English broadcaster and naturalist, Sir David Attenborough, on Thursday, April 12, 2018 in Cambridge, UK, joins the head of the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Dr Cristiana Paşca Palmer, and a panel from government, business and civil society to discuss how to mobilise global action to tackle what is said to be the greatest threat to humanity: the biodiversity crisis.
Sir David Attenborough
The Public lecture and panel discussion is themed: “Setting a new post-2020 biodiversity agenda – the communications challenge”.
Dr Palmer said: “By 2020, the end of the current UN Decade on Biodiversity, the world’s biodiversity is set to have declined by two-thirds. This unprecedented rate of destruction jeopardises not only the amazing variety of life on Earth, but the prospects for human development and well-being. We need a paradigm shift in the way that humans interact with nature; we need transformative change and a systemic approach to address the root causes of biological destruction.”
In 2020, the world’s governments will meet in Beijing, China, to agree a new framework for global action to tackle the biodiversity crisis over the next decade. It is critical that a strong, evidence-based biodiversity conservation strategy be agreed, linked to the climate and development agendas, and that momentum is built within the public and private sectors to inspire a movement for action and galvanise political urgency to deliver ambitious commitments post-2020.
Millions of viewers around the world watched the BBC’s landmark series Blue Planet II in 2017, which took an unflinching look at the impact of human activity on marine life and saw Sir David delivering a powerful rallying call to do more to protect the environment. “The future of all life now depends on us,” the BBC naturalist said in his closing speech of the final episode.
Sir David will now return to the building that bears his name and which he proudly opened two years ago to address a booked-out audience. Leaning on his nearly 70 years’ experience of communicating the wonder of nature, he and the panel will consider how to galvanise governments, business, media and the general public to transform the complex messages surrounding biodiversity into understandable, effective and inspiring ones.
In view of the discovery of a deep crack in the Rift Valley in Kenya, scientists on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 said it would take millions of years for Africa to divide to two.
Rift Valley, Kenya
The scientists were reacting to reports of a 50-foot deep crack in the earth that began to develop near Nairobi in Kenya on March 18, which they say could be a sign of an impending continental split.
The crack, stretching several kilometres, made a sudden appearance recently in south-western Kenya. The tear, which continues to grow, caused part of the Nairobi-Narok highway to collapse and was accompanied by seismic activity in the area.
However, some scientists think the gully was caused by rains washing away loose soil, nothing more, and suggested fixing the road.
Prof. Mosto Onuoha, the President, Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that it would take at least 50 million years for such separation to take place.
“We will keep noticing the change in a period of about 100 to 200 years’ measurement.
“But this is about 50 million years from now,” he said.
Onuoha said the rift did not start recently but very many years ago, adding that the process had been on and it would continue.
He said the issue in Kenya could be likened to Madagascar that was part of Africa and later was divided by an ocean.
“Like Madagascar, it was joined to Africa around Mozambique, but there is an ocean now between Mozambique and Madagascar,” he said.
Mr Adewale Bakare, the President, Nigeria Community Association Bradford (NCAB), UK, said the African continent ought not to entertain any panic regarding a crack in Kenya.
“That rift will keep on expanding and getting wider. It is going to take so many millions of years for that to happen.
‘’There is nothing to worry about. It is a geological process and natural phenomenon.
“There is a positive aspect to all the troubles they are having in the East African region, which is generation of geothermal energy.
“The geothermal energy is coming up from the breaking or extension of the land,” he said.
Dr Adeneye Talabi, the Director, Technology Acquisition and Adaption Department, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST), urged Africans not to be frighten whether the continent would split in two.
Projection: Africa after the split
According to Talabi, splitting Africa in two via Kenya will not be in this present generation.
He, however, urged the continent to take proactive technology steps to address any incidents that could arise as a result of splitting process.
“Where the crack is now, African countries should be very proactive to apply the appropriate technologies that are already available.
“By installing early warning system devices and equipment that are sensitive enough to detect probable time, location and direction of movement of the crack further from where it is now in Kenya.
“This will allow them to be proactive in determining what to do for any likely occurrence and to reduce to the barest minimum loses that will be incurred,” he said.
The director urged the government to strengthen all parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) to be able to carry out research and development works capable of determining the effect of the crack in Nigeria.
NAN reports that it has been discovered that Israel also sits along the Rift Valley, which some scientists say can be an impending danger in form of a devastating earthquake for the country.
Dr Ron Avni of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev told Haaretz that “indeed the plate tectonics are tearing Africa into two and we don’t need the crack in Kenya to know that.’’
The Kenyan crack definitely is in the Rift Valley, which starts in Mozambique, passes through most eastern Africa all the way to Israel – the Red Sea, Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee all sit on it.
The Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Usman Jibril, will participate at the 10th Africa Carbon Forum, scheduled to hold from Wednesday, April 11 to Friday, April 13, 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Environment Minister of State, Ibrahim Usman Jibril
The Minister, who is attending the forum on the invitation of the World Bank, will participate in a ministerial high-level plenary session as a key speaker. The session, which has “Climate Finance as a catalyst for the promotion of integrated landscape management and rural development” as its theme, will also include ministers from Ethiopia, Mozambique and Namibia.
The Africa Carbon Forum, it was gathered, connects project developers with foreign investors, carbon market representatives and government representatives, while engaging Africa in the global climate finance process.
Observers have tagged the annual forum a “must‐attend” event, pointing out that it is critical for keeping up with the latest on climate finance, carbon markets and mechanisms. It has been described as one of the most important global events on climate financing and carbon markets and mechanisms.
According to the organisers of the event, the Paris Agreement, along with accompanying financial pledges, investor’s guidelines, actions and initiatives announced during COP21, sets out a clear signal and framework for scaled-up climate action, which now needs to be implemented. The present moment, they say, marks the start of a new era for the Nairobi Framework and the Africa region as a whole, one that holds great challenges but also exciting, transformational opportunities driven by ambitious national action and increased international cooperation in the areas of finance, market-driven development approaches, technology transfer and capacity-building.
In December 2017, Nigeria issued its first Sovereign Green Bonds as part of it innovative ways of financing the implementation of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The debut N10.69 billion green bond, described as “pilot sovereign”, is part of a N150 billion green bond programme by the Federal Ministry of Environment. It emerged after an extensive development process involving domestic and international stakeholders, which observers say demonstrates the commitment of the administration of President Mohammadu Buhari to the Climate Action Agenda.
The UN specialised agency on combating hunger on Monday, April 9, 2018 urged African states to embrace traditional crops in order to combat climate change.
René Castro, Assistant-Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Wilson Ronno, Crops Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Kenya, said this when FAO officials made a courtesy call to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation offices in Nairobi.
Ronno said studies had indicated that sub-Sahara Africa would lose a significant portion of its arable land in the coming decades due to climate change.
“Africa should embrace and promote sorghum, millet, cassava and indigenous vegetables because they could help the continent fight climate change as they are drought tolerant crops,” Ronno said.
The FAO officials are currently visiting Kenyan projects that have received financial assistance from the Benefit Sharing Fund which aims to increase the number of nutritious crops that farmers grow.
Ronno said the amount of land suitable for growing one of Africa’s key staple crops, maize will reduce as climate change is now a reality.
“The continent should ensure resilience against climate change by embracing traditional crops that have been neglected,’’ he added.
Ronno observed that millets and sorghum would be the food for the future when temperatures go up and maize can longer perform well.
The crops officer said cultivation and consumption of indigenous crops had been on the decline due to increasing urbanisation and change of lifestyles.
He noted that as Africa economy develops, the urban population have begun to embrace foreign foods and move away from consuming indigenous crops.
“As a result, farmers have lost the incentive to cultivate traditional crops such as sorghum and millet,” he added.
The Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has reiterated Federal Government’s commitment to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2025.
Minister of State for Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire
The minister made this known while briefing newsmen on Monday, April 9, 2018 in Abuja as part of activities to commemorate 2018 World Health Day with the theme “Universal Health Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere.”
He said that the Federal Ministry of Health also has “Health for All” as its slogan.
World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on April 7 under the sponsorship of World Health Organisation (WHO) and other related organisations.
WHO held the first World Health Assembly in 1948 and the Assembly decided to celebrate April 7 of each year as World Health Day with effect from 1950 to draw worldwide attention to major global health issues.
Ehanire said Federal Ministry of Health, through National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), set the mandate to achieve UHC by 2025.
He added that Federal Government recognised the importance of UHC in National Health System as part of social protection architecture aimed at ensuring that Nigerians got quality health service when and where they needed it without suffering financial hardship.
He said: “Government is working to provide physical access to health care with the revitalisation of one functional Primary Health Care Centre in every political ward to serve citizens, even when they do not immediately have money to pay.
“This helps to preserve human capital and contributes to productivity and socioeconomic development, while supporting equity, especially among rural dwellers and the urban poor, leaving no one behind.”
The minister noted that UHC strategy and approach to better healthcare vary from country to country and that Nigeria had studied other countries’ models.
He said the lessons learned toward the goal of UHC for Nigerians yielded the National Health Act (NHAct).
Ehanire added that the National Health Act provided the guidelines for Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) National Health Care Financing Policy and Strategy, Primary Health Care Under One Roof (PHCUOR), among others.
He said the Act, enacted in 2014 to provide framework for regulation, development and management of National Health System.
“Operationalisation of the Act, as step toward UHC, is expected to support physical and financial access to healthcare by aiding and revamping of neighbourhood PHC Centres and solving challenges of human resource for health.”
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has issued a flood warning to communities living close to rivers and low land areas within the South-East
Flooded parts of Suleja. Photo credit: Sahara Reporters
NEMA’s Zonal Co-ordinator, Mr Walson Brandon, issued the warning while briefing journalists in Enugu on Monday, April 10, 2018.
Brandon also advised residents of the zone to immediately contact the agency in case of any flood occurrence.
According to him, top on the flood risk communities and areas in the South-East are within Enugu, Ebonyi and Anamra states.
He said the warning arose from annual flood outlook from the National Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the National Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA).
“From the annual flood outlook, the risk areas in Enugu State are Enugu South, Enugu East and Oji River council areas.
“In Ebonyi, it includes Afikpo North, Ezea South, Ohaukwu and Ebonyi council areas.
“While in Anambra State, includes Orumba North, Orumba South, Anaocha, Oyi, Dunukofia and Njikoka council areas.
“I urge the people in the affected areas not to fall back and wait for government at the state and local levels, they should be on alert and contact appropriate federal agencies in case of any flood incident,’’ he said.
Brandon, who is an Assistant Director in the agency, urged people in the affected areas to immediately contact NEMA through its emergency line 07084561972, if the need arises.
On the issue of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the zone, the co-ordinator said NEMA cannot do it alone.
He noted that the agency was reaching out to the local governments to sensitise them on camp management, particularly how to put together and manage IDPs.
Brandon noted that the mandate of NEMA includes disaster prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
The Executive Director, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund), Dr Abdullahi Baffa, says there is need for continued defence and extension of existing environmental protection provisions by promoting skills, technology, market access and innovation.
University of Lagos, Akoka
Baffa said this at the inauguration of the Centre For Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management (CEBCEM) in the University of Lagos, Akoka on Monday, April 9, 2018.
The inauguration had the theme: “Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Sustainability; Road Maps Towards Economic Empowerment”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CEBCEM is to focus on management of biodiversity, conservation and sustainable ecosystem monitoring through collaborative research.
It will use scientific findings to advance environmental awareness campaigns and inform decision makers.
It will also provide a platform for education and researches of undergraduates and graduate students as well as faculties in the related fields of science, social sciences arts, and science-based education courses.
According to Baffa, who was the keynote speaker at the event, governments also need to continue to champion sustainable farming, livestock and food production through huge investments.
’’In Nigeria and globally, biodiversity is under threat and plants and animals species seem to be more precarious to this threat.
“The action of especially anthropogeny is believed to have some serious negative impacts on biodiversity, leading to genetic erosion and consequent extinction of valuable plants.
“Biodiversity and conservation are important concepts to achieve environmental sustainability.
“While biological diversity includes all living organisms (both individuals and groups) and their relationship with one another, conservation is the protection and/or management of such resources,” he explained.
Baffa added that biodiversity also had to do with the degree of variation of life forms within a given specie, ecosystem or an entire planet.
He said that it was also a measure of the health of ecosystems.
‘’Environmental sustainability is one of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) declared in the year 2000.
‘’Nigeria has taken lots of initiatives to achieve all the eight goals, but for goal number seven (ensuring environmental sustainability), the rate of implementation has been slow, especially with respect to reversing the loss of environmental resources; ensuring sustainable access to safe drinking water for all, and reducing biodiversity loss,’’ he said.
Baffa said that challenges to achieving the goal included population growth, high incidence of poverty and policy inconsistency.
The official said that complementarity should be encouraged for environmental sustainability and economic empowerment.
‘’The establishment of CEBCEM should, therefore, be seen as one major contribution of the University of Lagos toward protecting the planet,’’ he said.
He said that researchers at CEBCEM would have opportunities to make global impacts by proposing local solutions to challenges of biodiversity conservation.
He called for solutions to “wicked water” problems, and urged increase in the resilience of people and ecosystem.
The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, told NAN on the sidelines of the inauguration that the centre was aimed at mitigating critical threats to local, regional and global biological, physical and cultural diversity by advancing scientific research in diverse ecosystem.
Ogundipe said that the centre had the goal of strengthening application of science to conservation practice and public policy formulation, among others.
“Biodiversity is about our life; it is about our environment; it is about us.
“It is about how we can make maximum use of our environment.
“When you talk about environment, you talk about plants and animals and, of course, our usage.
“One of our main goals is achievement of demand-driven research to help our community and nation as a whole on food security as well as lead us to see the potential of our environment,” he said.
Ogundipe said that TETfund had offered the institution research grant on allergy.
According to him, it is no longer new that sometimes people react to certain pollen grains in the atmosphere.
He said that the university had already begun a research on the issue.
In his good will message, the Dean, School of Postgraduate of the university, Prof. Solomon Akingboye, said that the inauguration was a step in the right direction.
Akingboye said that the centre would assist in the production of quality PhD holders and thesis.
He remarked that poverty alleviation was key to environmental sustainability.
Nigeria’s Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Samson Itegboje, has said that the country is making tremendous efforts to eradicate poor sanitation and excessive use of water.
Nigeria’s Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Samson Itegboje
Itegboje made this known at the International Decade for Action tagged: “Water for Sustainable Development 21018-2028” held at the UN Headquarters, New York.
He added that concerted efforts were being made to address water scarcity.
He explained that the role of water in ensuring the country’s sustainable development could not be overemphasised.
Itegboje said: “The present administration has increased momentum for meeting this goal through the inauguration of the Partnership for Extended water.
“The Federal Ministry of Water Resources is working tirelessly to scale up access to water and sanitation by repositioning the relevant department/agencies for efficient service delivery.”
The envoy, however, regretted that, currently, 65 million Nigerians were without clean drinkable water.
He noted that an estimated 100 million Nigerians still lacked basic sanitation facilities and 63 million did not have access to improved source of drinking water.
Open defecation is still practised by about a third of the rural population, while some 12 per cent of the urban population also practices open defecation, he said.
He expressed confidence that the “International Decade for Action: water for sustainable development: 2018-2028″ would provide Nigeria with the opportunity to put its acts together to change the scenario.
“Nigeria follows the national standards and targets as stated in the Water Sector Road Map of 2010, the Vision 20:2030, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Water Vision.
“Nigeria is of the view that water is the driving force of all nature and that it is linked with every aspect of human existence to equip and sustain a people,” he said.
According to him, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources is constructing dams mostly in the northern part of Nigeria where we have desert encroachment as a result of climate change.
“In the spirit of not leaving anyone behind, Nigeria is striving to ensure that these vulnerable Nigerians are catered for while meeting target for the Agenda 2028.
“This is to ensure the availability of clean water to every Nigerian,” he said.
Nigeria reiterated its position to continuously support the implementation of SDG 6 knowing its importance to the development of our people.
A non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Kaduna, the Gusau Institute (GI), has suggested ways to address the lingering herder-farmer conflicts and irregular migration, two major challenges the nation is currently facing.
Herdsmen
The recommendations are products of the first two sessions of the GI Roundtable Series whose reports were made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, April 10, 2018.
The suggestions came amid warning by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogbeh, that the crisis could escalate in 2019 if efforts are not intensified to create cattle ranches or provide better security against rustling.
In a report signed by its Director, Mrs M. Maritz, the think-tank called for a review of Nigeria’s national security policy and strategy to address the pastoralist-farmer conflicts “more directly and comprehensively”.
The group said policy guidelines on grazing activities should be retooled to mitigate the challenges of such conflicts.
Clashes between farmers and herdsmen have claimed hundreds of lives, including women and children, across the country in recent times.
Worst hit is the north central state of Benue where deadly attacks blamed on herders have left over a hundred villagers dead in many communities since the night of Dec. 31.
GI noted that a deep understanding by all role players of all the issues involved is critical to reach an agreement on proper, actionable solutions.
“The Federal Government should co-ordinate with state governments to reduce the risk of violence and to define a clear and coherent political approach to resolving the risks of pastoralist-related conflicts.
“The state governments should work more closely with traditional institutions and leaders in seeking solutions.
“The engagement and input of traditional community leaders as products of their respective people’s consensus, customs and cultures could help mitigate the friction between pastoralist and agrarian communities.
“A comprehensive study of Fulani culture and pastoralism should be commissioned so as to provide much needed insight into the thought processes that will allow for positive dialogue and negotiation,” the institute said, among other recommendations.
NAN reports that GI is the brainchild of Gen. Aliyu Gusau Mohammed (Rtd.), former Nigerian National Security Adviser and former Minister of Defence.
On irregular migration, it said there was need for the root causes of the problem to be clearly defined and tackled.
To this end, it recommended a media campaign to correct the misconception that there are always are more and better opportunities abroad.
“There is a need to emphasise growing opportunities for freedom and wealth for Nigerians, as well as the fact that entrepreneurship and innovation are in many instances worth more than an educational qualification acquired outside Nigeria.
“Still, economic development remains key,” GI said, urging governments at all levels to strengthen good governance practices, which it noted are critical for productivity and poverty alleviation.
The organisation urged the creation of a broad-based synergy among local stakeholders, security agencies, and government establishments charged with curtailing human trafficking and irregular migration.
“In this regard, reliable and actionable intelligence sharing is crucial if the operations of criminal kingpins and human traffickers are to be disrupted or ended
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the lead government agency on international relations, should become more engaged in migration and mobility issues, including working closely with the international community.
“Regarding the transit route for irregular migrants through Niger, it is suggested that the Minister of Interior should initiate dialogue with the neighbouring Nigerien government on how to address and curb the rising number of migrants transiting Niger.
“The repatriation and re-integration of returnees should be supported in such a manner as to encourage the affected persons to return home and re-start their lives again with dignity,” GI said.
The Plateau State Government has threatened to sanction private waste operators who failed to honour the terms of agreement they had with the government to dispose refuse in the state.
Abdullahi Abbas, Plateau State Commissioner for Environment
Mr Abdullahi Abbas, the state’s Commissioner for Environment, gave the warning in Jos, the state capital, on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at a meeting with the waste operators operating in the state.
It will be recalled that the government had in the last two years contracted the evacuation of waste in the state to private waste operators.
The commissioner stated that the government’s aim of contracting the collection of waste in the state was to ensure a clean and hygienic environment for the citizens.
He, however, expressed disappointment that for over two months none of the waste operators kept to the terms of agreement, as dirt litters major streets of Jos and Bukuru towns.
“The essence of contracting the evacuation of waste in the state is to ensure high performance and you have a clean and hygienic environment for our people.
“But I must say that I am disappointed on the low performance of the water operators because for the last two months waste continued to pile at dumpsites with nobody coming to evacuate them.
“If things continue this way, we will have no option but to revoke the contracts,” he said.
Abbas called on residents of the state to be patient, adding that all dumpsites piled with refuse would soon be cleared.
