L-R: Daniel Murdiyarso, CIFOR; Rosa Maria Roman-Cuesta, CIFOR and WUR; Simon Lewis, Leeds University; Dianna Kopansky, UN Environment; Louis Verchot, CIAT; and Frank Martin Seifert, ESA
Rich in organic matter, peatlands also hold enormous potential to counter climate change. Covering only 3-5% of the Earth’s surface, peatlands are estimated to hold more than 30% of world’s carbon stocks, in far denser quantities than aboveground stocks such as forests. Disturbing these ecosystems causes a massive release of greenhouse gases, while conserving them keeps rich carbon stocks in the ground, with implications for carbon accounting.
“Some countries have already included peatlands in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the UNFCCC, but some have not, because they do not yet understand the vital role of this particular ecosystem,” says CIFOR Principal Scientist Daniel Murdiyarso, the moderator of the side event.
“In the next round of NDCs, I think it’s important to consider including peatlands,” he says.
The connections between climate, peat and people will be further explored at the Global Landscapes Forum: Peatlands Matter event in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday, May 18, led by CIFOR in coordination with UN Environment and the World Bank.
A top U.S. diplomat has said that America will no longer deliver money to help poor countries deal with the impacts of climate change.
U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change, Trigg Talley
The decision is no surprise domestically. Republicans have long made clear that the Green Climate Fund (GCF) won’t see another dime of U.S. money under the Trump administration. But the comments of U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change, Trigg Talley, to U.N. delegates meeting in Bonn, Germany, were the first time leaders from other nations heard the news directly.
“I didn’t prepare for that,” Talley told the negotiator from India who asked the United States to clarify its position on climate funding.
“We will not be giving our Green Climate Fund contribution this year. At least, that’s the plan. And I think the administration has been pretty clear about that,” he said.
Talley, a career State Department diplomat who is leading a delegation of just seven U.S. negotiators to the midyear talks, made clear in other ways this week how dramatically America’s positions on climate change have evolved.
In answering questions from nations about promises that the United States made several years ago to cut emissions about 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, he noted that the Trump administration has not yet taken a position on whether to keep that pledge, much less stick with the targets under the newer Paris Agreement climate accord.
“The administration will not take actions that are contrary to the overarching focus on competitiveness and economic growth,” Talley said.
He flatly told a delegate from Brazil who asked whether the United States might use market mechanisms to address emissions that there are “absolutely no plans” to do so. He sidestepped a question from an E.U. negotiator who noted the U.S. economy has grown despite dropping emissions levels and wanted to know how that might continue in the future.
Talley also did not comment on the future of the Paris Agreement. The Trump administration has been wrestling with whether to pull out of the global agreement, to which nearly 200 nations have pledged emissions cuts.
“The administration has not yet developed a formal policy on climate change, and that includes both domestic and international climate change issues,” he said.
Advocacy groups slammed the U.S. presentation.
“Even without any formal withdrawal by President Trump it is clear the US administration is moving in a different direction from the rest of the world,” Christian Aid’s international climate lead, Mohamed Adow, said in a statement.
“These plans suggest that America doesn’t fully grasp the gravity of the situation that we face regarding climate change nor the responsibility it holds as the world’s biggest historic polluter,” he said.
Other countries gave presentations about their emissions plans, but delegates packed the room as the United States took the floor.
“High noon,” the coordinator leading the session noted. “Time for the U.S.”
More than 3,000 adolescents die every day, totalling 1.2 million deaths a year, from largely preventable causes, according to a new report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its partners. In 2015, more than two-thirds of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and South-East Asia. Road traffic injuries, lower respiratory infections, and suicide are the biggest causes of death among adolescents.
Adolescents
Most of these deaths can be prevented with good health services, education and social support. But in many cases, adolescents who suffer from mental health disorders, substance use, or poor nutrition cannot obtain critical prevention and care services – either because the services do not exist, or because they do not know about them.
In addition, many behaviours that impact health later in life, such as physical inactivity, poor diet, and risky sexual health behaviours, begin in adolescence.
“Adolescents have been entirely absent from national health plans for decades,” says Dr Flavia Bustreo, Assistant Director-General, WHO. “Relatively small investments focused on adolescents now will not only result in healthy and empowered adults who thrive and contribute positively to their communities, but it will also result in healthier future generations, yielding enourmous returns.”
Data in the report, “Global accelerated action for the health of adolescents (AA-HA!): Guidance to support country implementation,” reveal stark differences in causes of death when separating the adolescent group by age (younger adolescents aged 10–14 years and older ones aged 15–19 years) and by sex. The report also includes the range of interventions – from seat-belt laws to comprehensive sexuality education – that countries can take to improve their health and well-being and dramatically cut unnecessary deaths.
Dr Flavia Bustreo, Assistant Director-General, WHO
Road injuries top cause of death of adolescents, disproportionately affecting boys
In 2015, road injuries were the leading cause of adolescent death among 10–19-year-olds, resulting in approximately 115 000 adolescent deaths. Older adolescent boys aged 15–19 years experienced the greatest burden. Most young people killed in road crashes are vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
However, differences between regions are stark. Looking only at low- and middle-income countries in Africa, communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, lower respiratory infections, meningitis, and diarrhoeal diseases are bigger causes of death among adolescents than road injuries.
Lower respiratory infections and pregnancy complications take toll on girls’ health
The picture for girls differs greatly. The leading cause of death for younger adolescent girls aged 10–14 years are lower respiratory infections, such as pneumonia – often a result of indoor air pollution from cooking with dirty fuels. Pregnancy complications, such as haemorrhage, sepsis, obstructed labour, and complications from unsafe abortions, are the top cause of death among 15–19-year-old girls.
Adolescents are at very high risk of self-harm and suicide
Suicide and accidental death from self-harm were the third cause of adolescent mortality in 2015, resulting in an estimated 67 000 deaths. Self-harm largely occurs among older adolescents, and globally it is the second leading cause of death for older adolescent girls. It is the leading or second cause of adolescent death in Europe and South-East Asia.
A vulnerable population in humanitarian and fragile settings
Adolescent health needs intensify in humanitarian and fragile settings. Young people often take on adult responsibilities, including caring for siblings or working, and may be compelled to drop out of school, marry early, or engage in transactional sex to meet their basic survival needs. As a result, they suffer malnutrition, unintentional injuries, pregnancies, diarrhoeal diseases, sexual violence, sexually-transmitted diseases, and mental health issues.
Interventions to improve adolescent health
“Improving the way health systems serve adolescents is just one part of improving their health,” says Dr Anthony Costello, Director, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, WHO. “Parents, families, and communities are extremely important, as they have the greatest potential to positively influence adolescent behaviour and health.”
The “AA-HA! Guidance” recommends interventions across sectors, including comprehensive sexuality education in schools; higher age limits for alcohol consumption; mandating seat-belts and helmets through laws; reducing access to and misuse of firearms; reducing indoor air pollution through cleaner cooking fuels; and increasing access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. It also provides detailed explanations of how countries can deliver these interventions with adolescent health programmes.
Despite Africa’s dwindling forest resources over the years, institutions and organisations continue to evolve strategies to salvage the integrity of what is left of the continent’s forests. One of the strategies being applied now is the Independent Forest Monitoring (IFM).
Participants at the African Sub-Regional Conference on Independent Forest Monitoring in Accra, Ghana
The IFM is a strategy for addressing one of the identified drivers of deforestation, which is the weak or non-enforcement of sector regulations. It is an international tool for assessing and strengthening legal compliance in the forest sector and geared towards complementing official forest law enforcement activities.
This tool comes with the objectivity and public credibility of an independent third party, which experts say can improve transparency in the short term, while contributing to the development of a sound legislative and regulatory framework for responsible forest management.
The IFM is structured to function within the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) between the European Union (EU) and timber producing countries including Ghana that trades with the EU. Therefore, the VPA operational framework provides for an officially appointed Independent Monitor (IM), who is responsible for auditing the overall legal assurance system.
Civil society has also been playing an active role in the IFM process within the continent in countries such as Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo as well as Liberia. This is known as the Civil Society led Independent Forest Monitoring (CSIFM). It is aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the IM’s role through regular, investigatory, analytical, watchdog and policy advocacy work.
In Ghana, the Civic Response (CR) organisation, is leading moves for the adoption of the CSIFM process with funding from the European Union (EU), under the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) programme.
And as part of the IFM implementation process, CR has organised the first ever “African Sub-Regional Conference on Independent Forest Monitoring,” in Accra, on the theme: “Improving Forest Governance through Effective Independent Forest Monitoring.”
The two-day event was attended by participants from government institutions, civil society organisations, the private sector, forest-dependent communities, international organisations, academia, and donor orgnisations from countries within the sub-region.
The conference was held to among other things, build a forestry sector consensus for the operationalisation of the CSIFM in the country.
Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu Bio, who opened the conference on behalf of the sector Minister, Peter Amewu, stated that the IFM should, “… not be used as a witch hunting tool or a post due diligence tool to FLEGT licenses issued.”
He stressed, “We intend for IFM to be used as a pre-due diligence tool to ensure that FLEGT licenses issued are credible and provide adequate feedback to continually improve forest management practice and systems.”
Mr. Bio called for the sharing of best practices as well as negative ones from which Ghana can learn as the practice of IFM is new to the country. He hoped experts from the Central Africa sub-region, particularly those in the Congo Basin who are already implementing forms of the IFM, will develop expert teams to guide the implementation of the IFM in other parts of Africa.
The Deputy Minister recalled that previously, forest management was focused on “ensuring that the timber industry had access to timber.” He noted that the situation changed, following moves and subsequent dialogues by civil society in 2004 on the need to improved forest governance, which culminated in the signing of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) between Ghana and the EU in 2005.
Mr. Bio said government sees the VPA “as a vehicle to address governance challenges … as well as legality of timber on the domestic markets, rather than just as a mechanism for exporting legal timber to the EU.”
He expressed concern about Ghana’s inability to issue a FLEGT license, after 10 years of signing the VPA and traced the situation to major political hurdles such as “the conversion of existing leases, which expired in 1998 as a result of the coming into force of the 1998 Timber Resources Management Act 1998 (Act 547).”
The Act required existing leases to be converted into Timber Utilisation Contracts and Timber Rights Fees to be paid by the holders. But this did not happen.
Another hurdle Mr. Bio talked about was the controversy around the use of Special Permits. He said, “The claim has been that the discretionary powers and arbitrariness associated with issuance of special permits by the Minister undermined transparency and accountability.”
According to Mr. Bio, these issues have almost been resolved with a draft Legislative Instrument (LI) developed in conjunction with key stakeholders to address these concerns. He said the LI will soon be laid before Parliament, and was certain that “once is passed into law, it will do away with all the political hurdles that has prevented Ghana from issuing a FLEGT license.”
Other speakers at the opening ceremony were the FAO African Regional Director, Magnus Grylle and a representative of the EU, Chris Ackon. They reminded participants of the importance of forest monitoring in forest management and the need to appreciate the element of transparency, which is crucial for the VPA process. They stressed on the need for cooperation of all stakeholders to sustain transparency in forest management.
Earlier, the Executive Director of the Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD), Dr. Ben Donkor, welcomed the participants to the conference on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission (FC), John Allotey.
He said the new thinking in forest monitoring presents opportunities for various actors at different entry levels and identified three levels of forest monitoring within the VPA system.
Dr. Donkor stated that the first level is performed by the now established Timber Validation Board, within the FC. It is responsible for the legality compliance checks.
He said the second level of monitoring is the role of the Independent Monitor (IM), whose duty is to audit the entire operation of the Legality Assurance System (LAS) including the workings of the internal auditor and the Timber Validation Department. Dr. Donkor announced that Ghana’s contracted Independent Monitor has already issued two witness reports on the operation of the LAS covering 2014 and 2015.
The third level of monitoring is associated with non-state actors such as civil society organizations contributing to forest governance. Dr. Donkor explained that this level presents an opportunity for very innovative initiatives from CSOs.
The Technical Director in-charge of Forestry at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Musa Abu-Juam, was chairman for the session. He urged the implementers of the CSIFM to sharpen the focus of the project by incorporating lessons from other countries that are already utilizing the tool.
It is worthy of note that the element of transparency in the Independent Forest Monitoring process, is central to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The conference was a collaborative effort supported by the EU, UKAID, the Swedish government, Rainforest Foundation UK, the University of Wolverhampton, UK and the Forestry Commission.
Senior officials in environmental science-related establishments are giving their careers a boost.
In what looks like a win-win situation for the upliftment of the environment, a handful of managers and directors, who decided to return to the classrooms, have emerged Doctorate degree holders.
While wishing them the best in their respective endeavours, EnviroNews celebrates these brave and determined officers.
Peter Tarfa, Director, Department of Climate Change in the Federal Ministry of Environment, has a PhD in Environmental Resource Management from Nasarawa State University, KeffiRose Gidado, an Assistant Director in the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NBDA), holds a PhD in Industrial Microbiology from the University of Abuja, FCTRufus Ebegba, Director-General / CEO, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), also bagged a PhD recentlyMoses Ama, National Coordinator, Nigeria REDD+ Programme, has a PhD in Environmental Resource Management from the Nasarawa State University, Keffi
An agreement to promote decent work and a ‘just transition’ of the workforce towards sustainable economies and societies for all has been signed by the UN’s labour and climate change organisations.
Director-General of the ILO, Guy Ryder
The move follows the adoption and entry-into-force of the Paris Climate Change Agreement, the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate agreement that aims to deliver a climate stable future for every man, woman and child.
“Our members, namely governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations, are key to efforts that will allow a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent jobs in the context of global action on climate change. This Memorandum of Understanding will therefore help give practical effect to the Just Transition Guidelines of the ILO as a framework to support action on climate change,” said International Labour Organisation (ILO) Director-General, Guy Ryder.
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said: “We are delighted to forge an ever deeper relationship with the ILO. Implementing the Paris Agreement and realising the Sustainable Development Goals has the potential to generate more and new kinds of better quality jobs across the globe. We intend to maximise the opportunities from our mutually-shared agendas.”
The partnership promotes the integration of decent work and a just transition in the implementation of national measures on climate change.
Among other areas of collaboration, the ILO and UNFCCC will conduct studies at global and national levels to measure the impact of climate change and the transition on employment in different sectors.
These assessments will inform and guide countries on the responses that are needed in areas such as employment, social protection, occupational safety and health, industrial restructuring, skills needs identification and skills development, in their national contexts.
Other activities mentioned in the MoU include the review of national and regional experiences, the strengthening of social dialogue between governments and the social partners at all levels, and capacity building programmes on climate change and decent work for developing countries.
A Community Based Rainforest Action (COBRA) project is being implemented by an organisation known as NGO Coalition for Environment (NGOCE) with Goldman Environmental Foundation and Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco as sponsors and partners.
A cross section of some Chiefs of Okpon, with Odigha Odigha (4th from the right)
The NGOCE, being a frontline environmental outfit in Cross River State, is noteable for its invaluable contribution to conservation. In her resoluteness with policy direction by chairman, Odigha Odigha, the organisation has mobilised and formed several Community Based Organisations (CBOs) in 10 Okpon Rainforest Communities, located between Ikom and Obubra LGAs in Central Cross River. The NGOCE also sensitises them on conservation and forest governance.
Okpon Rainforest is noted for its myriad of biodiversity and marked as one of the major ecological zones in the state.
One of the community chiefs said: “We don’t have any natural resource other than the forest.”
The Okpon has a river sandwiched by this lush tropical rainforest and swamps, draining over 400,000 square kilometre of land that supplies water to more than 40 marked Forest Dependent Communities (FDCs).
The river, according to Chief Gabriel Okim, rises from the Cameroon Mountains, and that his community, Isabang, lies towards the lower course of the Okpon River which drains into the Cross River.
Its animal species includes hippopotamus, antelopes, bush pigs, porcupines and an array of reptiles and bird species. The resident plants species are ebony, achi, mahogany, Mimosop, and a host of others.
This prominent ecological spot accommodates economic activities such as farming and fishing, but is faced with serious threat by the communities.
On account of this project, a source said: “About 1,500 persons from the 10 COBRA communities are now aware of the need to sustainably use forest resources and stop further degradation.”
And in the process the community leaders came up with a number of “Resolutions”, which are listed to inlude:
Take all necessary steps to ensure the protection, conservation and sustainable management of the Okpon Forest which, according to them, “is our pride”
Stop further degradation of Okpon River
Stop the hunting of endangered wildlife
Disallow farms that are close to Okpon River, the nearest distance between the farms and the river being 10-20m.
The document, they said, will forthwith be ratified to form bye-laws to guide community activities and shall serve as a template for others around the Okpon Rain Forest.
“Arresting the threat on Okpon Rainforest: the COBRA project” is said to be a worthwhile development for the communities, as the project’s bid is to arrest the wanton threat as well as add its quota in tackling climate change and promoting green economy and sustainable development in Cross River State
The Kaduna State Government says it has recorded eight deaths since the outbreak of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM) was reported in parts of the country in January.
Kaduna State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Dogo
Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Dogo, confirmed this when he spoke with newsmen in Kaduna on Monday, May 15, 2017.
Dogo said that the state had recorded the eight deaths from 11 confirmed cases of CSM as at May 5.
He said that the state recorded 68 suspected cases in 15 local government areas, but 11 cases were confirmed to be CSM and eight among them died.
He added that the eight cases were confirmed in Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Igabi and Giwa Local Government Areas.
Dogo said: “This makes Kaduna State to be ranked 22 out of the 28 states with confirmed cases of CSM nationwide.”
He said that proactive measures were being taken and DSNOs and ADSNOs personnel were being trained on CSM outbreak investigation and case management.
According to him, relevant personnel of the ministry are handling procurement of spinal needles, pastorex kits and TI bottles as well as repositioning of drugs, ceftriaxone and medical consumables to health facilities for case management.
Dogo noted that distribution of ciprofoxacin to high risk primary contacts of confirmed cases was going on while meningitis alert had been sent to all medical doctors.
He said: “Awareness campaigns through radio jingles and distribution of posters, syringes and gloves, training on CSF sample collection and transportation is also going on to tackle further outbreak.”
Meanwhile, the commissioner said the state had also confirmed two cases of Lassa fever in the state within the period.
He said: “We have recorded two cases of Lassa fever in 2017, one male and female, both from Igabi Local Government Area.’’
Dogo said the two persons visited the state from Gombe and Ebonyi states, respectively.
He said: “While the male patient was isolated in Kakuri IDCC and treated successfully with Ribavirin, the female patient died on the day of presentation and was diagnosed post mortem with blood sample.
“All their contacts enlisted and monitored for 21 days in surveillance and none developed the symptoms.”
Shell remains strongly committed to the development of Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor, Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria said in Lagos, while announcing that The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) operated Joint Venture alone contributed $29 billion to the Nigerian purse between 2012 and 2016.
L-R: Campaign Implementation Advisor, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), Mrs. Darbuni Maikori; Communications Manager, Shell Nigeria, Mrs. Sola Abulu; and Corporate Media Relations Manager, Mr. Precious Okolobo
Also in 2016, the royalties and corporate taxes paid by Shell Companies in Nigeria to the Federal Government came to $1.4 billion (SPDC $1.0 billion and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) $0.4 billion). This is besides the energy which Shell Companies contribute to the Nigerian economy, with Shell-operated ventures in Nigeria recording an output of some 572,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2016.
Mr. Okunbor, who is also the Managing Director of SPDC, gave the statistics in a review of Shell operations in Nigeria for 2016 while presenting the 2017 Shell Nigeria Briefing Notes to energy editors.
“Shell has been operating in Nigeria for more than 50 years,” he said. “And it is not by chance that we have remained deeply committed to the development of Nigeria, her people and her economy by efficiently and responsibly producing oil and gas in onshore and offshore as well as distributing gas to industries and producing liquefied natural gas for export.”
Mr. Okunbor said the determination of Shell to support the monetisation of the nation’s huge gas resources led it to establish Shell Nigeria Gas in 1998, which now supplies gas to about 90 industrial customers in Ogun, Rivers and Abia states. The gas is used for power generation and processing by industries for the manufacture of domestic products ranging from household consumables, to household utensils and hardware.
As they worked to produce energy, Shell Companies in Nigeria paid special attention to the welfare of host communities, making Nigeria the second largest recipient of social investment spending in the Shell Group after the United States. Areas of focus include community and enterprise development, education, health, access-to-energy and since 2016, road safety. This is in addition to community-driven development programmes and initiatives delivered through the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU), which target themes as determined by benefiting communities.
In a bid to involve more Nigerian contractors in their operations, the Shell Contractor Funding initiative was expanded with eight participating banks committing about $2.2 billion to fund contract execution by Nigerian companies working for Shell Companies in Nigeria. Since the programme’s creation in 2011, loans worth approximately $1 billion have been awarded to 220 small and medium-sized Nigerian enterprises with no recorded defaults on repayment. The Shell Contractor Fund was approved by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) at its plenary session on “Shared Value creation and local content” in December 2016 and included in the compendium of global best practices.
SNEPCo added to its efforts to improve the capability of Nigerian vendors and service providers in deep water operations by assigning significant portion of work to this category of contractors in its recently-concluded turnaround maintenance at Bonga field.
Mr. Okunbor also commented on crude theft and other security issues in Shell operations. Crude oil theft on SPDC’s pipeline network resulted in a loss of about 5,660 barrels of oil a day (bbl/d) in 2016, which is less than the 25,000 bbl/d in 2015. The number of sabotage-related spills declined to 45 compared with 93 in 2015. He explained: “The reduction in oil theft and sabotage-related spills from the previous year can be attributed to continued improvements in air and ground surveillance and response by government security forces, lower production levels at SPDC JV operations in the Western part of the Niger Delta due to acts of sabotage and our divestment from key pipelines in 2015.”
Mr. Okunbor added: “We continue to work with the government and other key stakeholders on the security challenges in our operating environment and look towards sustained and fruitful operations for the benefit of the Nigerian state and all other shareholders.”
The main Shell companies in Nigeria are:
The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC), operator of a Joint Venture involving NNPC, Shell, Total and Nigerian Agip Oil Company.
Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), incorporated in 1993 to develop Nigeria’s deep water oil and gas resources.
Shell Nigeria Gas Limited (SNG) was set up in 2008.
Shell also holds a 25.6% interest in the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has inaugurated a 17-man Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2018 Senior Africa Athletics Championship, tagged “Asaba 2018.” Asaba, the state capital, will host the event.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State
The governor, who is keen on seeing the LOC hit the ground running, charged the members to organise a world class championship that would leave a lasting mark in the state.
Former President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Solomon Ogba, heads the LOC, while Tony Okunwa, the Executive Chairman of the Delta State Athletics Commission, is the Executive Vice Chairman.
Two-time African Champion in long jump, Yusuf Alli, is also a member of the committee along side African record holder in Women’s 400m, Falilat Ogunkoya, and Special Advicer to the Minister of Sports, Nneka Anibeze. Amechi Akawu will serve as secretary.
Meanwhile, as build-up to the election into various boards of the Sports Federations continues, former Nigerian sprinter, Effiong Udobong, has indicated his intention to lead the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
Udobong won gold medal for Nigeria in the 4x400m at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and was a bronze medallist in the same event during the Athens Games in 2014.
Udobong believes that it is high-time Nigeria paid attention to exposing athletes to competitions to sharpen their talents.
Elections into the Sports Federations are scheduled for next month.
