Nigeria has initiated moves to produce a national mercury inventory aimed at identifying, quantifying and addressing its mercury releases.
Environment Expert, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Regional Office in Abuja, Mr Oluyomi Banjo (middle), receiving a certificate at the close of the training
Environment Expert, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Regional Office in Abuja, Mr Oluyomi Banjo, who made the disclosure on Monday (01 August 2016), stated that a country team with members selected from relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and the organised private sector has been constituted to carry out studies for the development of the mercury profile.
According to him, a verification team has also been constituted to review the result of the studies by the stakeholders.
This initiative follows a recent training organised for 13 African countries on how to develop national mercury profiles under the Minamata Convention using the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Mercury Toolkit. The training, held a couple of weeks ago in Barcelona, Spain, had in attendance a Nigerian team as well as UNIDO and United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) officials.
The Nigerian team was led by the Federal Ministry of Environment, which is also the designated signatory for the country to the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
The Toolkit provides a standardised methodology and accompanying database enabling the development of consistent national and regional mercury inventories. The training was conduct by the author of the Toolkit, Mr Jakob Maag, from COWI Denmark.
Banjo said: “At the end, the countries resolved to develop good mercury profiles for their countries as an initial assessment of the Minamata Convention. Upon return to the country, UNIDO will ensure that Nigeria produces one of the best national mercury inventory.”
Countries involved in the training were Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Niger, Benin, Mali and Mauritania.
National inventories will assist countries to identify and address mercury releases. Comparable sets of mercury source release data will enhance international co-operation, discussion, goal-definition and assistance. Comparable datasets from many countries will help to establish a global picture of the scale of releases, and improve possibilities for enlarging the international knowledge base on mercury uses and releases.
About 70 farmlands have been destroyed by hailstorm in some villages of Shagari Local Government of Sokoto State.
Sokoto
Confirming the incident to news men in Shagari town on Monday, chairman of the Local Government Council, Alhaji Jabbi Shagari, said that the affected villages include Gangam, Illela and Lambar Yabo.
According to him, “The disaster destroyed over 10,000 square metre of farmlands, destroying millet, guinea corn and other farm products worth hundreds of thousands of Naira.”
Shagari added that the council had set up a four-man committee to investigate the extent of damage caused by the hailstorm, the actual number of farmers and farmlands affected.
“The committee will also recommend the form of assistance to be rendered to the victims,” he said.
If Nigeria is to harness the opportunities that the new global climate regime presents, the legislature must be equipped with the requisite knowledge to make laws that will facilitate successful implementation, Dr. Pa Lamin Beyai, Country Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has said.
Sam Onuigbo (Chairman, House Committee on Climate Change) (left) with Dr. Takwa Zebulon (representative of UNDP Country Director)
Dr Beyai, who made the submission last Tuesday (27 July, 2016) during the “Roundtable on Pursuing a Legislative Agenda to enhance Nigeria’s Climate Resilience” at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, noted that, aside legislating, an effective framework for over sighting is also important.
He said: “It would serve to ensure the efficient use of scarce resources that would lead to job creation, poverty reduction and prosperity that leaves no one behind, all of which are pillars of the green economy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Thus it is crucial that the National Assembly be better equipped to appreciate the impact of climate change on the economy, the imperative of reducing ecological scarcity and environmental risks and why adequate budgetary appropriation for climate responses and activities is required.
He pointed out that, with the adoption of the Paris Agreement, particularly Nigeria’s pledge under the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to reduce its emission by 20% by 2020 and 40% by 2030, there is huge obligation on government to strengthen existing governance arrangement to deliver on these pledges.
According to him, the implementation of the Paris Agreement and its INDCs component would be heavily dependent on legislative support in terms of appropriation and oversight.
“It is imperative that the National Assembly has a good understanding of the dynamics of international and national climate governance. Therefore, a new legislative approach that will ensure effective climate governance has become an imperative. The role of the National Assembly in providing laws for good governance will be incomplete without a good understanding of their expected role in ensuring a climate-resilient and climate compatible development to enhance economic growth. Hence, the need for the National Assembly to keep abreast with evolving issues particularly the concept of the green economy and green growth,” Beyai emphasised.
Sam Onuigbo, Chairperson, House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change, stated that the nation cannot afford to lag behind in the comity of nations.
His words: “Never again will we allow ourselves and our nation to be outpaced in the regional and international actions that are required to create sustainable and climate-friendly solutions that address the biggest development challenge threatening our civilisation. Rest assured this 8th National Assembly (NASS) is focused and determined to work together with the executive arm of government.
“I want to assure you that the leadership of the 8th NASS has attached high priority to addressing climate change challenges. To this end, we have taken unprecedented initial legislative steps to get ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) on the same page of awareness, readiness, determination and commitment to Nigeria’s NDCs and the Paris Agreement. Partnerships are critical to combatting the climate challenge and I want to categorically say here that this 8th NASS is determined to do whatever it takes to help MDAs surmount our climate challenge.”
The legislator urged MDAs to factor in elements of the NDCs and the President’s commitment into their 2017 budget in order to accommodate some of the new challenges, especially as they affect the NDCs.
“The drying of the Lake Chad, Boko Haram and the incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the middle belt, western and eastern parts of Nigeria are mere warning shots fired by climate change. If we do nothing to confront this menace from the roots, we might just be setting up ourselves, communities and countries for extinction!” he added.
The World Bank and the Sokoto State Government are collaborating in the execution of various projects to the tune of N8.8 billion in the area of environmental management in 10 local government areas (LGAs) of the state.
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State
A statement issued by the spokesman to Governor Aminu Tambuwal, Malam Imam Imam in Sokoto on Sunday, said that, under the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), the project would address the menace of gully erosion and land degradation in selected communities across the state.
“Under the arrangement, the Sokoto State Government will pay 12.9 percent of the amount which stands at over N1.33 billion as counterpart funding. The entire project will be executed in 10 LGAs of the state and will tackle environmental issues, water management and land reclamation across the LGAs.
The projects are: rehabilitation of Lugu dam and Wurno irrigation scheme in Wurno LGA, control of river erosion along bridge linking Sabon Birni and Niger Republic; construction of medium earth dam at Rafin Duma and Kadassaka area in Gada LGA; and construction of main collector drainage and gutter from Tudun Wada area to River Sokoto in Sokoto South LGA.
They also include construction of drainage gutter from Goronyo Dam for tree planting and protection activity on desertification; construction of earth dam and afforestation activities to help in reducing erosion in Ungushi district of Kebbe LGA; and construction of drainages, earth dams and land reclamation across multiple locations in Tambuwal LGA.
The other projecta, according to the statement, include construction of drainages, earth dam, afforestation activities to control erosion of Durbawa in Kware LGA and construction of earth dam, drainage and afforestation activities to check flood and erosion in Sifawa in Bodinga LGA as well as construction of drainage gutters to alleviate flood in Wamakko LGA.
A community in Maryland in the US suffered “severe” damage from floods, including damaged buildings and cars swept away by rushing water, after around six inches of rain fell in the area on Saturday, officials said.
A damaged building in Ellicott City, West of Baltimore
Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman told WBALTV flooding caused damage to buildings and cars in Ellicott City, a town of around 65,000 in Howard County, about 12 miles west of Baltimore.
“There’s severe damage in Ellicott City and a lot of road closures in that area,” Kittleman said. Photos showed damaged buildings that appeared to have partially collapsed.
There were some water rescues but Kittleman told the station he wasn’t aware of any serious injuries.
The town’s historic Main Street area suffered some of the worst damage, Kittleman said. Howard County Fire & EMS warned people to stay out of the area, and warned of many road closures.
“Many buildings have significant damage, a lot of cars were damaged – there were cars floating down there, as I heard,” he told the station. Kittleman said late on Saturday the water had subsided somewhat.
Just before midnight, Kittleman declared a state of emergency for Howard County. The county opened a community center as a shelter for people who were displaced.
The National Weather Service warned of a flash flood emergency in Howard County and areas southwest of Baltimore and said “severe flooding” was occurring Saturday night.
Just over six inches of rain was recorded in Ellicott City. Parts of Montgomery County, southwest of Howard County, saw 5.1 inches of rain, according to unofficial measurements, the weather service said.
There was also flooding in Baltimore. The Baltimore Fire Department said one person who was trapped was rescued and three others were helped out of standing water.
The wife of Nigeria’s President, Hajia Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, will on Monday, August 1 2016 in Abuja unveil the National Referral Mechanism for Protection and Assistance to Trafficked Persons in Nigeria (NRM).
Wife of the president, Mrs. Aisha Buhari. Photo credit: newngrguardiannewscom.c.presscdn.com
The launch of the document, produced by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under the European Union (EU) funded “Promoting Better Management of Migration in Nigeria” project, is the grand finale of the various activities lined up to mark the “World Day Against Trafficking in Persons” 2016 in Nigeria.
The guideline aims at organising service providers in geographical and service clusters to improve protection and assistance services to Trafficked Persons (TPs) using the human rights-based approach.
As a build-up to the event, the Representative of UNODC in Nigeria, Ms. Cristina Albertin, at the weekend reiterated calls for comprehensive protection of victims of human trafficking including rehabilitation, reintegration and restitution of rights, even as she praised the courage of trafficking victims and encouraged them to step-out of the shadow of their harrowing experiences and embrace the bright future ahead of them.
Thirty-three rescued victims with age range six to 23 years and comprising nine males and 24 females drawn from shelters operated by NAPTIP, Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication (WOTCLEF) and Daughters of Abraham Foundation were showered with gifts at the event. Altogether, 295 human traffickers have been sentenced to different jail terms in recent years while many cases are pending in courts.
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for better protection of migrants in order to shield them from human traffickers who prey on their desperation and vulnerability.
He said: “We must do more to shield migrants and refugees and particularly young people, women and children from those who would exploit their yearnings for a better, safer and more dignified future. We must govern migration in a safe and rights-based way, create sufficient and accessible pathways for the entry of migrants and refugees, and ultimately tackle the root causes of the conflicts – extreme poverty, environmental degradation and other crises which force people across borders, seas and deserts.
“I call on every nation whether country of origin, transit or destination to recognise our shared responsibility. As a first step, we need a strong legal basis for action. I encourage all states to adopt and implement the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its protocol on human trafficking as well as all core international human rights instruments.
“I urge everyone to recommit to protect, respect and fulfil the human rights of all migrants and refugees. Creating and supporting well-governed, safe and human rights-based migration and asylum procedures will be an important step towards ending the abhorrent practice of profiting from human despair and misery.”
Similarly, Executive Director of UNODC, Yury Fedotov, has urged governments, companies and individuals to support the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons. The Trust Fund is financed solely through voluntary donations. The Fund works with NGO partners across the globe to assist trafficking victims, providing shelter and vocational training and schooling, as well as access to health, psychosocial, legal and economic services.
These issues will be central to the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, to be held in New York on 19 September 2016. This meeting aims amongst other goals to win renewed commitment for intensified efforts to combat human trafficking and smuggling of migrants and refugees, ensure protection and assistance for the victims of trafficking and of abusive smuggling, as well as all those who suffer human rights violations and abuse in the course of large movements, and promote respect for international law, standards and frameworks.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) are exploring partnership opportunities in healthcare delivery. At a just-concluded Health Concepts Validation Exercise organised by SNEPCo in Lagos, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, identified potential areas of collaboration in the delivery of primary and secondary healthcare.
L-R: General Manager, External Relations of Shell Nigeria, Mr. Igo Weli; Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole; Public Affairs Manager, National Petroleum Investments Management Services, Mr. Ahmed Laminu; and former CEO/Executive Secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme, Dr. Femi Akingbade, at the just-concluded Health Concept Validation Exercise organised by the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), in Lagos
The session brought together a variety of international development agencies, academia and medical professionals who brainstormed along with officials of the Federal Ministry of Health and SNEPCo on the possible areas of support and collaboration. Unfolding the Federal Government’s vision for the health sector, Prof Adewole said the support of the private sector was key towards ensuring the delivery of affordable healthcare to the people. He commended the Shell deep-water subsidiary for the first-of-its-kind concepts validation exercise.
“The exercise has a good fit with public and private sector collaboration in the delivery of available and affordable healthcare,” he added.
In his remarks, General Manager, External Relations of Shell in Nigeria, Mr. Igo Weli, said the company was committed to effective healthcare and had continued to invest in the sector.
“SNEPCo has already implemented health projects and programmes in some states, and we hope that this exercise will help highlight more areas of partnership,” said Mr. Weli, who represented SNEPCo Managing Director, Mr. Bayo Ojulari.
Also speaking at the session, Public Affairs Manager, National Petroleum Investments Management Services, Mr. Ahmed Laminu, who represented the Group General Manager of NAPIMS, Mr. Dafe Sejebor, described the initiative as timely and purposeful.
“This gathering is coming at a most auspicious time when government is calling on well-meaning organisations to assist in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal-3 which is good health and wellbeing,” he stated.
The Regional Community Health Manager of Shell, Dr Akin Fajola, cited SNEPCo’s achievements in health in parts of Nigeria, and pointed out that the envisaged areas of partnership would be in line with national goals and policies with sustainability in mind.
Health Specialist of the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank, Dr Olumide Okunola, said that new ideas and concepts should be looked at for an economic investment purpose, saying government needs to “look at resources, processes and policies.”
The 32 participants then went into syndicate sessions on possible intervention options.
The concept validation session is the latest in the effort of SNEPCo to bring effective healthcare to different parts of Nigeria. In co-operation with NNPC and its co-venturers, SNEPCo strengthened emergency care, set up five Hemo-Dialysis machines and breast cancer mammography screening services at the Iyi-Enu Mission Hospital in Anambra State, developed the capacity of health workers in seven states in the South West and South South regions, and supported the HEWS Foundation for the repair of congenital cleft lip and palate.
It also supported the Extended Hands Foundation for the repair of about 50 Vesico-Vaginal fistulas across the country. It has equipped the health centre at the SOS Village, Isolo, Lagos and supported a neonatal hearing screening programme at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) will set up a committee to examine whether Mitrabah, Kuwait, set a new highest temperature record for the Eastern hemisphere and Asia, with a reported temperature of 54.0°C (129.2°F) on 21 July 2016.
A man cools off amid the searing heat wave
Large parts of the Middle East and North Africa were gripped by heatwaves in recent weeks. Temperatures exceeding by a large margin the seasonal averages, and over a sustained period. This affected, in particular, the northern part of countries in the Arabian Gulf and North Africa.
Mitrabah reportedly saw a temperature of 54.0°C on 21 July and the city of Basra in Iraq recorded a temperature of 53.9°C (128°C) on Friday 22 July. Southern Morocco also saw temperatures of between 43°C and 47°C.
Governments issued heat-health warnings and took measure to minimise impacts on population. However, the refugee population in the Middle East were the most affected, with heat exacerbating their fragile situation and suffering.
WMO is responsible for the official archives of World Weather and Climate Extremes (temperature, rainfall, wind gust, heaviest hailstone etc).
According to this archive, the hottest temperature ever recorded was in Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California at 56.7°C on 10 July 1913. The highest temperature for the Eastern hemisphere was reportedly set in July 1931 in Kebili, Tunisia, at 55.0°C. However, weather historians have questioned the accuracy of colonial temperature records from many weather stations versus the modern records at these same sites.
The Kuwait investigation, as with all WMO official investigations, will consist of meteorologists and climatologists. They will examine the instrumentation used, the quality of observations, the microclimate of the location, the representatives of the station to its surroundings and to its own record. The station is in a remote, sparsely populated area in the north-west of Kuwait.
Heatwaves
There have been a number of heatwaves in recent weeks.
A widespread heatwave has affected the central and eastern United States of America, with temperatures of 95-100 °Fahrenheit (35-38°C), and heat index values to reach 110°F F (43°C), with some areas reaching 115 °F (46°C), according to the US National Weather Service.
At the peak on Friday, July 22, almost 124 million people were under an Excessive Heat Warning, Excessive Heat Watch or Heat Advisory. Above average temperatures are forecast to continue along much of the eastern U.S. through mid-week.
A unique feature of these heatwaves is its very high overnight low temperatures, which offer little relief from the oppressive heat.
Climate Change Attribution
Over the past 50 years, hot days, hot nights and heatwaves have become more frequent. The length, frequency and intensity of heatwaves will likely increase further during this century, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The science of attribution is making it possible to analyse individual events and assess the role of climate change played, rather than natural variability.
Scientific assessments have found that many extreme events in the 2011-15 period, especially those relating to extreme high temperatures, have had their probabilities substantially increased as a result of anthropogenic climate change – by a factor of 10 or more in some cases.
In view of the health risks posed by heatwaves, WMO is working in close consultation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to improve climate services like heat health warning systems and guidance, as well as more tailored forecasts for the energy sector which comes under strain during heatwaves.
Hottest Jan-June on record
The latest heatwaves come as Earth has just witnessed the hottest six-month period on record, with temperatures shattering even the record levels seen in 2015. A number of countries have seen new national temperature records – for instance India saw a new national temperature record of 51°C in Rajasthan in May.
The global land and ocean average temperature for January–June at 1.05°C (1.89°F) above the 20th century average, besting the previous record set in 2015 by 0.20°C (0.36°F), according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
From January to June, January–June 2016 was characterised by warmer to much-warmer-than-average conditions engulfing most of the world’s land and ocean surfaces. Record warmth was widespread across Alaska, western Canada, southern Mexico, northern South America, central Africa, Indonesia, northern and eastern Australia, North Indian Ocean, and across parts of north-central Russia, western Asia, central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, the southwestern Pacific Ocean, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean.
Nigeria needs to invest about $600 million yearly in the water supply sector over the next 10 years if it hopes to achieve universal coverage of safe drinking water supply by 2025, a recently published report by World Bank Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) has said.
The report says that, to achieve universal water supply, the country needs to invest about $6 billion within the next 10 years in the sector
Titled “State Water Agencies in Nigeria: A Performance Assessment”, the WSP report published in conjunction with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Water Resources, assessed 35 out of the 37 urban state water agencies in Nigeria, based on performance data from the International Bench Marking Network for water and sanitation utilities, tariffs levels and structures, financing mechanisms, and governance.
The report, analysed by eWASH, identified challenges affecting the operational performances of Nigeria’s urban water agencies as accelerated urbanisation; lack of investments and investment projects; institutional limitations including some that prevented successful execution of an investment projects portfolio to expand and guarantee water supply for all; and fiscal constraints in a sector where incomplete cost recovery is the norm.
Arguing that inadequate financial investments limits the capacity of state water activities to provide efficient market and sustainable water services, the report pointed out that only 17 out of 35 state water agencies in Nigeria invested more than $10 million in the urban water supply sector between 2005-2015, while another eight state water agencies mostly in the South East had no investments since they were created in 1991.
The current rate of investment $70 to $80 million a year is not enough to maintain sector performance, the report declares, adding that, to achieve universal water supply, the country needs to invest about $6 billion within the next 10 years in the water sector. The report also advocated for the establishment of a National Water Fund to develop a pipeline of investment projects.
The report also found out that state water agencies, statutorily responsible for providing urban water services, were only able to deliver drinking water services to only a fraction less, than 37% of the population in 2013.
“Urban water supply is struggling to cope with the continuing urbanisation of Nigeria, it is imperative to expand the service by constructing 20 to 30 water treatment plants to guarantee needed volume and at least 100,000 kilometres of additional mains to distribute water to consumers,” stresses the report.
The report makes the following recommendations, which are designed to address the operational challenges facing state water agencies in Nigeria:
Establishment of a baseline and monitoring and evaluation mechanism in the water sector to develop preferred investment programs based on objective information and performance indicators.
Corporatisation of state water agencies, and ensuring their technical and financial operations are made more transparent.
Establishment of an efficient and equitable tariff policy at national and state levels.
Metering of both water production and consumption by all state water agencies to ensure accurate billing, cost accounting, water conservation and demand management.
Customers should be considered potential sources of revenues for water services rendered.
State Water Agencies should prepare short term financing portfolios and a pipeline of projects.
A National Water Fund to develop a pipeline of investment projects, based on reported performance information, objective needs, and guarantees from the state, that built infrastructure will be properly financed, operated and maintained.
The Water Investment Mobilisation and Application Guidelines should be reviewed and its applicability evaluated.
About three months after it signed the Paris Agreement on 22 April 2016, Peru last Monday (25 July 2016) deposited its instrument of ratification of the climate pact with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Peru, which hosted the 20th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP20) to the UNFCCC in its capital city of Lima in December 2014, becomes the 20th state to deposit its instrument of ratification.
This is coming as Nigeria plans to formally sign the global treaty in a couple of months. Indications are that President Muhammadu Buhari, while attending the 71st Regular Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA71) at the UN Headquarters in September, will sign the agreement.
President Buhari, it was gathered, will also speak at the 5th anniversary event of the Open Government Partnership at the UNGA17 on September 20, 2016.
Nigeria was not among the over 155 listed countries that signed the Paris Agreement at a high-level ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday (22 April, 2016), on Mother Earth Day. Officials attributed this to the fact that an internal stakeholder consultation process needed to be conducted before an endorsement of the climate pact.
At the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) held in Paris, France, the Parties adopted the Paris Climate Change Agreement under the UNFCCC.
The Agreement was opened for signature on 22 April 2016 at a high-level signature ceremony convened by the Secretary General in New York. At that ceremony, 174 States and the European Union signed the agreement and 15 States also deposited their instruments of ratification.
As of 25 July 2016, there are 178 signatories to the Paris Agreement. Of these, 20 States have also deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval accounting in total for 0.40 % of the total global greenhouse gas emissions.
The Agreement shall enter into force on the 13th day after the date on which at least 55 Parties to the Convention, accounting in total for at least an estimated 55 % of the total global greenhouse gas emissions, have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Depositary.
Authoritative information on the status of the Paris Agreement, including information on signatories to the Agreement, ratification and entry into force, is provided by the Depositary, through the United Nations Treaty Collection website can be accessed here as well as here.
