The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy weather conditions over the central states with slim chances of isolated thunderstorms over Jalingo, Mambilla, Markurdi and environs on Monday morning.
Stormy weather.
The predictions are contained in the Weather Outlook issued by NiMet’s Central Forecast Office on Sunday in Abuja.
It stated that localised thunderstorms were expected over the high grounds of Abuja, Lokoja, Kaduna, Jos and Nasarawa in the afternoon and evening, with maximum temperatures of 25 to 31 degrees Celsius.
The agency predicted that some states would experience cloudy situation in the morning, with probability of localised rains over Calabar axis.
It also predicted that localised rains/showers were expected over the inland and coastal cities in the afternoon and evening hours with maximum temperatures of 29 to 30 degree Celsius.
NiMet predicted partly cloudy morning over the northern states, with prospects of isolated thunderstorms over Sokoto, Katsina, Gusau, Kano and Yelwa later in the day and maximum temperatures of 30 to 35 degrees Celsius.
According to the prediction, relatively stable weather condition is anticipated in the morning over the country with chances of localised thunderstorms and rains later in the day.
Environmentalists have urged governments attending a global wildlife conference in South Africa this month to impose maximum restrictions on the trade of endangered pangolins, a scaly mammal that is the inspiration for two Pokemon characters.
Governments have been told to impose maximum restrictions on the trade of pangolins
The long-snouted, nocturnal pangolin, the size of a small dog and found in Africa and Southeast Asia, is the world’s most illegally trafficked mammal, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Vietnam is at the center of the trade, said Bui Thi Ha, the deputy director of Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), an organisation that works to reduce consumer demand for wildlife products.
She said more than 2,600 pangolins had been seized in Vietnam over the last three years, along with more than 30 tonnes of frozen meat and scales.
“Vietnam is both a transit point for pangolin trafficking, as well as a large consumer market. The destination for most of the pangolins is China, but the demand for them is on the rise, especially in the big cities,” she told Reuters.
It is unclear how many pangolins are left in the wild.
ENV said pangolins are shipped from Africa to meet demand in Asia, where products made from pangolins are prized for their supposed medicinal value and have led to local numbers falling.
The pangolin trade is already limited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Environmentalists are pressing CITES to increase the trade restrictions to “only in exceptional circumstances” – the highest level of protection.
CITES, an agreement among 183 governments to ensure trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival, will consider the request at the Sept. 24-Oct. 5 meeting in South Africa.
Lagos-based historical and environmental interest group, Legacy, has kicked against the demolition a week ago of Olaiya House (or “Ilojo Bar”), which was in 1956 declared a national monument by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM).
The Casa do Fernandez before demolition. The building was in 1956 declared a national monument
Located on 6, Alli and 2 Bamgbose Streets, CMS on the Lagos Island, the structure, which overlooked the Tinubu Square, was built as a bar and restaurant in 1855.
It was initially named Casa do Fernandez before being renamed Ilojo Bar. The building was referred to as Olaiya House after it was sold to the Olaiya patriarch, Alfred Omolana Olaiya in 1933.
But the 161-year-old monument came tumbling down on Sunday, 10th Spetember 2016, a move believed to have been influenced by the property’s change of ownership.
Legacy, however, is enraged over the development, insisting that the developers have broken the law and thus should be brought to book.
In a petition posted on its website and signed by its head, Desmond Majekodunmi, Legacy stated: “This is a petition against people who have literally taken laws into their own hands. This is a fight for the sovereignty of the laws that form the basis of this country called Nigeria.
The Casa do Fernandez after demolition
“Sunday, 10th September 2016 marks a dirty taint on the history of Lagos and Nigeria as a whole. It was the day ‘developers’, acting in total disregard for the constitution, tore down a 161-year old beauty that carried immeasurable value for the life and soul of a people. The building was the epitome of the Lagos Brazilian Style of architecture brought in by returnee slaves.
“Ilọjọ Bar (Casa do Fernandez) was declared a national monument in 1956 by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments and is protected by National Commission for Museums and Monuments Act. The National Commission for Museums and Monuments has it boldly listed (No. 44) on their Monuments and Sites page – http://ncmm.gov.ng/?page_id=442. So, what happened?”
Legacy the made the following demands:
The perpetrators of this dastardly act must be brought to book. We will not rest until they face the full wrath of the law.
Legacy has the full measured drawings of the original building to enable it to be reconstructed exactly as it was. And this is exactly what should be done.
Legacy is inviting visitors to the site to electronically sign the petition which, according to Majekodunmi, will be sent to the NCMM.
Besides identifying and singling out historical buildings, monuments and areas of the built environment for their contribution to the evolution, history and culture of Nigeria, Legacy also aims at preserving, restoring and reconstructing such monuments to ensure their continued enjoyment for the public.
A former occupant, Olasupo Awobuyide, who claimed to have operated a lottery shop in the building, said the residents were not notified on the demolition day.
Awobuyide, whose grandmother was a member of the Olaiya clan, disclosed that the property has been in dispute for some time.
He said: “They did not call our attention to the fact that the house had been leased to developers. The developers just came one day and said they wanted to demolish, promising to settle those who live there. That was since April, we did not agree. We don’t like the way they drove away those people occupying the building.”
He noted that his father, Eric Awobuyide, an elder in the family, was not informed that the demolition would be carried out on Sunday, lamenting the destruction of his property, which he claimed was worth over N150,000.
One of the biggest concerns about climate change is the effect it will have on agriculture. Many studies have suggested that rising temperatures could be harmful to farms around the world, although there’s plenty of uncertainty about how bad things will get and which food supplies we should worry about most.
A wheat field. Photo credit: ordiate.com
Now, a new study published in a recent edition of Nature Climate Change reiterates concerns that wheat – considered to be the most significant single crop in terms of human consumption – might be in big trouble. After comparing multiple studies used to predict the future of global crop production, researchers have found that they all agree on one point: rising temperatures are going to be really bad for wheat production.
Scientists use a wide range of techniques to make predictions about the future of the environment, including a variety of models and statistical analyses. Often, though, there’s debate about which technique produces the most accurate results.
The authors of the new study, who included dozens of scientists from institutions in China, the U.S., Europe and elsewhere around the world, decided to compare three different methods used to assess the impact of temperature changes on wheat production. These included a type of statistical analysis that relies on historical observations of climate and global wheat yields to make inferences about the future, as well as two different types of model simulations.
For the purposes of this comparison, the researchers focused only on the effects of temperature, without incorporating other climate-related factors such as rising carbon dioxide levels or changes in precipitation. Specifically, all the techniques suggested that a global temperature increase of 1 degree Celsius would lead to a worldwide decline in wheat yield by between 4.1 and 6.4 percent. The world currently produces more than 700 million tons of wheat annually, which is converted into all kinds of products for human consumption, including flour for bread, pasta, cakes, breakfast cereals and more. A reduction of just five percent would translate to a loss of about 35 million tons each year.
And that could spell big trouble for the global food supply. A new report from the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) projected that world wheat production for the 2016/17 year would hit 741 million tons, nearly 500 million of which is destined to be used directly for human consumption. While global production of coarse grains, including corn, does outweigh the production of wheat, a significantly smaller proportion of it goes to human consumption worldwide, with the rest being used for animal feed and industrial purposes. According to the FAO, global human consumption of coarse grains comes to about 200 million tons annually.
The various studies also produce similar findings on a country level for the world’s largest wheat producers, including the U.S., China, India and France. For instance, all of the study methods suggested that China will see yield reductions of about 3.0 percent per 1 degree Celsius increase in global temperature. And India was projected to experience much greater declines of about 8.0 percent.
In general, the results suggest that warmer regions of the world will experience the greatest temperature-related losses. However, the agreement among the different study methods on exactly what these losses will be was less consistent for smaller countries than for the larger producers.
“The consistent negative impact from increasing temperatures confirmed by three independent methods warrants critical needed investment in climate change adaptation strategies to counteract the adverse effects of rising temperatures on global wheat production, including genetic improvement and management adjustments,” the researchers wrote in the paper.
There are still some major uncertainties, though. For one thing, the researchers note, the agreement among the different types of studies became less consistent above 1 degree Celsius of warming. And there was also less agreement at local and regional levels.
Senthold Asseng, a professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Florida and one of the paper’s authors, also stressed the fact that this study only looked at the effects of temperature. Future climate change is likely to include a wide range of other complex factors, he said, some of which may even positively affect crop cultivation in some parts of the world. Research has suggested that rising carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere, for instance, may enhance the growth of some plants.
“It might be difficult to understand that some of the factors might bring these numbers down, other factors bring them up,” Asseng said. Whether the combination of all these factors translates to a net increase or decrease in production may vary from one location to the next. Generally, experts believe that climate change will have a negative influence on global agriculture, but the way that all the different climatic factors interact with one another in all the different regions of the world is still far from clear.
Finding better ways to account for these complexities in our models and statistical analyses will help scientists gain a better understanding of the interactions among various climate factors. For the time being, though, multi-method assessments can serve as a good way to check on current assumptions about the future effects of climate change and can “improve reliability of the assessment of climate impacts on global food security,” the researchers write.
“It’s really about building confidence,” Asseng said. “And I think it’s a good way for the future to try to not just rely on a single method. If you have different ones, use different methods if you can.”
United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, will convene a special High-Level Event on Entry into Force of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change on Wednesday, 21 September at the UN Headquarters in New York for the deposit of instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession to the Paris Agreement on climate change.
United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, will convene a special High-Level Event on Entry into Force of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change on Wednesday
With China and the United States formally joining the Paris Agreement in early September, a total of 27 countries have ratified the Paris Agreement so far, accounting for 39.08 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The high-level event will provide an opportunity to other countries to publicly commit to joining the Paris Agreement before the end of 2016.
Nigeria, for instance, is expected to join the other 180 signatories to the global pact during the event. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, on Saturday disclosed that President Mohammadu Buhari of Nigeria would sign the Agreement, which sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C.
The Paris Agreement will enter into force 30 days after the date on which at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 per cent of the total global greenhouse gas emissions, have deposited their instruments of ratification or acceptance with the Secretary-General.
This global climate agreement will accelerate the growth of clean energy and help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and will strengthen international stability and security, save lives and improve human well-being, said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The Paris Agreement was adopted on 12 December 2015 at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris from 30 November to 13 December 2015. In accordance with its article 20, the Agreement shall be open for signature at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 22 April 2016 until 21 April 2017 by States and regional economic integration organisations that are Parties to the UNFCCC.
Onyeama said that top on Nigerian UN agenda during the General Assembly is to engage African Union and other countries to work towards the reform of the United Nations.
He said that the leaders would also be engaged to be more democratic and responsive to the needs of the world.
“In addition to the wave of change, Nigeria will like to propose to the UN body to create an agency dedicated for the youth,” Onyeama said.
The minister assured the international community that Nigeria would support a new UN Secretary-General that would be development and Africa-friendly as well as sympathetic to the course of Nigeria.
On investment, power and insecurity in Nigeria, he said that the Federal Government had established various security mechanisms to create attractive investment environment for would-be investors.
“With the fall in oil price, Nigeria is looking into diversification of its economy towards agriculture and solid minerals.
“It is expected that there will be a lot of investment opportunity for foreign investors during the US-Africa Business Forum, scheduled to take place next week in New York.
“Nigeria has been invited as one of the focal countries whose economies search light is beamed on,” he said.
He also said that Nigeria would host a high level side event on Climate Change, to showcase its efforts in the Ogoni clean-up.
This event, according to him, will come up after the president has signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
The minister also addressed issues of poverty, migration, human rights, terrorism and security and on challenges in retrieving Abacha’s loot and other Nigeria’s assets stashed abroad.
Yacoob Abiodun, urban planner and erstwhile Secretary of the National Housing Policy Council, on Tuesday, September 6, 2016 launched his second book, while also celebrating his 70th birthday.
Titled “The Citizen’s Guide to Planning in Nigeria: How to get your voice heard,” the 195-page book is coming on the heels of “Affordable Housing & Urban Planning Practice in Nigeria: Advocacy for Change”, Abiodun’s maiden publication.
The daylong event was graced by a host of dignitaries.
Barnabas Gemade, Senate Committee Chairman on Housing & Urban Development (left), with Mrs & Mrs Yacoob AbiodunL-R: Yacoob Abiodun; Mrs Funmi Abiodun; Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning & Urban Development, Abiola Wasiu Anifowose; and Gbenga Ashafa, Senate Committee Chairman on Lands TransportationYacoob Abiodun with Mrs Catherine Kehinde George, former Chairman of Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP)Mr & Mrs Yacoob Abiodun with Gbenga Ashafa, Senate Committee Chairman on Lands TransportationYacoob Abiodun with Ladi Ogunneye, erstwhile Managing Director of Data Sciences Nigeria LimitedYacoob Abiodun flanked by Mrs Lola Ashafa (his daughter) and Mr Tosin Ashafa (Lola’s husband and son to Senator Gbenga Ashafa)Toyin Ayinde, book reviewer and erstwhile Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning & Urban DevelopmentWole Okufulure, former Chairman, Board of Directors of Shelter AfriqueBarnabas Gemade, Senate Committee Chairman on Housing & Urban Development
Experts in seed issues are set to meet September 19 – 20, 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya, for a two-day conference that aims to share the outcomes of the two-year Piloting Phase by the Kenya-based Integrated Seed Sector Development in Africa (ISSD Africa).
The city of Nairobi in Kenya will host the two-day conference organised by the Integrated Seed Sector Development in Africa (ISSD Africa)
Themed “Breakthroughs for a vibrant seed sector in Africa”, the conference is organised by ISSD Africa in collaboration with the Centre for Development innovation (CDI), the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), the Future Agricultures consortium (FAC) and Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development of Egerton University. It will also discuss how to translate the findings of the pilot phase into change agendas for the benefit of the sector in the continent, especially to smallholder farmers who form the bulk of the farming community in the continent.
According to Dr. Miltone Ayieko, Regional Coordinator for ISSD Africa, smallholder farmers face a myriad of challenges in getting reliable access to sufficient quantities of quality seed of superior varieties at the right time and at an affordable price.
This in turn affects their agricultural productivity, income, resilience, and food security in the continent, given that agriculture forms the economic backbone of the continent and many depend on it for earnings and livelihoods.
Four themes will be discussed at the conference, namely: promoting seed entrepreneurship, increasing access to varieties in the public domain, matching global commitments with national realities and, supporting the seed sector development under the African Union Commission’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the African Seed and Biotechnology Programme (ASBP).
Out of each of these themes, a number of action learning topics have emerged which provide catalytic opportunities for follow-up action in running and foreseeing national seed programmes, but also provide lessons for consecutive phase of the ISSD Africa programme. Sessions will be organised around the learning topics to share the lessons learnt and develop frameworks for follow-up actions.
A number of topics will be addressed at the conference, including: effective mechanisms for seed quality control, variety information for seed producers, seed laws that promote and integrated seed sector, and, CAADP and the national investments in the seed sector. Other topics include sustainable supply of early generation seed, and a differentiated approach to plant variety protection.
The two-day conference gives African seed experts the opportunity to exchange ideas and engage leading to outcomes aimed at improving the entire seed sector in Africa to give farmers, especially smallholders, easy reliable timely access to sufficient quantities of quality seed of superior varieties at an affordable price.
“In addition, the conference presents an opportunity to engage in debates aimed at creating an African-owned enabling structure and network that will enhance farmers’ access to quality seed of superior varieties, hence contributing to food security and economic development agenda in Africa,” says Ayieko.
Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has disclosed that a sum of N350 billion capital votes will be released immediately into the system as the Federal Government continues to tackle the economic crisis currently facing the nation.
Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun. She says a sum of N350 billion capital votes will be released immediately into the system
The minister, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, said the current administration is not backing down on its decision to stimulate the economy.
“With the N350 billion to be released, next week, the federal government would have released the total sum of N770 billion for capital projects this year, having released N420 billion thus far in 2016,” she said.
She explained that the bulk of the money so far released went into on-going projects, especially works, defence, transportation, interior, power and agriculture.
The minister also disclosed that the administration was working on raising $1 billion Eurobond. The proceeds for this would be used only for capital projects.
Giving further clarifications on the Eurobond issue, Director-General, Debt Management Office (DMO), Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, said, “We intend to raise the money before the year ends. In terms of the progress made so far, more than five weeks ago we put out advertisements for Request For Proposals in local and international media, following due process so that we can allow transaction partners who are interested to compete.
“The closing date of the RFPs is September 19, 2016 and immediately after that we will execute the process of vetting and selection. “We have a directive to make sure we use minimum time to conclude all these activities. So we assure you that we are going to cut the time because of the emergency situation. Before the middle of December, we will have the money. We are very focused on the fact that these monies are needed urgently to turn around the economy and we are working on that.”
On the issue of bidding process and open procurement, the minister explained that what is needed is a balance between speed and transparency, saying that is why we are engaging the National Assembly to support our request to truncate the process.
“We are already talking to members of the National Assembly, explaining to them why this is necessary so that when we release money, it is not just going to be sitting in the TSA account but it will actually be going down into contractors and appropriately utilised,” she stated.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy weather conditions over the central states of the country on Saturday morning with localised thunderstorms over Yola, Bauchi, Jos and some parts.
Stormy weather. NiMET has predicted localised thunderstorms in some parts of the country
The predictions are contained in the Weather Outlook issued by NiMet’s Central Forecast Office (CFO) on Friday in Abuja.
It added that there were chances of thunderstorms over Minna, Bida, Ilorin and some parts of Abuja later in the day with maximum temperatures of 25 to 30 degrees
Celsius.
The agency predicted increased cloudiness over the inland cities of the southwest and the entire coast cities with chances of localised thunderstorms and rains over the southeast in the morning hours.
It also predicted localised thunderstorms and rains over the entire inland cities and coastal cities of Lagos, Delta, Porthacourt, Yenegoa and Calabar mater in the day with maximum temperatures of 28 to 30 degrees Celsius.
NiMet predicted that northern states of would experience Cloudy morning over northwestern cities with chances of morning thunderstorms over Maiduguri, Damaturu, Nguru, Yelwa and environs.
It added that there would be prospects of localised thunderstorms over Kano, Gusau, Sokoto and Yelwa later in the day with maximum temperatures of 30 to 32 degrees Celsius.
According to the prediction, there are prospects of rainfall activities across the eastern flank of the country, which is expected to advence towards the Western side in the next 24 hours.
‘The rains are here again, bringing conundrum that is difficult to cope with, confusion, wailing and a myriad of feelings and emotions. No more shelter to call home, clean drinking water is polluted and diseases are on the rise’
The only primary health care centre in Okun Afa community has been destroyed and abandoned by health workers as the raging sea, swelled by the rains, eats away land and destroys buildings
What is going to happen next? Trying to put myself in the shoes of people that live by the coastline, I can imagine that this is what they go through when the rainy season begins. Okun Alfa, formerly a beautiful beach in Lagos, is one of such communities that suffer from storm surges as a result of many hours of incessant rain. Storm surges usually occur in Okun Alfa, but climate change has escalated its occurrence. Causing inhabitants to migrate, their main source of income which is fishing has also been drastically affected.
Climate change is seriously affecting communities in rural and urban areas, and the poor are most susceptible to this crisis. They are at the frontline, with little or no information of the problem at hand let alone the ability to cope with it. One of the greatest challenges of the 21st century, global warming has brought upon us higher temperatures and melting of glaciers which result in sea level rise, salt water intrusion and many other ills.
The Nigerian Metrological Agency (NiMET) has predicted above normal rains in 2016 which might cause flooding in Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria and the economic hub of the country.
Lagos State is a coastal city making it the home of trade like other coastal cities around the world. The metropolis is highly vulnerable to climate change and the negative impacts of global warming are already being felt; examples are accelerated flooding and coastal erosion. Lagos is a barrier island, that is an island surrounded by an ocean and a lagoon which makes the state a climate sensitive region.
Several reports like the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) second adaptation report states that a 0.5m sea level rise will affect coastal cities like Lagos, while the Federal Ministry of Environment reports that by 2050 many parts of Lagos might be under water. According to Nicholls et al (2008), sea level rise in Lagos could cost the city assets worth of about $117.3 billion.
Action has to be taken now to reduce the impact of the adverse effects of climate change on the metropolis. Hard and soft engineering, like building sea walls and planting of trees have been considered by the government of Lagos State such as the Eko Atlantic Project, and the establishment of parks and gardens.
Climate change awareness and education has to be intensified in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole, while an important human resource that can drive such initiatives are the youth.
Aside from climate change being caused by man, our habits can further boost or abate global warming and its negative effects, such as waste management and agricultural practices. Youth are very versatile and innovative, with a large number of them unemployed. Conserving and protecting the environment through youth, while engaging in green businesses can go a long way in making cities, communities and countries more climate resilient.
By Chinma George (Climate finance consultant, @Chimz_green)
