UN Secretary-General António Guterres said everybody needs to do something to stop plastic pollution from getting into the world’s oceans.
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres. Photo credit: UN /Mark Garten
Guterres, who stated this in his message for World Oceans Day, said everybody could contribute “from carrying your own water bottle, to volunteering for a local clean-up”.
The UN chief reminded everyone of the major role the oceans had in everyday life, as the lungs of the planet, providing most of the oxygen that we breathe.
“The oceans make our blue planet unique in our solar system – and not just visually,” he said.
He added that they helped regulate “the global climate and are the ultimate source of the water that sustains all life on Earth, from coral reefs to snow-covered mountains, from tropical rain forests to mighty rivers, and even deserts.”
“However, the ability of the oceans to provide their essential services is being threatened by climate change, pollution and unsustainable use,” he stressed.
Plastic pollution alone is wreaking tremendous havoc on the marine resources of the world, he said, highlighting the problem of plastic pollution in particular.
About 80 per cent of all pollution in the sea comes from land, including some eight million tonnes of plastic waste each year.
This has cost the lives of one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals, while it causes eight billion dollars in damage annually to marine ecosystems.
Guterres said pollution “chokes waterways, harms communities that depend on fishing and tourism, kills turtles and birds, whales and dolphins, and finds its way to the most remote areas of the planet and throughout the food chain on which we ultimately rely”.
“Unless we change course, plastic waste could soon outweigh all the fish in the oceans,” Guterres added.
The UN chief urged everyone to work individually and collectively to “stop this preventable tragedy” and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds.
Guterres said: “Action starts at home, and speaks louder than words. The United Nations aims to lead by example, and more than 30 of our agencies have now begun working to end the use of single-use plastic.
“But everyone needs to play a part by taking simple actions like carrying your own water bottle, coffee cup and shopping bags; recycling plastic; avoiding products that contain microplastics; and volunteering for local clean-ups.
“If we all do a little, our combined actions can be massive. On this World Oceans Day, I urge governments, communities and individuals alike to celebrate our oceans by helping clear them of pollution and ensure they remain vibrant for generations to come.”
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says conflicts and adverse local weather conditions have continued to acutely aggravate and prolong severe food insecurity in parts of Nigeria and 38 other countries.
René Castro, Assistant-Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
The UN food agency also said the situations had raised the list of countries requiring external assistance for food, according to its new “Crop Prospects and Food Situation” report.
Underscoring how persistent conflicts and adverse climate shocks were taking a toll on food security, no country exited the list, which comprises 31 countries in Africa, seven in Asia as well as Haiti.
That list now comprises 39 countries, up two countries from the last report in March, with the addition of Cabo Verde and Senegal.
These include Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
The other countries outside of Africa are Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, Syria, and Yemen.
FAO’s latest forecast for world cereal production in 2018 foresees a 1.5 percent annual drop from the record high realised in 2017.
“Conflicts have choked agricultural activity in swathes of Central Africa, notably in the Central African Republic and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where access to food is further hindered by surging inflation.
“Conflicts in Nigeria and Libya have led to less demand for meat, one reason behind the drastic drop in incomes for many pastoralist households in the Sahel region, where grazing and water resources are already strained and the ongoing lean season is expected to last longer than usual.”
The UN food agency said recent rains point to cereal production gains in East Africa after consecutive seasons of drought-reduced harvests, FAO said.
It, however, noted that recent abundant rains triggered flooding in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, displacing about 800,000 people.
In contrast to the trend in the sub-region, staple food prices are high and rising in the Sudan and South Sudan, affecting access to food and intensifying food insecurity risks, FAO said.
The UN agency said the number of severely food insecure people in South Sudan was expected to rise – in the absence of humanitarian assistance – to 7.1 million people during the current peak of the lean season (from June to July).
Tens of thousands of people will take part in the Rise for Climate mobilisations in September 2018 with distributed local actions in towns, institutions, universities, and houses of worship around the world. The actions are expected to drive climate action within communities and send a message to governments about what the will of the people really is ahead of the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS).
California Governor Jerry Brown in 2015 convened international leaders from 11 other states and provinces to sign an agreement to limit the increase in global average temperature to below 2 degrees Celsius
The GCAS, hosted by California Governor Jerry Brown, will take place from September 12 to 14 and will be attended by governments, cities, businesses and other stakeholders. The forum is intended to showcase climate action by non-state actors taking place around the world and inspire deeper commitments from national governments.
The Rise for Climate mobilisations, it was gathered, will set the bar for the Summit by demonstrating what real climate leadership looks like and challenging governments to accelerate progress towards a just and equitable transition to 100% renewable energy for all while stopping all new fossil fuel projects and embarking on a just and managed decline of existing production.
Diverse groups representing faith, youth, justice, labour and cities are said to be supporting the Rise for Climate mobilisation that springs from the fast-growing grassroots climate movement. Notable actions will include: tens of thousands taking to the streets of San Francisco in USA, a continental day of action in Australia, several events planned across the Pacific islands and Africa including local renewable energy summits, actions across major European cities with a major march planned in Portugal and a flagship event in Kiev in Ukraine, creative actions in Latin America, and virtual marches planned in East Asia.
The Climate Action Network (CAN) says: “Through these actions we will collectively demand even more from local and national governments across the world at this critical juncture where people’s livelihoods are at stake due to the growing impacts of the climate crisis. This mobilisation is part of a larger wave of global mobilisations unfolding this year including Reclaim Power and Global Frackdown – together these actions will help to build a groundswell of support for real climate leadership, pile the pressure on national leaders that are falling short of their commitments, and create the right momentum to secure a fast and just transition to an equitable world by 2020.”
Over 740 primary pupils of LEA Primary School in Nyanya-Gwandara, Nasarawa State, share only two toilets, Mr Akwe Omadefu, the Headmaster of the school, has said.
Governor of Nasarawa State, Umaru Tanko Al-makura
Omadefu made the revelation on Friday, June 8, 2018 in Nyanya-Gwandara when a team of officials of the Network of Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN) visited the school as part of their activities to commemorate the 2018 Menstrual Hygiene Management Day.
He said that the dearth of toilets and a perimeter fence around the school had negatively affected school attendance and pupils’ enrolment.
“You can see the surroundings; the school is not fenced and we have been trying all we can to make the state government to come to our aid and fence the school.
“When this done, we will be able to control the movement of pupils in the school. This is very important because some of the pupils do not usually return to school after the end of the break time.
“We have only two toilets here: one for males and the other for the female pupils. We don’t have potable water; the school authorities have to buy water from water vendors,’’ he said.
The head teacher said that the scarcity of toilets in the school had somewhat promoted open defecation around the school premises, adding that this explained why the surrounding area of the school was dirty and foul-smelling.
Omadefu solicited the provision of toilets and perimeter fence as well as teaching and learning materials for the school, saying that this would encourage the pupils to stay in school and face their studies.
The National Coordinator of NEWSAN, Mr Benson Attah, who bemoaned the situation in the school, said that the school was in dire need of facilities that would encourage learning and discourage open defecation.
Attah said that it was saddening to note that such a school existed, despite its proximity to Abuja, the nation’s capital.
He said that the group would solicit the assistance of donor agencies and other stakeholders for the school.
Ms. Gift Eke, NEWSAN Secretary in the FCT, said that the group was carrying our assessment of schools in and round the FCT to create public awareness of their needs and solicit the support of donor agencies for efforts to improve the state of the schools.
She underscored the need to give priority attention to the provision of basic water and sanitation facilities for the school so as to boost pupils’ enrolment and school attendance.
Besides, Eke said that the group had sensitised the school children to the importance of menstrual hygiene management, saying that the pupils had been equipped with basic menstrual hygiene skills.
Eke, however, called for the provision of free sanitary pads for schoolgirls, saying that the proposal was aimed at boosting the school attendance and wellbeing of the girl child.
“We are advocating for the provision of free sanitary pads for girls of school age. Since condoms are given to people free of charge and are available everywhere, why can’t the government provide free sanitary pads for schoolgirls as well?” she asked.
However, some cynics have expressed reservations about the proposed provision of free sanitary pads to school girls, saying that it would be difficult to ascertain the quality and wholesomeness of such menstrual pads.
Mr Dayo Ajileye, a civil servant, said that since sanitary pads were aptly considered as personal hygiene kits, the free distribution of sanitary pads should be strictly monitored to check any plot to contaminate the reproductive health of the potential beneficiaries.
He said that in checking such sharp practices by unscrupulous persons, deliberate efforts should be made to assign some recognised agencies or associations to oversee the manufacture and distribution of the sanitary pads that would be distributed to schoolgirls free of charge.
Executive Secretary, Taraba State Environmental Protection Agency (TEPA), Mr Julius Butu, on Friday, June 8, 2018, urged the people of the state to embark on massive tree planting to protect the environment.
Tree planting
Butu told newsmen in Jalingo, the state capital, that planting trees would help in preserving the environment for a conducive human and animal habitation.
He noted that government was planning to lead the tree planting campaign for a friendly environment.
“I want to appeal to all residents of Taraba to embark on massive planting of trees.
“Nigeria is signatory to Paris Agreement that encourages protection of the environment by all members and there is no other way to achieve this than to plant more trees.
“We urge the people of the state to plant both economic and other trees to check hazards associated with absence of trees.
“We appeal to the people to shun harmful environmental practices such as bush burning, deforestation and indiscriminate disposal of plastic and other waste, ‘’ Butu said.
The executive secretary said the state government through TEPA had taken steps to check indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste by creating awareness among motorists, organisations, among others, to keep wastebaskets.
He said that the state government had concluded plans to procure a waste recycling machine to encourage people to dispose waste properly and even earn little income from it.
Butu explained that a clean environment would guarantee a healthy living for human beings and animals.
On World Oceans Day, Fijian President Jioji Konrote on Friday, June 8, 2018 stressed the importance of preserving the ocean for the world.
Fijian President, Jioji Konrote
The president also noted that Fiji’s leadership on the preservation of the world’s oceans is one of the most important tasks the nation has ever undertaken.
“The World Oceans Day is not only an opportunity to highlight the importance of the struggle to protect and preserve the oceans.
“It is also a celebration of the millions of men, women and children around the world who have committed themselves to making a difference in this struggle,’’ Konrote said on the World Oceans Day.
The president said that he is determined to persuade the nations of the world to take much more decisive actions to save the oceans.
“I know many of you have been directly involved in our global campaign for action on oceans, whether it was the UN World Oceans Conference in New York a year ago or the Oceans Pathway launched at COP23 that we will continue to co-chair with Sweden until 2020.
“And many of the same people have also been spearheading our fight for climate action across a broad front through Fiji’s Presidency of COP23, including the Talanoa Dialogue that is a cornerstone of that effort,’’ he said.
According to him, this is evidence in itself of the inextricable link between climate change and the health of our oceans. It is a simultaneous battle on two fronts.
“And whether you are part of Fiji’s national effort or our collective Pacific effort, you are all foot soldiers and standard bearers in this struggle,’’ he added.
In July, Pacific leaders will gather in Suva for the Climate Action Pacific Partnership Event and a Pacific Talanoa Dialogue as a prelude to the Talanoa Dialogue.
Fiji will preside over with Poland at COP24 (the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in December.
While stressing that it will all be about raising ambition in the climate struggle, he appealed to the leaders of all the Pacific nations to join Fiji in Suva to set an example for the whole world of building a consensus for more ambition.
The president urged Fijians to conserve and preserve marine areas, such as the 250 traditional tabu sites protected by the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas Network.
His message on the World Oceans Day 2018 was oriented around conservation and preservation and of ambitious climate action.
In a related development, Meg Taylor, secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, also urged the Pacific Islanders to make a pledge for healthier oceans.
“We share one ocean, we benefit from it immensely, from food on our tables to our economies as forum members, and I believe we should feel some sense of responsibility for its well-being.
“The Ocean is our home and will be key for our children’s and young people’s future,’’ Taylor noted.
In order to curb the menace of plastic waste pollution, Nigeria has been called upon to adopt a scheme whereby a premium is placed on all plastics containers and wrappers.
Prof. Babajide Alo
Prof. Babajide Alo of the University of Lagos, Akoka, who made the call at a forum in Lagos on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 to mark the World Environment Day, suggested that, henceforth, a deposit should be put on plastic containers as it is with bottled drinks.
“Under this initiative, no one should be sold new plastic containing water unless he/she brings a crate of empties. Similarly, anyone to wants to buy a bag of pure water sachets should come with a bag of empties or pay a deposit again. This kind of policy will certainly reduce the menace of plastic containers,” said the environmentalist and Professor of Chemistry.
In a presentation titled: “Beating the plastic pollution”, Prof Alo emphasised that plastic bottles, cups, food wrapping, carrier bags and straws, which account for a substantial percentage of plastic wastes, should be substituted with reuseable ones.
According to him, more tax should be placed on packages made of plastic materials, and that the tax so realised could be dedicated to plastics’ clean-up activities.
“Also, tax breaks/other financial incentives could be instituted for manufacturing concerns who have successfully substituted plastics with biodegradable utilities,” he recommended, pointing out that products containing microbeads, such as cosmetics, soap and other personal care products, should be phased out.
Prof Alo further suggested that strict production screening should be instituted to eliminate microplastics in food and packaged water, stressing that an incentive should be provided by the government to attract investment on bidegradable plastics production especially from corn starch.
His words: “Plastic items that can’t be reused should always be recycled to ensure they do not end up in the environment and to avoid producing more plastic unnecessarily. The education and public awareness on the separation of wastes to enhance recycling must be taken to the grassroots with commensurate reward if possible. Recycling of plastics should be instituted as a policy backed laws rather than the existing resort to “good will” of the people to recycle.”
Alo spoke at an event organised by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in collaboration with the Nigerian Environmental Society (NES).
Akinbode Oluwafemi, deputy executive director, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), in statement during a media briefing in Lagos on Thursday, June 7, 2018, attempts to alert Lagosians on seemingly conflicting reports regarding private sector related water projects allegedly undertaken by the state government
L-R: Activist, Ayodele Akele; Akinbode Oluwafemi of ERA/FoEN; and Taiwo Opaleye, chair of Lagos chapter of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), at the briefing
On Wednesday, May 9, 2018 when the World Bank team visited Governor Ambode, the governor was said to have remarked that the various budget support initiatives of the bank in the water sector in Lagos had supposedly resulted in “stronger ties with the institution” and urged the bank to plough more funds into water and other key projects in the state.
At the time we had cautioned that the Ambode administration continues to present Lagos as a state ready for any form of private investment with water being one of the sectors it is pushing for so-called investors to take control of.
Our fears that something was in the offing was confirmed on May 15, barely a week after that visit, when Global Water Intelligence magazine – a high value business information for the water industry – disclosed that multiple PPP projects are in the works for Lagos, some moving quickly.
Surprisingly, no such disclosure was on the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) website as we speak. Some of the identified projects – Adiyan II, Igbonla, Yewa I, Odomola II, Ibeshe I, Ibeshe II and Yewa II – have project lengths of up to 35 years were only updated on GWI water tracker a week after the World Bank execs visit and Engr. Mumuni Badmus, the helmsman of the LWC, is personally listed as the contact person for the project listing on GWI.
Lagos State has a target of 745 million gallons per day water treatment capacity by 2020. We are worried that if these PPP projects should move forward it will translate to private control of a gripping 57% of the entire Lagos water system target capacity.
Corruption and lack of transparency intertwined?
With the GWI revelations, the Lagos State Government has awarded the Igbonla project to Brio Resources Technologies and ACUAMED. The project, ironically, is listed as a water treatment plant in GWI but described as a desalination plant by Brio Resources Technologies.
In addition, Brio Resources Technologies is also claiming that they are in “Ongoing PPP Development with the Lagos Water Corporation” on the Odomola II project, with Acuamed and a corporation called Tramasa (also Spanish) as the technical partners.
Brio says that this Odomola II project is for a 25 year concession to build a desalination plant, at an estimated cost of $288 million. Brio says it is a desalination plant and GWI says it is a water treatment plant. What this shows is a lack of transparency from the LWC management on these projects. This conflicting information, plus the fact that Acuamed is under investigation over allegations of corruption by the Spanish government and the European Union’s European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), should cause Lagosians to worry. Several executives of the company were arrested in 2016 in relation to the allegations. In April 2017, the Spanish parliament called for reform and eventual replacement of Acuamed following the scandal.
The EU’s OLAF launched a case to coordinate with Spanish investigators because of the alleged use of EU funds in the alleged corruption scandal.
Visionscape Again
Many here are now conversant with the drama over refuse management. Our own Lagos is now home of filth. But here comes the real bad news! Among the list of companies handpicked by the Lagos government to manage Adiyan II, which is anticipated to deliver millions of gallons of water to residents when it becomes operational, the name Visionscape has popped up again. In GWI the Adiyan II project is listed “to be awarded June/July 2018. This is strange to us.
The consortium of Visionscape Water Solutions Limited/Metito is listed among other consortiums of shortlisted firms for PPP. Others are AG Gold Trust Nigeria Limited, Vision Scape Water Solutions Limited/Metito, Veolia/Shoreline Group and Abegoa and Naston & Partners.
As must have been observed, the waste management sector was practically handed over to Visionscape in 2017 when the Lagos government paved the way for the company to take over waste management under a PPP arrangement after it introduced a bill that merged all waste management agencies in the state into one.
Nearly one year into its operations, the streets of Lagos are replete with uncollected waste littering major roads and front of residences in inner streets. Most residents have been on an endless wait for their refuse to be evacuated, to no avail. The situation has equally sparked fears of a major epidemic if nothing is done soonest.
The prospects of a Metito-Visionscape consortium to manage Adiyan II are very bleak. The Our Water Our Right Coalition will not relent in the use of all legitimate means to demand that our water remain within public and democratic control.
The TRUTH is what Lagosians want
The corruption ties and conflicting statements above have bolstered our demand for absolute transparency from the government on these projects. The Our Water Our Right Coalition uses this medium to ask Governor Ambode to now come out in public and inform Lagos citizens his plans for the Lagos water sector.
We are demanding:
Full disclosure of its PPP projects in the water sector and a halt to the projects
Disclosure of all IFC and World Bank activity and discussions with Lagos government officials regarding water, including formal and informal advisory roles.
Broad public participation in developing plans to achieve universal access to clean water and the need for the state government to hearken to our demands that it uphold the human right to water as an obligation of the government, representing the people.
The Lagos government builds the political will to prioritise water for the people, through a comprehensive plan that invests public funds in the water infrastructure necessary to provide universal water access, which will create jobs, improve public health, and invigorate the Lagos economy.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday, June 7, 2018 said 1.3 million of Edo State population still practised open defecation, and attributed it to low level awareness on healthy living and sanitation among residents.
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State
Mrs Mohsema Ishan, a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Specialist in the world body, made this known in Benin City, the state capital, at a sensitisation on the implementation of WASH project for stakeholders.
She said that children needed water, sanitation and hygiene to survive, adding that much needed to be done in Edo to improve access to potable drinking water.
Ishan said that six out of 10 households either had their drinking water from contaminated sources or got it contaminated during handling.
She called on community leaders to effectively sensitise their subjects on the need to embrace good sanitation culture and eschew open defecation.
The UNICEF official disclosed that 495 rural communities in five selected local government areas in the state would benefit from EU-UNICEF Niger Delta Support Programme (NDSP).
Earlier, the state’s Ministry of Energy and Water Resources had said that three other local government areas would benefit from ongoing N600 million EU-UNICEF Rural Water Sanitation and Hygiene Project in the state.
The Commissioner in the ministry, Mr Yekini Idaiye, named the council areas as Orhionmwon and Uhunmwode in Edo South and Owan-West in Edo North senatorial districts, respectively.
Idaiye, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Akongie Oboh, said that WASH was being implemented under the EU-UNICEF-NDSP to improve rural sanitation institutions in the state.
He said that the project was already running well in Estako West and Ovia South-West areas of the state and would be extended to the three identified local government areas to take development closer to the grassroots.
Idaiye said that the present administration had invested N600 million in the WASH project and called on benefitting communities in the new council areas to embrace the programme with an open mind and key into it.
He urged stakeholders at the meeting to build toilets and stop open defecation, and protect all government investments in their domain.
Deputy Director, Sanitation, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mr Emmanuel Eze, has called for collective action to end open defecation practice, saying the Federal Government alone cannot do it.
Suleiman Adamu Kazaure, Water Resources Minister
Eze, who said this at the end of a two-day Workshop on Validation of ODF Communities in Nigeria on Thursday, June 7, 2018, said that all hands must be on deck if Nigeria must meet the SDG 6 on Water and Sanitation by 2030.
He stressed that Federal Government was working to see that faeces was not seen in the open, saying this was a leading cause of food and water contamination.
According to him, part of the strategy is the development of the Partnership for Expanded Water Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) Programme to implement programmes and policies to scale up access to water and Sanitation.
“Nigeria is working to see the containment of Open Defecation; faeces ought not to be seen in the open, as it remains the leading cause of food and water contamination.”
The deputy director noted that water safety plans included the citing of Water sources to at least 30 metres away from toilets, saying it was important for this practice to be adhered to.
The facilitator, Mrs Yemisi Akpa, called on all stakeholders in the Sanitation and Hygiene sector to uphold the guidelines of the Open Defecation Free (ODF) Protocol while validating ODF certified communities across the country.
She said it was important for Nigeria to scale up access to sanitation as this was a requirement for inclusive development and health promotion.
She noted that the training was an avenue to enlighten ODF Validators on what was acceptable, code of conduct and its importance.
According to her, validators are those that have been assigned the role of quality assessment, saying they must not compromise standards at any given time.
“As a validator, you must abide by the code of conducts at all time, you must dress decently, be courteous, don’t promise what you cannot give to the communities.
“You must not compromise standards at any time; this is because your name is at stake, so you must do the right thing always.”
Akpa said the overall goal of Communities Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) principle is to eliminate open defecation practice and achieving and sustaining total sanitation, saying with behaviour change, this was possible.
She however stressed the need for a collective action towards ending open defecation practice in the country, saying it would go a long way to reduce spread of preventable diseases through poor hygiene practices.
