On Saturday, March 11 2017, the year’s edition of the NNPC/SNEPCo Junior Open Tennis Championships held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club.
Images: 2017 NNPC/SNEPCo Junior Tennis Championship
Why Superhighway met stiff opposition, by Bassey
Speaking at the Community Forests Training held at Old Ekuri, Cross River State, on Saturday, March 11 2017, Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), says that the proposed Superhighway project met local, national and international outrage because of the threat it poses to the last tracts of rainforests in Nigeria
Communities are best placed to monitor their forests because they live in the forests, depend on forest resources and readily notice threat and changes that occur in such forests. When the communities, such as yours, are especially dedicated to preserve forests, monitoring becomes a top priority. It is with this understanding that Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) is engaging in the training of forest monitors in your community. This exercise is a follow up to our earlier forest dialogues and training on forest EIA. We believe that you will further train other monitors so that we build a strong network of forest watchers and defenders.
The monitoring training is developed in modules covering aspects including what forests are, the laws and regulations cover our forests, the health impacts of forest degradation, tools and methods for forest monitoring, reporting and ecological defence. In the training process, we will also stress the fact that a plantation is not a forest. This is something you know very well because a plantation is an enclave of monoculture and cannot provide the services that forests provide. Moreover, plantations are often out of bounds to communities except for individuals sometimes employed to provide cheap labour on them. The expansion of oil palm plantations in this part of the country is already impacting on the Cross River National Park (CRNP) and community forests. This monitoring training will equip communities to document changes, unauthorised entries/encroachments and duly bring such to the attention of relevant government authorities.
This effort is being conducted with the support of the Small Grants Project of the Global Environment Facility (SGP/GEF) and is targeted at ensuring that the pristine community forests of Cross River State, Nigeria, as well as the CRNP are not degraded, destroyed or converted through any action or activity inimical to the interests of the people and the planet. The immediate threat to the forests in the Cross River State is the proposed six-lane Superhighway project that is supposed to stretch over a distance of 260 kilometres and connect a proposed sea port to Katsina Ala town in Benue State, Nigeria.
The Superhighway project met local, national and international outrage because of the threat it poses to the last tracts of rainforests in Nigeria and because the government also revoked your occupancy rights and that of individuals and other communities in the area lying within 10 km on either side of the proposed highway. The proclamation that the record-breaking land-grab was for the purpose of creating a development corridor was not bought by you or by other communities and the general public. HOMEF applauds your resilience and defence of your forests and our collective heritage. It is salutary that the government of Cross River State has announced that the revocation order has now been annulled. This is the sort of outcome that we can expect from frontline ecological defenders such as you in the affected communities. We use this opportunity to call on CRSG to issue a gazette affirming the annulment of the revocation order and declaring that the community forests and the CRNP must not be assaulted by any act of land use changes or infrastructure development. This is the way to protect our biodiversity for our good, for future generations and for the overall good of the planet.
We also call on the CRSG to assure the world that their threat to continue with the Superhighway project without an approved EIA was a grave error that would not be carried out. A situation whereby a state government flagrantly breaks the law would spell disaster for resource governance and could lead to a breakdown of law and order as the government itself would not have the standing to demand that project proponents within the state obey any of the state’s environmental regulations. We also note that the EIA in question has been shown to be unacceptable by the Federal Ministry of Environment and noted experts and groups including the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). As the WCS stated in one of their reports, “the listing of the small Indian mongoose and Chinese alligator [in the EIA] is truly shocking and strongly indicates that the consultants may not be competent or qualified to undertake a project of this magnitude and importance.”
We reiterate the call that the Superhighway should be realigned away from forests or, better still, the government should simply repair and expand the existing dilapidated highway. Above all, it is your commitment as forest dependent community people that can decisively stem the forces of forest degradation.
Flagship child advocacy centre opens in Lagos
The Cece Yara foundation, an advocacy organisation, in line with its aim and vision to effectively tackle the menace of child sexual abuse, is set to open the doors of its ultra-modern relief and support centre in Lagos.
In recent times, research has shown that the incidence of child sexual abuse in Nigeria is growing exponentially, as statistics precisely state that one-in-four girls and one-in-10 boys experienced sexual violence before age 18.
As a response to these alarming figures, the establishment of the Cece Yara foundation is said to be a major breakthrough in the fight against child exploitation and sexual abuse. The Cece Yara foundation believes that childhood should be a phase of purity and complete innocence, a period when the character of an individual is formed. The phrase, “Cece Yara”, means “Save the child” in Hausa language.
The founder, Mrs. Bola Tinubu, a lawyer and a staunch advocate for children, believes that the future of every child, regardless of gender, race or social background, should be preserved. According to her, she is ready to take on the fight against sexual abuse amongst children, thus her drive and motivation for establishing and running the NGO.
The Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre, it was gathered, provides a warm, safe and friendly shelter where survivors will be comfortable enough to rise above whatever experience they have been through. Having taken into cognisance the major problems which could arise from child sexual abuse, the centre is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities tailored to assist the psychological and physical healing process of the survivor with a fully operational 24 hour hotline ready to cater to those in distress.
The foundation strives to put in place programmes and campaigns aimed at preventing child sexual abuse, raising awareness on the issue and also giving the children a voice and a support system. One of the foundation’s recent accomplishments was getting justice for a six-year-old girl who was sexually violated by an adult male. The accused was reportedly detained and charged to court in October 2016. On the 16th of February 2017, the Cece Yara foundation was said to have claimed justice for the victim and the accused was sentenced to seven years imprisonment without the option of fine.
“The Cece Yara foundation played a pivotal role in bringing the sex offender to book while providing legal support and psychological healing to the ‘survivor’ and her parents, through its Victim Advocacy Program. The victory serves as a deterrent to perpetuators of child sexual abuse in the country and a source of succour to survivors and their families,” said Mrs Tinubu.
The centre will be opened officially to the public on the 19th of March, 2017.
ICPC arraigns ex-banker over N78.5m fraud
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has charged a former staff of Skye Bank, Mr. Yemi-Aris Olaniran, to court for allegedly defrauding the Federal Government of N78.52 million.
The Commission, in a 24 count-charge preferred against the ex-banker before Justice Babatunde Quadri of the Federal High Court 10, Maitama, Abuja, accused him of allegedly transferring N78, 521, 431.61 from the Federal Government Pension funds into private accounts held by non-pensioners in contravention of Section 15 (2) (b) of the Money Laundering Act 2011. The alleged offence is punishable under Section 15 (3) of the same Act.
Counsel to ICPC, Mr. Adesina Raheem, told the court that Mr. Olaniyan, while working as a staff of Skye Bank, Gwagwalada-Abuja, between October 2011 and March 2013, surreptitiously opened 50 bank accounts into which he made several transfers of funds. The alleged funds ranged from N1 million to N11. 2 million.
The Commission had earlier arraigned Mr. Olaniyan before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court 7, Maitama-Abuja, but had to seek for the transfer of the case to another trial judge due to the criminal charges preferred against Ademola by the Federal Government.
Mr. Raheem held that the ex-banker, in one instance opened an account in the name of Ibrahim Nurudeen, and transferred the sum of N11, 248, 439.52.
He was also alleged to have in another illegal transaction, wired N9.58 million from the Federal Government pension account into a Skye bank account in the name of Umar Abdullahi who was not a registered pensioner.
The charge sheet reads in part, “That you Yemi-Aris Olaniran, between October 2011 and March 2013 at Gwagwalada Abuja whilst being a staff of Skye Bank Plc directly transferred the sum of N11, 248, 439.52 belonging to the Federal Government of Nigeria to an account opened in the name of one Ibrahim Nurudeen when you reasonably ought to have known that such funds were the proceeds of an unlawful act and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15 (2) (b) and punishable under Section 15 (3) of the Money Laundering Act 2011 as amended.”
Mr. Olaniran pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to him as his counsel, Mr. Ojo Olugbemiga, urged the court to allow his earlier bail to remain.
The trial judge, in his ruling, ordered that his bail should continue and adjourned the matter to 11th April, 2017 for hearing.
Fuel-flexible plant to power Ghana
Digital industrial company, GE, on Monday, March 13 2017 announced the order of a 200MW combined-cycle power plant to be operated by Amandi Energy Ltd in Aboadze, Ghana. The organisation says the plant will help to add reliable and efficient capacity to the grid to tackle Ghana’s increasing demand for power. The plant’s construction will be overseen by Metka, a leading international engineering contractor.
The turnkey plant will be powered by GE’s 9E.04 gas turbine with tri-fuel capabilities. Initially fueled by light crude oil, the switch will be made to indigenous gas from Ghana’s offshore Sankofa natural gas field once available.
“GE’s fuel capabilities are unmatched. Having a turbine that is able to switch between fuels can provide increased plant operability allowing for power generation months before the indigenous gas supply would otherwise be available,” said Boaz Lavi, GM for Amandi Energy Ltd, Ghana. “This is crucial in helping Ghana meet its growing power needs.”
GE will also provide the steam turbine, heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), associated balance of plant, and seven-year CSA. Once operational, the 200 MW plant will be one of the most efficient power plants in the country and will generate the equivalent power needed to supply more than one million Ghanaian homes.
“Our customers have complex fuel needs, and this project illustrates the breadth of solutions we are able to deliver to meet their expectations,” said Leslie Nelson, GM Gas Power Systems at GE Power in Sub-Saharan Africa, “We are pleased that our strong regional presence allows us to get power to our customers, like Amandi Energy, quickly and efficiently.”
The rugged 9E can burn more than 50 types of fuels and can switch between natural gas, distillate and heavy fuel oil while operating under full load. GE’s 9E.04 has multiple features that help reduce fuel costs and increase revenue, such as a 145 MW output and 37 percent efficiency in simple-cycle. GE has more than 3,000 E-class turbines installed throughout the world with 143 million combined operating hours.
GE works with the government, corporate customers and other stakeholders in Ghana to support economic growth through infrastructure development in the power, healthcare and transport sectors. In 2014, GE opened a 200-capacity permanent office in Accra, and now has over 80 employees – 95% of which are Ghanaians.
Zamalek vs Rangers: Don’t celebrate yet, Helmy warns players
Zamalek coach, Mohammed Helmy, has warned his players not to jubilate yet, as they still have the second leg CAF Champions League against Enugu Rangers of Nigeria at the Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium.
The Egyptian giants on Sunday, March 12 2017 fought their way to an epic 4-1 win over Enugu Rangers at the Cairo International Stadium.
Despite the comfortable lead, Coach Helmy urged his side to maintain concentration ahead of the second leg so that they can be sure of their place in the group phase.
“The second leg requires more concentration to guarantee the qualification to the next round, as we have not qualified yet,” he said.
He, however, thanked the players for showing great quality and massive responsibility against Rangers.
Bobby Clement’s strike proved a mere consolation as goals from Stanley Ohawuchi, Ayman Hefny, Hossam Paulo and Mostafa Fathi tamed the Flying Antelopes at the Cairo Stadium.
Rangers Coach, Imama Amapakabo, needs his players to score three unreplied goals to reach the next round.
By Felix Simire
I count on youth to be change agents, torchbearers – Amina Mohammed
Deputy United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, has called on the youth to be the world’s change agent and torchbearer.
She made the request in a presentation at the weekend during the Youth Forum at the 61st Session on Commission on Status of Women (CSW61) holding in New York, USA. The CSW61 holds from Monday, March 13 to Friday, March 24 2017.
“Fine words do not produce food,” she says, adding: “I am counting on youth to be the change agents and torchbearers our world so desperately needs.”
While demanding an all-encompassing participation in development affairs, she submits: “We will never achieve 100% of our goals if we exclude 50% of our population.”
“Everyone has a journey, every step matters. All experiences strengthen you and others,” she charges the youths, adding: “My job description is simple: to build a world where every girl and boy has the tools and support to make their dreams a reality.”
The Youth Forum at the CSW61 is seen as a critical opportunity for young people and adolescents in all their diversities to convene in advance of the official opening of CSW to amplify their common concerns and advocacy efforts.
According to the UN, “the Youth Forum is a safe space for young people, particularly young women and girls, to openly, and strategically discuss the challenges and opportunities in their local, national, regional and global contexts in accelerating progress to achieve gender equality and sustainable development.”
Organised by the UN Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development’s Working Group on Youth and Gender Equality, the Youth Forum of the CSW61 held between Saturday, March 11 and Sunday, March 12 2017.
New nights-only solar station to power Hawaii
Renewable energy supplies are great because they produce power without filling the air with pollution. Yet, once the sun goes down solar panels become pretty useless. But Tesla and Hawaii have a solution that’ll use the sun’s rays both day and night using Powerpacks built at the Gigafactory.
The Kapaia project is a combination 13MW SolarCity solar farm and 53MWh Tesla Powerpack station on the island of Kauai. In partnership with the KIUC (Kauai Island Utility Cooperative) the project will store the sun’s energy during the day and release it at night. The station (along with Kauai’s other renewable resource solutions including wind and biomass) won’t completely keep the island from using fossil fuels but it will temper the need.
In addition to using Tesla’s station to battle the island’s incredibly high electric bills, it’s also part of a long-term Hawaii-state plan to be completely powered by renewable energy sources by 2045. Kauai has its own goal of using 70 percent renewable energy by 2030. With this project the island is getting closer to that goal and can now produce 100 percent of the energy it needs during high usage mid days and low loads via renewables during a brief period of time.
“This is the first time that solar energy can be delivered very reliably into the night. That’s the key to scaling renewable energies up,” said Tesla CTO, JB Straubel.
The island state doesn’t have the benefit of a massive grid like the mainland to pull electricity from sources hundreds of miles away. Instead each island has to take care of its own energy solutions.
According to Tesla and the KIUC, the 45 acre Kapaia project will reduce the use of fossil fuels by 1.6 million gallons a year.
This is the first big project from Tesla and SolarCity since the acquisition. Both companies believe this station is the biggest combination solar panel and storage facility in the world. With approximately 55,000 solar cells spread over about 45 acres, it’ll be tough to find anything larger.
By Roberto Baldwin, Engadget
Afghanistan launches pilot ‘Clean and Green Cities’ scheme in Kabul
Mayor of Kabul, Abdullah Habibzai, has launched the ground activities for citywide cleaning, greening and beautification services in Nahias 1 and 2. These activities are part of the Clean and Green Cities Programme which will implement area-based upgrading and citywide services in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The programme is a labour intensive services delivery aimed at stimulating and creating jobs in the market. The event was organised at the Kabul Municipality.
The Clean and Green Cities Programme (CGC) will implement city cleaning, greening and beautification activities in 10 cities in Afghanistan. In Kabul, five types of activities have been identified in consultation with the community and Kabul Municipality.
These are: (i) Solid waste collection from households to collection points located in the Nahia, (ii) Tree Planting, (iii) Street sweeping, (iv) Curbs painting, and (v) Cleaning roadside ditches.
The CGC Programme will cover a total of 15 Nahias, including Nahia 1 to 17, with the exception of Nahias 11 and 15, over a 12-month duration. These municipal services will be delivered regularly based on a minimum performance standard, as agreed by the Kabul Municipality and Nahia members. These activities will be delivered by empowering the local communities in planning and service delivery in coordination with the Municipality. To this end, Nahia Development Committees have been established to deliver the activities within their respective geographical boundaries.
Speaking at the function, the mayor said, “The strategic priority of Municipality is to keep the city clean and green, Clean and Green cities (CGC) programme by assistance of USAID, EU and UN-Habitat starts its activities on ground. CGC will focus on sweeping streets, cleaning canals, greening and beautification of cities.”
The pilot programme in Nahias 1 and 2 will generate over 200 full-time unskilled jobs or 50,000 job days, for the target beneficiaries consisting of unemployed urban poor, IDPs and returnees, women, among others from the local community. In addition to the ground activities, a communications campaign will be prepared and launched to build community awareness towards Clean and Green Cities.
A female worker in the city, Fahia, captured the frustration of those working towards a cleaner Kabul when she said, “One of our major problem is hugeness of solid waste in city. For prevention of diseases, these solid wastes should move from the city.”
AfDB’s ADEA Triennale 2017 to feature Nigerian, Idowu
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has picked Nigeria youth campaigner and digital media expert, Olumide Idowu, to Manage Social Media and Communications during the upcoming ADEA Triennale 2017 in Senegal later this month. He will support the Social Media and Communications team of Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) in Senegal.
The ADEA Triennale (formerly Biennale) is said to be one of the most important global events on education and training in Africa, not only for the content of the discussions but also for the quality of the analytical work and high level participants invited. It brings together heads of state, a significant number of African government ministers of education and training (and ministers in charge of other sectors like youth, labour and SMEs), representatives of development cooperation agencies supporting education in Africa and practitioners and researchers. Representatives of civil society, youth, private sector and other stakeholders such as diaspora are also invited.
The theme of the 2017 Triennale is: “Revitalising education towards the 2030 Global Agenda and Africa’s Agenda 2063.”
Its general objective is to provide the opportunity for the various stakeholders to share experiences and to collectively design strategies, modalities, conditions and factors for the operationalisation and implementation of the Education Framework for Action under the global and continental frameworks.
The sub-themes are: Implementing Education and Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development; Promoting Science, Mathematics and ICT; Implementing Education for African Cultural Renaissance and Pan-African Ideals; and, Building Peace and Global Citizenship through Education.
In preparing for the Triennale, ADEA seeks to ensure the ownership of the process by African countries and education stakeholders through active involvement in the diagnosis, design, implementation, evaluation and review phases.
Idowu has over 10 years of experience working on Social Media, Environment, Climate Change, Monitoring & Evaluation and Sustainable Development issues. He is a climate change policy expert and trainer with extensive experience in creating, facilitating and managing youth-led projects. He has represented Nigeria and Africa at over 10 high-level global governance meetings on sustainable development.
He is the co-founder of Climate Wednesday, a non-for-profit outfit which seeks to identify key climate-based issues affecting developments especially in Nigeria and Africa in general. He is currently leading the Youth Advocacy efforts on Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Africa. He presently serves as the Senior Communication Officer for African Youth Initiative on Climate Change and a volunteer to Save the Children Nigeria on Advocacy and Campaign.