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Why Superhighway has been tough route to travel

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Why Superhighway has been tough route to travel

The Superhighway project has been controversial from the day it was first announced publicly for many reasons. First, it was routed without regard to the negative impacts it would have on the Cross River National Park (CRNP) and a number of community forests in its path. The path chosen initially for the 260 kilometres Superhighway was carved out in a manner reminiscent of how Africa was partitioned at the Berlin Conference of 1884 – probably over tea and coffee, or as men hunted for game, and for territories.

Ekuri
Ekuri community dwellers kicking against the super highway project that threatens hectares of forests

The path showed a disregard for the unique biodiversity of the region and was equally mindless of the climate impact that would ensue from the massive deforestation that the project was bound to cause. There was also no clarity about how the Cross River State Government (CRSG) would ensure that this is not a white elephant project that would only promote the harvesting of timber from the forest and leave a scarred environment and impoverished communities in its wake.

The 23 conditions attached to the approval of the Superhighway project underscore the fact that development must be relevant to its context and must be in the interest of the people and the environment.

The superhighway as initially proposed met stiff resistance because it appeared to have been poorly thought out and directly threatened over 180 communities, water sources, endemic plant and animal species and lacked clarity about what goods would be conveyed from the proposed “deep” sea port at Esighi to Katsina Ala. It also refused to acknowledge that there is an existing highway that is crying out for refurbishing and would very much serve the purpose of linking the end points of the proposed superhighway. What is the allure for this project? Could it be the label “super” attached to it or are there yet to be revealed intentions?

Four Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) submissions down the line, it is now hoped that all stakeholders have learned valuable lessons in project inception and implementation. It should indeed be a sobering and humbling moment with nothing to celebrate for the proponents of the highway that has foisted unnecessary controversy over the supply of a rather basic infrastructure. The 260 km Superhighway has now elongated to 275.344 Km due to the need to avoid the Cross River National Park as well as community forests including the one at Ekuri.

One of the most vexatious impacts of the proposed highway at a point was the revocation of ownership of lands stretching a whopping 10 km on either side of the highway. 10 km on either side of the proposed highway! This was an extremely and ridiculously colonial idea treating the territory literally as a no man’s land. This idea was thrown in the trash bin by the CRSG after receiving much condemnation locally and internationally. We are pleased to see that the Federal Ministry of Environment is insisting that the CRSG should gazette the nullification of that revocation and restrict itself to 70m only as the permissible right of way. This will protect the communities that faced imminent displacement by that attempt at incredible and obnoxious land grab. We also note that one of the conditions is that those that have suffered harm from the project should be compensated. That is the way it should be. The task now is for all stakeholders to monitor and ensure that there is strict compliance with this condition.

The 23 conditions that the Federal Ministry of Environment requires CRSG to fulfil before they would receive the certificate of approval of the EIA necessitates careful study by all stakeholders. It should be carefully and critically examined by communities through which the highway would pass. They also provide civil society and other stakeholders with a template for the detailed monitoring of the overall highway project. Having a conditional EIA approval should be a call on the CRSG to return to the drawing board and get herself ready for the Herculean task of delivering a 275.344km highway that could have been avoided if only she had considered fixing the existing dilapidated Calabar Ogoja highway.

The insistence of the Federal Ministry of Environment that the right thing must be done will eventually help the CRSG to deliver a project that is sensitive to the needs of the people, is not too disruptive of the ecosystems and that will eventually do more good than harm. That is the whole essence of the EIA process. The process has never been political and the resistance by the communities and civil society has been strictly in line with the law.

The conditions require that the Cross River National Park must not be violated by the highway. It always requires that the highway must not tamper with the Ekuri Forest and others. It requires that those whose properties have been tampered with or may be destroyed by the project must be compensated. The gazetting of the cancellation of the revocation order on the 10km stretch on either side of the highway before the project proceeds will ensure that no one’s land is grabbed by stealth. The condition states that the CRSG must “gazette the reversal of revocation order on the acquisition of 10km on either side to the 70km span of the road corridor as well as the gazetting of the boundary of Cross River National Park within two weeks (2) of receipt of this letter.”

 

Lessons

The conditional EIA approval is a win for everyone – the Federal and State governments as well as the forest communities and the planet as a whole. With the new routing of the Superhighway, there will be less deforestation and thus lessened climate impacts.

The lesson of the conditional approval of the EIA for the superhighway is that it took four attempts at EIA submission before the proponents of this project could come up with something close to passable. Stakeholders note that the CRSG took many decisions without adequate consultations with communities and other stakeholders. Communities were treated with disdain by aristocratic public officers who preferred monologues to dialogues. At a recent Community Dialogue at Akpabuyo, the community people all said they just woke up one day to see bulldozers destroying their crops, land and properties. In other words, they were not consulted. And they were not compensated. One of the conditions given before the EIA would be fully approved is that this anomaly must be corrected. This is a stiff rebuke for a behaviour that should be avoided in future.

We are also pleased to note that CRSG is to ensure that the updated maps in the new EIA must show that the “re-routed road corridor takes cognisance of the boundary of Cross River National Park and Ekuri Community Forest as well as conform to international best practices on setbacks for highways in critical ecosystems such as the proposed corridor.”

The conditional approval is also a stern rebuke for EIA consultants who believe that the exercise is perfunctory and that they can produce a cut-and-paste document with scant relevance to specific project locations. The entire process speaks volumes about the professionalism and quality of service being provided by officers who are saddled with the duties of watching out for the public good. This is where a huge gulf appears between those at the Federal Ministry of Environment and those at the ministry in the Cross River State.

The superhighway saga provides a good opportunity for honing of needed skills, engagement with communities and other stakeholders and rebuilding the Cross River brand as a State that benefits from and is deeply appreciative of her cultural and ecological heritage, and acknowledges the intrinsic value of Nature and her gifts. It must also be kept in mind that projects of the size of the proposed highway have present and intergenerational implications. Even if we assume that we don’t owe ourselves an obligation to do the right thing, we cannot avoid a debt that we owe the future.

By Nnimmo Bassey (Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation – HOMEF)

G20 to deliberate on health at Hamburg summit

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G20 to deliberate on health at Hamburg summit

For the first time in its history, the G20 will at its 2017 deliberations in Hamburg, Germany explore issues related to health.

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

The international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies traditionally discusses policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability.

However, this year’s G20 meeting is the first time that the international gathering will include a comprehensive health track among its deliberations.

The health ministers of the G20 countries met in Berlin, Germany from May 19 to 20, 2017, ahead of the Hamburg Summit as part of the health track development.

Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, will lead the WHO delegation participating in the G20 Summit taking place from July 8 to 9, 2017.

According to the WHO, Dr Tedros will participate in all G20 sessions during the Summit including deliberations on priorities for health, global growth, trade, sustainable development, climate, energy, partnership with Africa, migration, digitalisation, women’s empowerment, and employment. He will meet with heads of state and leaders of international organisations to advance global health goals for universal health coverage, health security, health impacts of climate change, and combating antimicrobial resistance.

Dr Tedros will also address participants in the Global Citizen Festival about the importance of universal health coverage.

The WHO estimates that one in 17 people around the world do not have access to basic health services including vaccines, maternal and child care, or health screenings to catch diseases early when they are most treatable.

From dry to wet: Rainfall might abruptly increase in Africa’s Sahel

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From dry to wet: Rainfall might abruptly increase in Africa’s Sahel

Climate change could turn one of Africa’s driest regions into a very wet one by suddenly switching on a Monsoon circulation. For the first time, scientists find evidence in computer simulations for a possible abrupt change to heavy seasonal rainfall in the Sahel, a region that so far has been characterised by extreme dryness.

Sahel region
Drylands of the Sahel region in West Africa

They detect a self-amplifying mechanism which might kick-in beyond 1.5-2 degrees Celsius of global warming – which happens to be the limit for global temperature rise set in the Paris Climate Agreement. Although crossing this new tipping point is potentially beneficial, the change could be so big, it would be a major adaptation challenge for an already troubled region.

“More rain in a dry region can be good news,” says lead-author Jacob Schewe from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). “Climate change due to greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels really has the power to shake things up. It is driving risks for crop yields in many regions and generally increases dangerous weather extremes around the globe, yet in the dry Sahel there seems to be a chance that further warming might indeed enhance water availability for farming and grazing.”

Co-author Anders Levermann from PIK and LDEO of New York’s Columbia University adds: “We don’t know what the impacts on the ground will be, this is beyond the scope of our study; but imagine the chance of a greening Sahel. Still, the sheer size of the possible change is mindboggling – this is one of the very few elements in the Earth system that we might witness tipping soon. Once the temperature approaches the threshold, the rainfall regime could shift within just a few years.”

Regions like the central parts of Mali, Niger, and Chad – which are practically part of the Sahara desert – could receive as much rainfall as is today registered in central Nigeria or northern Cameroon which boast a richly vegetated tropical climate.

 

A new tipping element in the climate system

Dozens of cutting-edge climate computer simulation systems indicate, on average, a weak wet trend for the Sahel under unabated climate change, so it is well known that there’ll likely be some more rain in the region in a warming world. The scientists now took a closer look at those simulations that show the greatest increase, plus 40 to plus 300 percent more rain, while others show only a mild increase or even slight decreases. They find that in these wet simulations, as the surrounding oceans warm, Sahel rainfall increases suddenly and substantially. During the same time the monsoon winds that blow from the Atlantic Ocean to the continental interior get stronger and extend northwards. This is reminiscent of periods in earth’s history during which, according to paleoclimatic findings, African and Asian monsoon systems alternated between wet and dry, sometimes quite abruptly.

The scientists previously identified a self-amplifying mechanism behind the sudden rainfall changes. When the ocean surface temperature increases, more water is evaporated. The moist air drifts onto land, where the water is released. When water vapor turns into rain, heat gets released. This increases the temperature difference between the generally cooler ocean and the warmer landmasses, sucking more moist winds into the continent’s interior. This again will produce more rain, and so on.

“Temperatures have to rise beyond a certain point to start this process,” explains Schewe. “We find that the threshold for this ‘Sahel monsoon’ is remarkably similar across different models. It seems to be a robust finding.”

 

Huge adaptation challenge for an already troubled region

“The enormous change that we might see would clearly pose a huge adaptation challenge to the Sahel,” says Levermann. “From Mauritania and Mali in the West to Sudan and Eritrea in the East, more than 100 million people are potentially affected that already now are confronted with a multifold of instabilities, including war. Particularly in the transition period between the dry climatic conditions of today and the conceivably much wetter conditions at the end of our century, the Sahel might experience years of hard-to-handle variability between drought and flood. Obviously, agriculture and infrastructure will have to meet this challenge. As great as it hopefully were for the dry Sahel to have so much more rain,” concludes Levermann, “the dimension of the change calls for urgent attention.”

Agbarakwe, others bag Crans Montana youth governance award

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Agbarakwe, others bag Crans Montana youth governance award

Nigerian youth environment advocate, Esther Agbarakwe, was on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain decorated with the Crans Montana Forum of New Leaders of Tomorrow Award for her outstanding professional achievement in leadership experience in governance.

Esther Agbarakwe
Esther Agbarakwe receiving the award

She was one of the three Nigerians that bagged the prestigious award during a ceremony to close the Crans Montana International Conference on Youth and Sport. The others Nigerians are: Aminu Waziri Mohammed and Usman Muhammad.

“Providing citizens especially young people with access to correct information on environmental issues helps government better engage with it citizens and this is something I am passionate about because when citizen are informed, they are empowered and governance becomes effective,”  Ms. Agbarakwe told EnviroNews in an emailed message.

She added: “I dedicate the award to the  Minister of State, Environment, Ibrahim Usman Jibril and former Minister, Amina J Mohammed (currently the Deputy UN Secretary General) for giving me the unique opportunity to serve the country along side other young people they invited to join them. I consider myself really blessed and I hope that this Award inspire many young people in government and non-government to rise up and do their work effectively.”

Ms. Agbarakwe founded the Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition (NYCC) after returning from Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in 2009, where she led the Nigerian youth delegation. She has worked with remarkable leaders like Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson and Gro Harlem Brundtland, among several others, to advocate for meaningful involvement and participation of youth in development especially in the formulation and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Fondly called “Estherclimate” by her peers, Ms. Agbarakwe is also co-founder of Climate Wednesday, a noteable youth platform on environment issues that seeks to build a climate generation across Africa. She currently works as Special Assistant on Communications and Stakeholder’s Engagement to Environment Minister of State, Ibrahim Usman Jibril

According to her, she will use the experience and networking opportunities she has gained through the Crans Montana Forum to impact the Nigerian society in a positive and transformative way.

The Crans Montana Forum of New Leaders for Tomorrow is a unique Community of young leaders from Africa, the Arab World, Far Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South America and Far East selected thanks to their exceptional professional achievement and leadership experience in Businesses and Governments.

The New Leaders for Tomorrow enjoy, for a three years period, the free strong support of the Crans Montana Forum to strengthen their Regional and International network in the framework of the South-South Cooperation that the Forum has continuously promoted as a key tool of a renewed international dialogue fostering the South-South Belt Countries’ recognition worldwide.

LDC group demands ambitious action, commitments from G20 leaders

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LDC group demands ambitious action, commitments from G20 leaders

As G20 leaders prepare to meet in Hamburg, Germany from Friday, July 7 to Saturday, July 8 2017, the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group has called on heads of state and government to reaffirm their commitments to tackling climate change by committing to ambitious climate action and support for the most vulnerable countries.

Gebru Jember Endalew
Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group, Gebru Jember Endalew

The theme of Germany’s G20 presidency is “Shaping an Interconnected World”, which the LDC believes is extremely relevant to the issue of climate change: a truly global problem requiring a global, collaborative solution.

In a statement issued on Thursday, July 6, 2017, Mr. Gebru Jember Endalew, Chair of the LDC Group, called on the G20 to:

 

Commit to scaling up climate finance and support

The LDC group represents the 48 poorest countries in the world. LDCs bear negligible responsibility for the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change but are some of the most vulnerable to its impacts, with a limited capacity to adapt to those impacts or address the resulting loss and damage.

Climate change is a reality that we are already witnessing the impacts of. However, there is no doubt that leadership and ambitious climate action by the world’s largest economies can deliver prosperity, productivity and stability for all. The Hamburg G20 Summit is an opportunity for G20 countries to demonstrate their leadership in meeting the commitments set out in the Paris Agreement. As the leaders of some of the wealthiest countries, G20 countries also have the greatest capacity to support vulnerable countries in taking action to adapt to and mitigate climate change.

 

Develop a comprehensive Joint Action Plan

The Paris Agreement manifests global momentum to tackle the greatest challenge humanity has faced and the Hamburg summit provides an opportunity for G20 countries to rally around this momentous agreement. The LDC Group urges the G20 to reaffirm their Paris Agreement commitments through an ambitious G20 Joint Action Plan on Climate and Energy for Growth. We hope that this action plan will be the most comprehensive to-do list on climate action that the G20 has agreed to date.

 

Ensure ambitious climate action with a focus on clean energy

The LDC Group urges G20 countries to adopt sustainable and renewable energy solutions to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Coal, including ‘clean coal’ cannot be considered a legitimate source of energy for mitigation action, or counted as part of climate finance support to developing countries.

Access to energy is vital to boost social welfare and productivity in developing nations. The last decade has demonstrated that renewables more than any other source of energy provide fast, efficient and cheap access to energy for many across the world. LDCs are already pursuing sustainable development through renewable energy projects, including a bottom-up, LDC-driven Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Initiative for Sustainable Development (REEEI). Support for these efforts and scaling up universal access to affordable, clean, renewable energy is vital to address poverty eradication, climate change, sustainable development objectives and the Sustainable Development Goals. We also encourage G20 countries to protect our collective clean energy efforts by pursuing energy options that affirm the ‘clean and sustainable’ nature of access to energy both in developed and developing countries.

 

Join the transition to a clean, green economy

After a strong, positive signal at the G7 summit, we call on G20 countries to rally around defending, implementing and advancing the Paris Agreement, despite the US announcing its intention to withdraw. It is clear that transformations in technology, consumption patterns and demand for clean, sustainable, green innovations are charging ahead around the world. Embracing these opportunities and joining the transition to a green economy means business opportunities that are beneficial for all. Some of the world’s leading businesses and sub-national governments, even within the US, have already recognised this and have begun to take strong actions on climate.

His words: “The LDCs reaffirm our commitment to the Paris Agreement. We are already leading the way through ambitious NDCs capturing mitigation and adaptation action beyond our fair shares, and the LDC-owned and -driven REEEI designed to meet our sustainable development objectives. We invite the G20 to join us and work alongside us as we pave the way for the sustainable economy of tomorrow.”

World Bank announces Agritech Challenge

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World Bank announces Agritech Challenge

The World Bank and Nest in Nairobi announced on Thursday, July 6, 2017 a call for applications for the Agritech Challenge 2017. The initiative is the first open innovation programme of its kind in Kenya. Its aim is to connect promising startups and innovators with one of the region’s leading agribusiness corporates.

Makhtar Diop
Vice President for Africa of the World Bank, Makhtar Diop

The challenge, which is sponsored by the World Bank, aims to spur collaborative innovation in the East African country. It forms part of a programme to test open innovation mechanisms in the country for a potential future scale up by the Government of Kenya.

Starting August 2017, high-calibre teams of innovators and entrepreneurs will work closely with agribusiness industry veterans to conceptualise and co-develop solutions around some of the most pressing challenges in the local value chains. The selected startups will have the opportunity to plug into a wealth of expertise and resources of the corporate partner, and subsequently explore piloting and commercialising the solutions developed. Nest will facilitate the programme with oversight from the World Bank team.

Applications are open until July 25, 2017, and will be vetted on a rolling basis. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for interactions and exploratory site visits with the corporate partner ahead of a pitch day in end-July to select the final cohort for the programme. Applications can be submitted via the programme website: http://nest.vc/world-bank-agritech-challenge

Messi signs new deal as Wimbledon hots up

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Messi signs new deal as Wimbledon hots up

Lionel Messi has signed a new five-year deal with Barcelona that would last till 2021. Messi’s previous deal was scheduled to end in the summer of 2018.

Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi

The striker, who joined Barcelona at age 13, will sign the deal when he returns to training from a pre-season. The Argentine has scored a club record of 507 goals from 583 matches since his competitive debut in 2014. Messi, who is currently on honeymoon, is also La Liga’s record scorer on 249 goals.

The striker had been previously linked with a move to Manchester City, but his new contract ties him to the club until he is 34.

In Tennis, two-time Men’s champion, Rafael Nadal, returned to the Centre Court, with a 6-4,6-2,7-5 over Donald Young to reach the third round at Wimbledon. Nadal will face Russia’s 30th seed Karen Khachanov on Friday, July 7, 2017.

Two-time semi-finalist Jo-Wilfred Tsonga needed less than two hours to beat Italy’s Simeon Bolelli 6-1, 7-5, 6-2. Tsonga faces America’s Sam Querrey in third round, after the 24th seed saw off Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvlli 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

World number one Andy Murray and Johanna Konta both won on Centre Court as four British players reached the third round at Wimbledon for the first time in 20 years. Konta beat Croatia’s Donna Vekic 7-6, 4-6, 10-8 in three hours, 10 minutes.

Andy Murray then beat Dustin Brown of Germany, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Murray moves on to a testing third round clash with Italy’s 28th seed Fabio Fognini on Friday.

In the Women’s Single, two-time champion Petra Kvitoya had an upset as she was eliminated in the second round by American Madison Brengle, 1-6, 6-1, 2-6 on Court Two.

The American had never won a single game at Wimbledon before this year, and is ranked 95th in the world.

Venus Williams, 37, lost the first set before defeating world number 55 Wang Qiang 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 to move into the last 32.

Former world number one, Victoria Azarenka, reached the third round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over 15th seed Elena Vesnina. Azarenka, 27, is playing only her second tournament of 2017, after giving birth to her son Leo in December.

By Felix Simire

Most countries falling behind on Paris Agreement, study finds

Michael Simire
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Most countries falling behind on Paris Agreement, study finds

Only six of the 22 countries surveyed are moving forward with The Paris Agreement, according to a new Climate Scorecard report.

Buhari-Paris-Agreement
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 in Abuja signed the instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Nigeria is the 146th Party to the treaty

Climate Scorecard compiled a comprehensive report on the status of the Paris Agreement in the Top Greenhouse Gas Emitting Countries. This report ranks each country as “Moving Forward”, “Standing Still”, or “Falling Behind” in terms of their current efforts to implement the Paris Agreement.

Of the 22 countries that the organisation evaluated, six are Moving Forward, four are Standing Still and 12 are Falling Behind.

“Contact your nation’s President or Prime Minister, and Environment Secretary. Ask them to do everything possible to see that your country increases its emissions reduction pledge to the Paris Agreement and fully implements its existing pledge. Such efforts are needed if the Paris Agreement is to fulfill its goals and keep our planet from warming beyond the 1.5 degree Celsius tipping point,” say Ron Israel and Lois Barber, Co-Directors of Climate Scorecard.

They are of the view that perhaps the lack of progress can be “mitigated somewhat by the efforts being made by some of the largest greenhouse gas emitting countries/regions, such as China, India, and the European Union.

“Until recently we could include the US in the Moving Forward category but President Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement now puts the US as Falling Behind. Hopefully, emission reduction commitments being made by US states, cities, and businesses to honour the US pledge to the Paris Agreement will offset President Trump’s decision at the federal level,” they add.

The Climate Scorecard Report suggests that all countries have much work to do to honour their commitments to the Paris Agreement.

“Unless more countries increase their emission reduction goals and strengthen their policies, the Paris Agreement is in danger of not fulfilling its important mission. The effort to combat the Paris Agreement is a global one, and requires the active engagement of all countries.”

Climate Scorecard is a coordination of efforts by non-profit organisations The Global Citizens’ Initiative and EarthAction. An international team of university-based experts, environmental graduate students, and young professionals serve as Country Managers, who report on critical activity in the top 25 greenhouse gas-emitting countries, and track implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Conditional approval of proposed Superhighway’s EIA unlawful, says group

Michael Simire
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Conditional approval of proposed Superhighway’s EIA unlawful, says group

A not-for-profit group based in Calabar, Cross River State, the Rainforest Resource & Development Centre (RRDC), has questioned the Federal Government rationale for granting conditional approval for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the proposed six-lane, 275km long Superhighway project being promoted by the state government.

Calabar
Flashback: President Muhammadu Buhari unveiling the plaque with Governor of Cross River, Prof. Ben Ayade, during the Ground Breaking Ceremony of the 260km Superhighway from Calabar to Northern Nigeria on 20th Oct 2015. Photo credit: vanguardngr.com

According to the RRDC, the Federal Ministry of Environment (FMEv) erred by giving the report such a consideration, given the quality and questionable status of the report as well as the implication of the project to the immediate environment.

In a statement made available to EnviroNews on Wednesday, July 5, 2017, Odey Oyama, Executive Director of RRDC, noted that the EIA Law, CAP. E12 does not contain any provisions for granting conditional approvals to proponents of deficient EIA reports presented to the FMEv for consideration.

“Rather issues pertaining to ‘conditions’ specified in the EIA Act are discussed in Sections 43 and 47 concerning the matter of ‘public hearing and substitution assessment by a review panel’. Thus the granting of conditional approval for fraudulent and environmentally defective EIA reports would appear to be outside the premise of the law,” stated Oyama.

Concerning the condition given by the FMEv for the Cross River State Government (CRSG) to re-route and realign the Superhighway, Oyama opined that part of the highway still falls within the gazetted boundaries of the Cross River National Park (CRNP), especially at the Oban Division.

The group commended the FMEv for specifying that the CRSG should gazette the reversal of revocation order on the acquisition of 10km on either side to the 70km span of the road corridor, as well as the boundary of the CRNP. According to Oyama, hitherto, the CRSG was in the practice of publishing Acquisition and Revocation Orders pertaining to the superhighway project in newspapers instead of official government gazettes.

On the condition bodering compensations, resettlement and restoration plans, the RRDC notes that, so far, the list of communities and persons to benefit from the compensations has not been compiled and established in compliance with the provisions of the Land Use Act No. 6, 1978 and the Land and Allied Matters Act.

“Thus, the condition remains vague and unenforceable until public declarations are made by the proponents of the project about the potential beneficiaries in compliance with national and international standards of best practice.”

The RRDC likewise underlined the fact that the enumeration of the people and communities that have to be resettled has not been conducted and the results published.

“Under these circumstances it would be difficult or impossible to monitor compliance with these conditions and establish when it would be said to have been completely fulfilled,” the body stated, even as it expressed concern over the fact that certain statements in the FMEv conditions reveal “fraudulent claims and fundamental omissions” in the EIA report, which was the fourth attempt by the CRSG.

Oyama declared: “It is our considered opinion therefore that, in line with the provisions of the EIA Act CAP. E12 (Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria – LFRN) and international standards pertaining to best practices, these deficiencies ought to have been rectified before the issuance of any type of EIA approval.

“It would be the RRDC understanding that if the proponents of the project are unable to comply with the conditions, then it shall be the duty of the Federal Ministry of Environment to state categorically the status of the approval at the expiration of two weeks. We however thank the Federal Ministry of Environment for their consideration of this matter and hope that the government of Cross River State will enforce necessary measures to effect compliance with the stipulated period of two weeks.”

In a related development, the RRDC has written to Governor Ben Ayade, demanding evidence of how the project will be funded.

The letter reads in part:

Dear Sir,

RE: APPLICATION FOR CERTIFIED TRUE COPIES OF DOCUMENTS/INSTRUMENTS IN RESPECT OF THE SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR THE SUPERHIGWAY PROJECT

Pursuant to the relevant provisions of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), we write to apply for certified through copies of all the documents and/or instruments pertaining to the source of funding for the superhighway project of Cross River State of Nigeria. 

We understand that:

  1. The project will be constructed through a distance of 260 Km from the water line at Bakassi Local Government Area (LGA), through the pristine Tropical Rainforest ecosystem to the extreme Northern boundary of Cross River State at Bekwara LGA, leading to Katsina-Ala in Benue State.
  2. The highway will to be fitted with digital internet connectivity, speed cameras and toilet facilities; and
  3. The cost of the project is estimated at over N800 billion. 

We have however observed that, the true nature and source of funding and/or loan for this huge project has not yet been disclosed to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Cross River State House of Assembly, as well as the entire people of Cross River State of Nigeria on whom the burden of repayment shall rest upon squarely. If the source is a loan, grant, donation or by the budget of the state, the law requires that the source must be disclosed to the Cross River State House Assembly for strict scrutiny. But so far there is no evidence that such disclosures have been made.  Now therefore,

  • Having studied the 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th EIA versions of the superhighway project submitted to the Federal Ministry of Environment for scrutiny;
  • Having read the publication of the Federal Ministry of Environment granting provisional approval to the Cross River State Government for the  superhighway EIA; and,
  • Having specifically studied the 20 Conditions of the Federal Ministry of Environment imposed as a precondition for the commencement of the construction of the superhighway;

Now therefore, in line with the doctrine of Transparency and Accountability, we the Rainforest Resource and Development Centre (RRDC), an NGO on Environment, Development and Information Delivery, a Company Limited by Guarantee and registered under PART C of the Corporate Affairs Commission, also acting in the capacity of the environmental consultants representing the Okuni community by the POWER OF ATTORNEY of the indigenous people of Okuni community, do hereby, in our dual capacity described above, apply for the urgent release of the information requested above in compliance with the subsisting laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We would like to draw His Excellency’s attention to the fact that our request is anchored under the dispensation granted us by the

  • Freedom of Information Act, 2011,
  • Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act 2004,
  • ICPC Act, and
  • OTHER extant Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as
  • Related International treaties and conventions which Nigeria is a signatory.

We thank Your Excellency for your kind cooperation.    

Yours Faithfully,

Anti-corruption: Media urged to embrace credible reporting

Michael Simire
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Anti-corruption: Media urged to embrace credible reporting

The media have been charged to report evidenced-based issues on corruption in order to strengthen the fight against corruption in the Nigeria.

UNODC corruption
Participants at the UNODC forum in Lagos

Making this call in Lagos on Wednesday,  July 5, 2017 in her remarks at the close of a three-day Annual Media Meeting on Anti-Corruption in Nigeria, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Representative, Ms Christina Albertin, described the role of the media as a key prevention tool in the fight against corruption that is reflected in several chapters in the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument with 140 signatories and 181 state parties till date.

According to Ms Albertin, who was represented by UNODC Project Coordinator, Response to Drugs Project, Mr Glen Pritchard, corruption has disastrous impacts on development and that, if left unchecked, it is a serious impediment to sustainable development and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development throughout the world.

“It also breaches the essential trust between citizens and governments, as well as businesses and consumers. Therefore, it is critical that everyone in the community including media officers take up a responsibility to prevent and fight corruption,” she said.

Stressing further, the Country Rep who expressed delight that some follow-up steps from the last annual meeting were discussed, including the call for the media to dedicate more airtime and content on anti-corruption to further raise awareness and enlighten the public on issues of anti-corruption; enthused that she was happy that discussions encouraged Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs) and the media to partner collaboratively and regularly on public enlightenment issues relating to anti-corruption, including the use of different social media platforms.

“It is our hope that ACAs and the media community continue with this collaborative partnership beyond the project so tangible impact through public enlightenment on anti-corruption is achieved across the country,” she added.

Meanwhile, before the wrap-up of the workshop which had 33 participants in attendance, comprising 11 Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs), 22 journalists and four resource persons drew-up a communique, underlining the need to foster institutional mechanism and concerted efforts that would promote the delivery of quality dissemination of information to the public on anti-corruption matters realising the interconnectedness of ACAs and the media.

They, however, observed that while the Nigerian media are getting more involved in the anti-corruption crusade, the campaign is still threatened by sensationalising corruption news, fake news/information being disseminated on the social media and inadequate flow of information from the ACAs to the media, as well as the media not giving adequate attention to anti-corruption.

To this end, the communique, which recommended that media houses should establish Anti-Corruption Desks, called on UNODC and ACAs to encourage the media houses in achieving this objective.

Also, it called on media houses to follow up on anti-corruption stories to their logical conclusions, while exploring the use of infographics in telling corruption stories. It reiterated that journalists should report evidence-based issues on corruption, maintain their integrity and credibility by checking their facts.

Stressing further, the communique outlined the need for journalists to be sensitive when reporting corruption issues in order not to glamourise crime, adding that there is the need to avoid sensationalism in reporting anti-corruption news, while law enforcement agencies are also urged to avoid media trials of suspects.

The participants, who commended UNODC and the European Union (EU) for their support to Nigeria in the fight against corruption, called on the media and ACAs to see themselves as advocates and partners in the fight against corruption.

By Damian Daga, Lagos

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