The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy weather conditions over the central states of the country on Wednesday, May 2, 2018 with chances of localised thunderstorms over Abuja, Ilorin, and Bida and Minna axis.
cloudy weather
NiMet’s Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Tuesday also predicted day and night temperatures in the range of 28 to 39 and 18 to 28 degrees Celsius respectively.
It added that Kaduna, Jos, Mambilla Plateau, Yola, Bauchi and Gombe were expected to be under the influence of localised thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening hours.
The agency predicted that the southern states would experience cloudy morning with day and night temperatures in the range of 31 to 35 and 22 to 25 degrees Celsius respectively.
It also predicted chances of localised thunderstorms over Owerri, Umuahia, Lagos, Ijebu-ode, Uyo, Calabar, Port-Harcourt and Eket in the afternoon and evening hour.
According to NiMet, northern states will experience partly cloudy to cloudy conditions during the forecast period with day and night temperatures in the ranges of 33 to 42 and 23 to 28 degrees Celsius respectively.
“Partly cloudy to cloudy conditions are expected over the northern cities with prospect of localised thunderstorms over few places in the central down to the southern cities in the next 24 hours,” NiMet predicted.
Cross River State, home to the largest remaining rainforests of Nigeria, is fast losing its prized asset.
Deforestation: Bulldozers at work clearing the Superhighway’s route passing through parts of Boki in Cross River State
Over a million hectares of pristine forest that had largely remained unexploited is now under considerable threat, if recent submissions are anything to go by.
Nigeria REDD+ Stakeholder Engagement Specialist, Tony Atah, disclosed that the hitherto jealously guarded vast forest land is fast disappearing.
REDD+ stands for countries’ efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and foster conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.
Attah disclosed in a presentation on Thursday, April 26, 2018 in Lafia, Nasarawa State, during the High Level Stakeholders Sensitisation Workshop on National Forest Inventory that, between 2007 and 2014, the annual rate of deforestation in Cross River State stood at 23,911 hectares (ha) (2.95%), while the net forest loss was 39,907 ha.
Previously between 2000 and 2007, the annual rate of deforestation seemed much lower at 5,701 ha, even as the net forest loss was 39,907 ha.
“Over the two periods (2000-2007 and 2007-2014) annual rate of deforestation had risen from an average of 5,701 hectares (0.67%) to 23,911 hectares (2.95%),” observed Attah in his paper titled: “Drivers of Deforestation and Forest Degradation: Cross River State in perspective”.
According to Attah, forest loss to agriculture from 2000 to 2007 was some 77,148 hectares of forestland while between 2007 and 2014 125,355 hectares of forestland was lost to cropland.
“These figures are a compound aggregate for both subsistence and commercial agricultural activities,” he explained, even as he listed the drivers of deforestation to include: economic causes, technological causes, policy & institutional causes, cultural causes, demographic causes, energy, mining/quarrying, infrastructure development and agricultural expansion.
He suggested ways to respond to the drivers of deforestation, saying that, for instance, the state’s 30-year growth and development plan targets green investments across all sectors presents a much-needed succour.
He added that management plan developed to strengthen institutional arrangement for sustainable land and forest governance would go a long way in curbing deforestation, as well civil society supporting community-based actions to strengthen institutions, build livelihoods and elaborate land and forest management plans.
Most of all, he continued, REDD+ strategies, such as forest conservation and sustainable management of forests, can likewise address drivers of deforestation.
Speaking at this year’s Forum on Urban Resilience and Adaptation in Bonn, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, warned that the impacts of climate change are “an incredible risk” to many cities throughout the world.” The UN’s top climate change official also said that the bulk of action to cut greenhouse gas emissions must happen in the world’s cities
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) welcomes ratifications by Ukraine and Micronesia
2017 made this clear – t was nothing less than a climate disaster for many people throughout the world.
Whether it was flooding, fire, droughts or the devastation of entire island states such as Barbuda, we saw millions of people who lost homes, livelihoods or lives because of extreme weather.
We saw this in both developed and developing states alike.
Every credible scientific source at our disposal tells us one thing: the impacts of climate change aren’t going to get better, they’re going to get worse.
And these impacts are an incredible risk to many cities throughout the world. They will affect their infrastructure, their economies, and the lives of people living there.
Cities such as Osaka, with 5.2 million people at risk.
Cities such as Alexandria, with 3 million people at risk.
Cities such as Rio de Janeiro, with 1.8 million people at risk.
But we can avoid the worst of these impacts if we act now to increase our action and investment towards climate change.
And that action must happen in our cities.
As I mentioned at COP23, cities are where the climate battle will be won or lost.
That makes your work at this congress very important. And we are pleased it takes place through the Talanoa Dialogue.
For those who are unfamiliar with it, the Dialogue – an initiative on behalf of the Government of Fiji – is an international conversation, held in a spirit of openness, to determine if we’re meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement, and to increase global ambition towards them.
While it is not a top-down exercise, we are looking for answers to both general and specific questions.
First, are we achieving our climate goals? Why or why not? What will get us there? What will get us there faster? What do you want the world to look like in 20 or 30 years?
More specifically, you are here to exchange knowledge that will help build a sustainable and resilient urban future.
That means developing the strategic partnerships you need.
It also means untangling the many challenges that will stand in the way of truly integrated and inclusive action.
It’s not an easy task, but it’s absolutely necessary.
Building stronger, more resilient cities is about more than protecting financial assets—although those are very important.
And it’s about more than protecting our rivers, our coastlines and our cities—although those are also very important.
It’s about seizing the opportunity to craft a better future—one built on a clean, green and sustainable foundation.
A future where we move away from fossil fuels and embrace renewable sources of energy.
A future where we are better prepared to respond to risk, better prepared to deal with climate emergencies…
…and by linking our climate goals to our overall sustainable development goals, a future where we are better prepared to address some of the biggest challenges humanity faces.
Because climate change is intricately linked to issues such as poverty, security, migration, gender representation and many more.
We are seeing an incredible momentum for action in cities and regions throughout the world.
We’re seeing it in the United States where the State of California strengthened its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions – they’re targeting 100% renewable energy by 2045.
We’re seeing it in the City of Los Angeles, which aims to significantly reduce its urban heat totals over 20 years by establishing strong cool roofing requirements.
We’re seeing it in cities throughout China which are embracing the Low Carbon City Initiative, which aims to improve energy efficiency in their industry, construction and transportation sectors.
And we’re seeing it in cities such as Athens, Barcelona, and Paris, which have not only mapped their urban heat, but also their vulnerable populations. Together, they’re working to ensure their citizens have access to cool places on hot days.
These are only a few examples of cities taking action. But we need more action and we need it duplicated throughout the world on a massive scale.
You can help make this possible.
I know it’s easier said than done. I understand jurisdictional complexity—I’m from one of the biggest cities in the world.
But I also understand that cities are where citizens are most directly connected to their governments.
It’s where people have the most influence and where we can communicate most effectively.
Let me now turn to three ways that I feel cities can do even more to contribute to our global climate goals, their country’s climate action plan, and improve their resiliency.
The first thing cities can do is incorporate climate change into what they’re doing right now. From infrastructure to finance to procurement, the opportunities are endless.
This includes expanding transit to include electric busses, as we’ve seen here in Bonn.
Or making buildings more efficient by using sustainable material, just as we’re seeing in many cities in India.
On the finance front, making resilient infrastructure investments, growing green bond options, and helping to establish stable, clean energy markets are also important ways cities can contribute.
Second, cities must incorporate climate change and sustainability into their future planning.
If cities can assess the impacts of climate change and sustainability and then incorporate these threats into planning, growth is going to become smarter and more sustainable.
This just makes sense. It’s proactive instead of reactive. And it’s going to drive both innovation and a dynamic economy.
Third, cities must communicate with citizens about climate change in ways that matter to them.
Lack of knowledge and the assumption that it’s very difficult to contribute are perhaps the greatest roadblocks we face when it comes to tackling climate change. Let’s then open a dialogue with people about what matters to them.
They need to hear and read more stories about how resilient and better-prepared cities are going to be not only safer, cleaner and healthier for themselves and their families, but how these cities are where 21st century businesses will want to be.
In fact, we encourage you to use the idea of the Talanoa Dialogue as a model for of communicating with private citizens in your cities. The idea of sharing information in an inclusive, bottom-up manner is an excellent example to use.
Ladies and gentlemen, rather than standing at a crossroads, we stand at the edge of opportunity.
Yes, an opportunity to build a future that is safer, cleaner, greener and more resilient, but also a future that is more prosperous.
But that work begins here by building the necessary partnerships and sharing the needed information. Break down the barriers that stand in your way and work together to reduce jurisdictional hurdles.
In the end, building more resilient cities means nothing less than investing in our own futures.
And this has the benefit of helping the world achieve its global climate goals and the closely-linked sustainable development goals that will benefit all of humanity.
Building resilience. A safer, cleaner and healthier future. Ongoing prosperity—it’s one and the same.
All of this is necessary. All of this is possible. All of it is achievable if we work together at all levels.
The Federal Government has banned the production and importation of codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough syrup in an apparent move to check the substance abuse among Nigerians.
A cough syrup containing codeine
Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, made the decision known in a statement issued by Mr Olajide Oshundun, Assistant Director of Information in the ministry, in Abuja on Tuesday, May 1, 2018.
The minister directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ban the issuance of permits for the importation of codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations.
He also directed the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) and NAFDAC to supervise the recall for labelling and audit trailing of all codeine containing cough syrups nationwide.
Adewole said government had also banned the sale of codeine containing cough syrup without prescription.
He said the directive became necessary due to the gross abuse of codeine in the country.
In this regard, the minister said PCN had been directed to continue enforcement activities on pharmacies, patent and proprietary medicine vendors’ shops and outlets throughout the country.
He also directed NAFDAC to carry out its functions in compliance with the new directives.
The minister said cough syrups containing codeine should be replaced with dextromethorphan which is less addictive.
Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant used to treat coughing; it is also a drug of the morphinan class with sedative, dissociative, and stimulant properties.
Adewole said the ministry would ensure collaboration among regulatory agencies for effective implementation of extant laws, regulations, policies and guidelines on codeine control and usage.
He said the regulatory agencies included NAFDAC, PCN, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).
“These agencies shall work together to increase pharmacovigilance around codeine, tramadol and other related substances of abuse,’’ Adewole said.
Adewole said the ministry would partner National Orientation Agency (NOA), Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), football celebrities and other celebrities to drive the national campaign against drug abuse.
“The ministry shall ensure that drug treatment intervention for victims of substances abuse shall be undertaken across the spectrum of health care delivery system in the country,’’ he said.
The minister said civil society organisations (CSOs) would be strengthened to deliver effective sensitisation, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services.
He renewed the commitment of government to ensure the full implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guideline (NDDG) by Jan. 1, 2019.
He added that the NDDG would also ensure the closure of all open drug markets penultimate the implementation date of the NDDG that is, Dec. 31, 2018.
Rehema Tukai grew up in Kondoa and works in Dodoma, Tanzania’s capital city. Until now, visiting her family in Kondoa involved a five-hour journey along a bumpy and dusty road. Thanks to a new road co-funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), it takes her a little over one hour to travel the same distance.
Official opening of the Dodoma-Babati Road in Tanzania
Tukai was one of several locals to celebrate when the President of Tanzania, John Pombe Magufuli, and the President of the AfDB, Akinwumi Adesina, commissioned the Dodoma-Babati Road project on Friday, April 27, 2018.
With the completion of the road, traders and travellers now conduct immigration procedures on only one side of the border, reducing time and costs. Thanks to these efforts, the volume of trade between Tanzania and the rest of Eastern and Southern Africa has risen to $1.1 billion in 2016, a level both Adesina and Magufuli described as historic.
Magufuli said the Dodoma-Babati Road would improve the lives of people living in Tanzania and neighbouring countries. “Projects financed by the African Development Bank have a real impact on people,” Magufuli said, thanking the bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for their strategic partnership in co-financing the project.
“Roads change everything. They bring hope alive. Such is the case of this road. While economic activity expands, so will family connections. It has brought much joy to families,” said Adesina, referring to beneficiaries such as Tukai.
The 251-kilometre road is expected to provide rural communities with renewed hope, through expanded economic activities, improved access and better prices for farmers, and to transform several communities.
Adesina congratulated Tanzania on the 54th anniversary of the union of the Republic of Tanganyika and the People’s Republic of Zanzibar and described the country’s unity as its strength and an example for the rest of Africa.
“Tanzania is headed in the right direction. With 7% economic growth this year, it has posted one of the highest growth rates in the world. That shows me the future of the Republic is very bright indeed! There will be need for massive physical and social infrastructure. There will be need for a Dodoma Airport. There will be need for a new road network to support increased transport, especially the Dodoma Ring Road. I wish to assure you that the African Development Bank will strongly support you on critical infrastructure for the new City of Dodoma,” Adesina said.
The AfDB says it has invested $3.6 billion in Tanzania, with an active portfolio of $2 billion, 53% of which is in road projects. The institution has reportedly invested more than $1.1 billion in five road projects in Tanzania, covering close to 1,400 kilometres.
At the commissioning ceremony, the Japanese Ambassador to Tanzania, Masaharu Yoshida, commended the African Development Bank for its contribution toward the completion of the project.
“Our cooperation with the Bank on this project will further strengthen the relationship between Japan and Tanzania and with Africa as a whole,” said Yoshida. “This road will contribute to the economic growth of Tanzania and all of Africa because it is, in fact, part of the ‘Trans-African Highway No. 4’ that connects Cape Town-Lusaka-Dodoma-Arusha-Nairobi up to Cairo.”
In an effort to step up immediate climate action, experts from around the world are meeting on May 1 and 2, 2018 in Bonn, Germany to discuss the policy options, technological innovations, and best practices on circular economies to achieve emission reductions and generate sustainable development benefits.
The dialogue will check progress, reaffirm the goals of the Paris Agreement and aim to find solutions
The gathering is taking place as part of the so-called Technical Expert Meetings on Mitigation during the 2018 UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, which aims to identify activities that have a high potential for emission reductions in order to boost climate action before 2020.
Importantly, the expert meeting is aligning its discussion with the format of the year-long Talanoa Dialogue, an important international conversation around ambition now and in the future.
Specifically, the dialogue will check progress, reaffirm the goals of the Paris Agreement and aim to find solutions as per how countries can increase their ambition now and in the next round of their national climate action plans, officially termed “Nationally Determined Contributions”.
As per tradition in the Pacific region, a “talanoa” invites participants to find solutions for the common good through story-telling. The Talanoa Dialogue will invite participants to share climate ambition-related stories around three questions:
Where are we?
Where do we want to go?
How do we get there?
The Technical Expert Meeting will also structure its discussions around these questions to ensure that expert voices can easily be fed into the Talanoa Dialogue. This will be important for the dialogue’s political phase at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) at the end of the year in Poland, where high-level officials from around the world will take forward all input received during the year.
Led and organised by the UNFCCC secretariat, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, participants will discuss currently available policies and technological solutions as well as innovative approaches on waste-to-energy and supply chain re-design solutions. These are regarded as integral elements to achieving a circular economy with key economic, environmental and employment benefits.
The circular economy is becoming an established way of creating value, and ultimately prosperity. It works by extending a product’s lifespan through improved design and servicing, and relocating waste from the end of the supply chain to the beginning – in effect, using resources more efficiently by using them over and over, not only once.
A number of experts representing the public and private sectors as well as the civil society from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Pacific, will share their hands-on experiences. Their experiences will help to identify ways forward, as well as necessary actions to be taken by Parties, non-Party stakeholders such as cities or businesses and organizations to replicate and upscale innovative approaches. These discussions will also help identify best practices on waste to energy and supply chain re-design.
The expert meeting is part of the technical examination processon mitigation (TEP-M), which was initiated in 2014 with the aim of exploring high-potential mitigation policies, practices and technologies with significant sustainable development co-benefits that could increase the mitigation ambition of pre-2020 climate action.
Inadequate use of medications, inhalers and taking overdose of drugs, are major challenges facing the management of asthma in Nigeria, according to a consultant family physician, Dr Oluwajimi Shodipo.
Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole
Shodipo, who works at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, made the disclosure while speaking on the 2018 World Asthma Day with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 in Lagos.
The World Asthma Day (WAD) is marked annually on the first Tuesday of the month of May. The 2018 WAD theme is: “Never Too Early, Never too Late. It’s Always the Right Time to Address Airways Disease’’.
Shodipo said: “Asthma is a chronic condition that is managed both by the use of medications and also some lifestyle modifications.
“However, the policy now is to discourage patients from using tablets and oral medications frequently because of the side effects that can occur from the systemic use of tablets.
“Some of the side effects that we see, especially in those who use steroids for long periods of time, include thinning of the hair and cataracts; some people become obese.
“Some, due to becoming obese, develop diabetes mellitus, hypertension, bleeding disorders; all these occur from the use of steroids.
“Unfortunately, what happens a lot of times is that people take an overdose of these medications, which is a major challenge in managing asthma in our environment,’’ he said.
The consultant told NAN that the general advocacy now was for people to move away from using oral drugs and start using devices such as the inhaler.
According to him, the advantage of those devices is to ensure that the medication is delivered at the exact point where it is needed, which are the lungs.
“It also ensures that the medications do not get absorbed systemically into other parts of the body and thereby reduce the side effects.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people are using the devices and complaining that they are not functioning; they say anytime they take the tablets, they feel better.
“What we have discovered is that the reason this is occurring is because a lot of people are not using the devices very well.
“So, there is a general push that doctors, when they are prescribing the devices, ensure that when the patients buy them they are actually taught how to use it and also be demonstrated.
“It should be emphasised at every clinic,” he said.
Shodipo also urged government at all levels to play their roles by ensuring that the devices became cheaper so that more people could use them.
According to Shodipo, it will also help to ensure that people have their asthma properly treated, without causing side effects that could occur from taking tablets.
Also, Dr Olufunke Adeyeye, a Consultant Respiratory Physician, at LASUTH, told NAN that managing asthma would also require support from schools, families and the community.
According to Adeyeye, there is need to train more doctors to manage asthma in the country.
“People should work together to support and help those suffering from the condition to manage their conditions.
“Teachers, parents, brothers, sisters and the community should be taught the risk factors so that they can help those with the condition.
“The treatment of asthma has changed over the years; doctors in Lagos State are being trained, but there is need to train more doctors across the country.
“Many doctors need to change in their pattern of managing asthma,” Adeyeye said.
A newly-released UN report has detailed practical ways of adapting to climate change impacts such as increased flooding or intensifying storms in human settlements, from mega cities to villages.
A street overrun by flood on Victoria Island, Lagos
Importantly, the report provides hands-on tools that national and subnational governments can use to build climate resilience in collaboration with communities, civil society organisations, research centres and the private sector.
The report is said to be timely as both the contribution to climate action by cities as well as urbanisation are increasing world-wide. Already, more than 50% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a number which is expected to near 70% by 2050.
Climate change is reportedly exacerbating the vulnerability of human settlements to natural and human-made hazards globally to a disproportionate degree, especially in developing countries, coastal and delta regions and Small Island developing States (SIDS).
Increasing the climate resilience of human settlements is thus an important measure to protect lives and livelihoods, preserve development gains, and promote sustainable development, according to experts.
Cities around the world have begun realising this and more and more are taking action to increase resilience. Yet given the rate of urbanisation around the globe, more is needed to protect people and infrastructure going forward, says the UNFCCC.
This often includes the need to close knowledge gaps around the issue for decision-makers and planners at the national and local levels.
The report – available in all six UN languages – synthesises the latest experiences of resilience-building in human settlements by governments and organisations, as well as the latest research in this area.
Its key findings concentrate on the following areas:
Assessing vulnerability and integrating short and long-term climate considerations into adaptation planning;
The role of national governments in supporting local adaptation, including through national adaptation plans;
City to-city partnerships on adaptation to climate change;
A key event to build on the report as a launch-pad for boosting resilience in cities, towns and villages
During the May Climate Change Conference that commenced on Monday, April 30, 2018, a side event will take place to build on the report and its findings and to take it forward in concrete terms.
The aim of the event, it was gathered, is to identify concrete proposals with partners to address knowledge needs in the short and medium term.
The report and the side event are the result of a seven-step approach that aims at advancing resilience in cities, towns and villages through knowledge.
Three-quarters of animals and plants, living in Lake Victoria in East Africa, are threatened with extinction, according to a study published on Monday, April 30, 2018.
Some 40 million people in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania depend directly or indirectly on the Lake Victoria
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said about 76 per cent of living organisms, including fish, crabs, dragonflies and aquatic plants, found in Lake Victoria and the surrounding area, are at risk.
Industries and agriculture have polluted the lake while overfishing and invasive species are also to blame, the study said.
The developments could be “disastrous” for people, who rely on the lake for food and income, said the IUCN’s Will Darwall, co-author of the study.
According to the World Bank, some 40 million people in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania depend directly or indirectly on the lake.
The IUCN said it had investigated the risk of extinction of 651 freshwater species.
The study showed 204 of them could be found in the Lake Victoria Basin.
Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world in terms of area.
The Nigeria Communication Satellite Limited on Monday, April 30, 2018 said that it was collaborating with China Great Wall Industry Cooperation (CGWIC) to launch two additional satellites.
The NigcomSat-1R
Mr Samson Osagie, the Executive Director, Marketing and Business Development of the organisation said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday that the satellites would be deployed in the next 36 months.
Osagie explained that the durability of a satellite was 15 years, and that the Nigeria’s current satellite was seven years old.
“NIGCOMSAT is collaborating with China Great Wall Industry Cooperation and we are negotiating to launch additional two satellites in 36 months.
“Presently Nigeria does not have the capital to build and finance its own satellite which is why the collaboration is needed.
“The first satellite by Nigeria was launched in 2007 but had issues and was de-orbited. It was later re-launched in 2011 which makes it seven years now.
“The life span of a satellite is 15 years, which means that the first one is still functional and it is important to note that negotiations for projects like this take time,” Osagie said.
According to him, the additional satellites will meet the needs of telecommunication, maritime, defence, broadcast media, Africa, parts of Asia and others.
He said that the two satellites would be launched separately, adding that negotiations on their operations were ongoing simultaneously.
NAN reports that NIGCOMSAT-1, the first satellite was originally launched in May 2007, but de-orbited due to malfunctioning of the Solar Array Deployment Assembly.
The satellite was later re-launched in 2011 as NIGCOMSAT-1R and had been in the orbit since then.
