Countries in the Lake Chad region have been enjoined to double efforts to save the dwindling water body that is aggravating environmental degradation and migration in the region and consequently impacting on the social and economic wellbeing of the population.
Scientists say the Lake Chad has shrunken by 95 percent over the past 50 years. Photo credit: AP/Christophe Ena
Representatives of member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), comprising Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad, who are attending the 6th Africa Water Week in Dar es Salam on July 19, 2016, agreed on the need to multiply strategies towards saving the lake.
“Countries from the lake Chad need to coordinate their multiple efforts, bringing in new stimulating perspectives to save this important lake on which the livelihood of millions of people hinges,” said Mana Boubakari, technical director of the Lake Chad Basin Commission at a side event on ground water management in the lake Chad basin.
He said restoring the water body would help reduce poverty, transform the lives of people in the region especially women and youths and drastically reduce the incentive to migrate to other regions.
Migration from the region according to reports have continued to surge as life becomes unbearable to the mostly agricultural and fishing population therein. The effect on the degrading land triggered by the shrinking lake on migration is just stark, experts say.
“We cannot ignore the huge unemployment of especially the youths in countries of the region who are left with no choice than seek for opportunities elsewhere,” said Professor Ibrahim Goni of the University of Maiduguri.
Statistics from the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), estimate that over 60 million people are likely to migrate from the region by 2020 as the water from the lake continue to shrink.
The situation has been compounded by disturbing insecurity imposed by Boko Haram whose push for a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria has left hundreds of thousand people dead since 2009.
The surge in the marauding criminal activities of Boko Haram has led to increase poverty, loss of resource opportunities and breeding conflict and political instability. “Environmental breakdown and security threats in the Lake Chad Basin region especially in Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria is increasing and so we need additional efforts if we have to fight poverty, preserve peace and promote sustainable development,’’ noted Dr Fantung Wilson Yetoh, of the Institute of Mining and Geological Research in Cameroon at the side event discussion in Dar es Salam.
Members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission however say they were leaving no stone unturned with collective efforts to intensify security especially in the fight against the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram.
“A joint security effort is working to intensify security in the region,” Fantung Wilson said.
Development experts however agree that the campaign against degraded land like the case in the Lake Chad Basin region is the responsibility of all. They warn that the poverty situation may get to unbearable levels if nations continue to procrastinate than act forthrightly.
“The prospects of a land degradation neutral world will grow dimmer if we procrastinate. But it will shine brighter each time a country joins the campaign to restore degraded land and water bodies.” said Monique Barbur, UNCCD Executive secretary, in an address during the World Environment Day on Desertification on June 17, 2016.
She advised that land degradation neutrality should be a top policy goal for every nation that values freedom and choice.
The 6th Africa Water Week, organised by African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and other development partners, seeks accordingly, to lay pathways for Africa’s drive towards achieving the SDG 6, as well as other inter-linking SDGs rooted in water resources management.
The above acronym stands for Nigerian Institute of Town Planners. It is a professional association that was established in Nigeria in 1966 as an umbrella organisation for those who have attained the requisite academic qualification and certification in the study of Urban Planning (or Town Planning). Urban Planning is a specialised field of study about how a town or city or any hierarchy of human settlement is planned, improved, managed and sustained.
Luka Achi, Acting President of the NITP
The NITP registers its qualified members and provides a set of rules and regulations of professional conduct, which all members must comply to. Erring members of the Institute can be sanctioned for proven cases professional misconduct. An essential part of its many other functions is the advisory role it plays in terms of policy formulation governing urban and regional planning in Nigeria. It gives both solicited and unsolicited advice on planning to Government as and when the need arises.
Its regulatory arm is the Town Planners’ Registration Council (TOPREC), which was established under Decree No.3 of January 16, 1988. TOPREC as a Regulatory Council is statutorily empowered to determine who the town planner is and what standards of knowledge and skill he/she must acquire before the individual is registered to practice town planning in Nigeria. Part of the requirement for registration is the passing of a written examination to determine the competence of the prospective member.
The available statistics on the membership strength of the NITP and TOPREC as at 2014 are 4,070 and 3,370 respectively.
The above is a preface. The focus of this piece is related to the topic urging the NITP to change its tactics of rebranding.
This writer made a foray into the portal of the Institute online recently and read about a Colloquium held on January 14, 2016 at the prompting of one of its former National Presidents, a cerebral planner, who felt deeply concerned about “government attitude and low appreciation of urban and regional planning especially when decisions are taken, budgets are proposed and locational decisions are taken without considerations of urban and regional planning implications.” As further reported in the news item, “the forum wanted to debunk the argument that town planning activities have been socially repressive, benefitting the land and property owners and the educated and articulate middle class rather than the community.”
These are valid observations about the foibles of town planning practice in Nigeria. It is an indisputable fact that government regards planning as inconsequential in the decision making process, underfunds planning and hardly consults with professional planners for advice. Similarly, public dissatisfaction with government in general and with bureaucrats in particular extends to planners. The perception of planning and planners by the public domain is that of suspicion and antagonism. Planning and planners are two words the citizens “love and loathe” in Nigeria. The citizens yearn for livable cities, but they do not totally agree with the planning methods town planners adopt in an attempt to making Nigerian cities livable, functional and inviting. The citizenry see planners as usurpers wielding too much controlling power over the use of their property and setting too high a standard for physical development alien to the people’s culture.
Colloquium is good, but it is not a panacea to the problem at hand. It is just a brainstorming session where “planners talk to planners” repeating to themselves issues and problems of planning, which they already know and over-flogged. A typical example is this colloquium under reference. Except for the joggling of the words of all the topics discussed based on the various papers presented, which of these topics had not been exhaustively treated in the past or covered in a recent book titled “The State of Urban and Regional Planning in Nigeria” published by the NITP in 2014 during the tenure of the immediate past National President, Tpl. Steve Onu. The book was an excellent anthology. It covered every aspects of urban and regional planning in Nigeria from its history, practice, problems, education, collaboration, and ICT application to planning. The book ended with a long list of brilliant recommendations on “how to move planning forward” in order to overcome its various challenges. One wonders what has happened to these recommendations. Was there a follow-up by NITP to ensure the implementation of those forthright recommendations? Lack of continuity is always the bane.
Who is to blame for this seeming discord and lack of visibility?
It is an age-long internal problem. The approach chosen by the Institute in the past and now, to up the visibility of the profession in government circle and to earn respect/acceptability from the citizens is not working because the Institute has not devised a “creative way to tell planning story” to the government and the governed. Except in the case of Abuja, the nation’s seat of government, which was developed from scratch as a new capital city, there is not enough documentation about what planning has been able to achieve in terms of intervention and solution to planning problems plaguing most Nigerian cities and towns. It is still chaos all over the cities’ landscape. Where there is no written documentation, there won’t be dissemination of information. Town Planning is not abstract. It is better appreciated in practice than in theory. It is what people see and feel most especially when a planning decision affects or impacts their lives that they appreciate.
The NITP will be doing a lot of good to its reputation if it has a medium or reporting format for best practice in any area(s) where an action as a result of planning decision/intervention turns things around for the benefit of the people no matter how minute. An example that comes to mind is the introduction of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in 2008 by the Lagos State Government (LASG) as a strategy to improve public transportation in the Mega City; and to discourage the constant use of private automobile in a city of notorious traffic congestion. The BRT buses run on dedicated lanes, which enable the buses to move faster without being held up in the gridlock, a luxury that could not be enjoyed by car owners or other private-owned public transport danfo or molue buses. Since the BRT appeared on the streets of the mega city, ridership has been on the increase exponentially, while residents living in areas where there is no BRT service are demanding for it. The planning intervention caused a change of attitude among the residents to patronise the BRT as a means of public transportation because it is comfortable and faster. The LASG has received more than its fair share of public accolade for this planning initiative, which Lagosians can physically see and feel its impact.
The NITP needs to change tactics.
What is the ideal medium of information dissemination on the success stories of impactful planning intervention(s), policies, programmes, projects or planning best practices? Proper documentation is the answer. The NITP needs soft-sell periodicals in the form of magazines and ICT-based information focusing on different planning issues that could be of interest to the reading public, government officials, elected officials (politicians of different hues), students who are aspiring to be planners, civil organisations and of late, faith organisations whose activities along major highways are anti-planning.
APA as a golden best practice. The American Planning Association (APA) is a master in the game of planning advocacy, citizen engagement, and politics of planning, community outreach, peer mentoring and public law.
The Association has robust machinery for public relations in various forms. APA uses different kinds of publications to advance planning as a subject of public interest, to arrest the attention of all tiers of American governments (Federal, State and Local) on planning issues and to show its success stories in many a community in America, which it amply documents in print and aptly code named, Great Places in America and Great Communities in America.
Its flagship publication, Journal of American Planning Association (JAPA), focuses on applied research and technical planning issues. It is a journal strictly for professional planners as the targeted readership.
The other soft-read magazines which APA publishes are Planning, The Commissioner, Planning Advisory Service (PAS), Interact an e-newsletter, Zoning Practice and a host of online services where non-planners can source information on planning. APA also has multimedia services used in dissemination of vital information and telling illuminating stories by way of online planning tutorial, video, downloadable and still photographs. In addition to the afore-mentioned publications, APA has a well-stocked library where books on any subject matters of planning can be found…..principles/theories of planning, planning for tourism, transportation, green planning, smart growth, smart cities, sustainable cities, urban form, urban financing, management, zoning, comprehensive plan, planning laws and more allied topics. There is another library named Image Library which is stocked with visual images and pictures that could be used to communicate planning messages in graphic form for ease of comprehension by laymen and during plan presentation to elected Planning Commissioners who are not necessarily trained planners, despite their title appellation.
The Journal of Nigerian Institute of Town Planners remains what it is: An academic journal with its lingo used in disseminating intellectual message to professional town planners. It does little or nothing to arrest the attention of the reading public who are non-planners. Its outreach is therefore very limited and cannot serve public interest in planning.
Planning and politics. The practice of planning can be characterised in two ways. Intellectually, it is a process of problem-solving with rationality, following a set of basic steps in a planning process. Socially, it is a process of advice-giving. Any advice given or recommendation made by planners to solve a manifest planning problem is still to be considered by decision-makers who are usually elected public officials: politicians!! A recommendation good before the planner may not be so before the decision-makers because of vested interest and political expediency. This has been an age-long modus operandi and it is unlikely to change. The foreseeable future scenario is that, public policy will be in the purview of elected political leaders. If the NITP wants to be effective and have a voice in the corridor of power at all levels of government, the Institute must of necessity interact with the political process through lobbyists; and to embark on a road show of mobilizing the support of political actors at the grassroots (i.e. local council chairmen and the councilors). This same approach must also be in pari pasu with politicians in the National Assembly and the Houses of Assembly at the federal and state levels respectively.
Local planning hero as a story teller of what good planning can achieve. Nigeria is not bereft of adept, prolific and cerebral planners. They featured prominently in academics, in practice and in government and in scholarly paper writing, yet the country lacks a planning hero credited with an earth-shaking brain child project similar to what Jaime Lerner did to planning in the city of Curitiba, Brazil. Jaime Lerner, a planner/architect was the father of BRT concept. It was started in 1974 in Curitiba. Today, over 400 cities around the world (including Lagos mega city) have caught the bug of using the innovative transport system which originated from Lerner’s seminal mind. Though he was a planner of a small city in the Amazon jungle, he left a global planning legacy. Matt Tomasulo was an obscure urban designer/activist who in 2012 single-handedly launched the Walk (Your City) movement to showcase and boost community walkability in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. It is a civic platform of getting more people walking the street instead of driving the car. Like the BRT concept, many cities around the globe have emulated the idea in practice. We need a local planning hero or company who will be credited for a dramatic planning initiative or innovative, of national impact and importance!
Tactical urbanism as an option to change government attitude towards planning in Nigeria. The new terminology in the planning lexicon “tactical urbanism” is adroit in planning or maneuvering to accomplish a purpose. It is a way of forcing government to act. Those who indulge in the tactical planning approach saw the need to do certain thing that would benefit their communities, but due to government bureaucracy, such thing gets delayed or never gets done. The tacticians could be individuals or associations, who would take immediate action for public good without waiting endlessly for government intervention. Best practices of tactical urbanism in many areas of planning (policy change, city beautification, project implementation, law amendment, park creation, adaptive use, street reconditioning and legislative advocacy are abound in contemporary planning literature. The NITP as a planning association just has to be contemporary in its approach for seeking relevance in governance and public acceptability. As the saying goes, so many roads lead to Rome. Using any form of tactics that will achieve result is normal and acceptable.
By Tpl. Yacoob Abiodun (former Secretary, National Housing Policy Council; Urban Planner; Planning Advocate)
Nigerian environmentalist and activist, Odigha Odigha, was on Thursday morning arrested in his home in Calabar, Cross River State. He will be spending the night in detention as, according to sources, all attempts to get him out on bail proved abortive.
Odigha Odigha with Richard Goldman at the 2003 Goldman Prize ceremony in San Francisco, California
Mr Odigha was reportedly arrested on the orders of the executive governor of the state, Prof Ben Ayade. He is being held at the Police Headquarters in Diamond Hill, Calabar on some audit investigation carried out at the Cross River State Forestry Commission (CRSFC), where he used to be the chairman.
Odigha’s lawyer, who prefers to remain anonymous, disclosed that the crusader/activist for environmental protection and social justice is being accused of embezzling over N100 million during his tenure as CRSFC boss. Odigha is also said to be unable to account for money paid to him and officials to cover travel expenses.
According to a source, the allegation was written and personally signed and given to the Police Commissioner by the Attorney-General of the state who, acting on the orders of the governor, instructed that Mr Odigha be arrested and prosecuted.
But observers have condemned the arrest, saying that the governor made up the charges in the bid to silence those opposing the rather unpopular 260km Superhighway Project that is expected to slice through the Cross River National Park as well as a community forest at Ekuri.
“These (allegations against Odigha) we know are mere trumped-up charges orchestrated by the powers that be who are uncomfortable about his (Odigha’s) resistance of the Superhighway Project and land grabbing schemes of the present administration,” a source close to the National Park disclosed.
Paddy Ezeala, who used to work the National Park as well as the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), said: “The arrest of Mr. Odigha Odigha by the authorities in Cross River State is undoubtedly aimed at psychologically intimidating the environmental community. Reference to his tenure as the Chairman of the State Forestry Commission is an afterthought tainted with a prejudicial temperament.
“This is an unnecessary generation of tension at a time synergy is required to deliver sustainable development. Mr. Odigha is a leading light in uncompromised environmentalism whose position on development issues has always been on the side of the people and the environment. High handedness on the part of the Cross River State Government is anti-development and therefore condemnable.
“The storm is gathering as our democracy is ebbing away. The governor has bared his fangs crudely and there is no room for such in a democracy.”
A source with close ties with the CRSFC said that himself and Odigha were earlier this year invited by the police for questioning, on the grounds that they were fuelling opposition to the Superhighway Project.
“Odigha misappropriating over N100 million? Ridiculous! Do they have that kind of money at the Commission? Where ordinary imprest was not paid to staffers? The governor is simply trying to clampdown on anyone campaigning against the Superhighway,” he said.
Odigha, a mathematician by training, was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2003, for his efforts on protection of the rainforests of Cross River State from industrial logging.
The African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW) has identified water insecurity induced-diarrhea as one of the largest killers of children under five years of age in sub-Saharan Africa. The group’s Chairperson, Mrs Doreen Wandera, said this on Tuesday at the ongoing Africa Water Week in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Chairperson of ANEW, Doreen Wandera
Wandera, quoting a 2016 WaterAid Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Watch, said deliberate efforts should be made by all African Governments to prioritise access to water and sanitation. She said that it was saddening to note that 650 million people around the world lived without access to water. According to her, the region has 15 years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) six, which envisions universal, sustainable, affordable and equitable access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and hygiene.
“We call on African governments and ministries to prioritise WASH as fundamental in the implementation and achievement of the SDGs. As a civil society group, we understand that for the development of Africa, particularly regarding the health and dignity of our people requires demanding action from our governments. It is Only by prioritising and achieving the global SDG 6 on water and sanitation that will make us to see the change we want.”
Wandera also called for increased domestic resource mobilisation to achieve sustainable service delivery, to ensure that no one was left behind. The chairperson urged all countries to progressively reduce inequalities arising from accessing water.
The African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation is a coalition of CSOs working to scale up access to water and sanitation in the region. It works through advocacy and coordination to influence governments’ decisions, to keep to the promises of meeting the Africa Water Vision 2025 and the AU’s Agenda 2063 of managing water resources effectively.
In a related development, ANEW called for an ambitious roadmap to achieving sustainable development goals on water and sanitation as necessary for national development plans of African countries.
Presenting a statement to African Governments through the African Ministers’ Council on Water(AMCOW), Wandera highlighted the urgent need to prioritise water sanitation and hygiene if nations are to achieve Africa vision 2063 of optimising resources for all Africans, leaving no one behind.
“We call upon governments to ensure that the commitments of the Ngor declaration are aligned to the national level goal 6 implementation plans,” said Wandera. She further challenged governments to ensure a stronger role of civil society at various levels for coordination, communication and improved accountability.
Representing WaterAid CEO Barbara Frost, Head of Region Lydia Zigomo, challenged governments and stakeholders to utilise the 6th Africa Water Week to agree on a roadmap that will ensure transformational change. “It cannot be business as usual; we need to increase the pace at all levels in order to reach everyone everywhere in Africa by 2030,” remarked Zigomo.
The 6th Africa Water Week, organised by African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and other development partners from across the world, aspires to lay the building blocks for Africa to achieve the SDG 6, as well as other inter-linking SDGs connected with water resources management.
A Bill to provide for the Establishment of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) Regulatory Commission Nigeria passes the Second Reading in the House of Representatives, but civil society players are unimpressed, saying that government intervention into their affairs is uncalled for.
Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara
Leading the debate at the plenary session of July 14th 2016, Umar Buba Jibril (Deputy Leader, PDP: Kogi) who is the Sponsor of the Bill, stated that it seeks to properly supervise, monitor and co-ordinate Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs).
Jibril noted that he was concerned over the defective operational values of such organisations that are left to operate within its own Constitution and sometimes within the whims and caprices of their donors. He added that, in this circumstance, the establishment of a Commission is pertinent, as it would further address challenges and gaps identified as a result of the absence of a regulatory legal framework.
He added that the Bill would facilitate and co-ordinate the activities of National and International
CSOs; maintain a register that clearly indicates organisations affiliations and locations of their activities; set criteria that needs to be met before registration and recognition; and, ensure transparency and accountability in its operations.
Furthermore, Jibril explained that the Bill also seeks to establish a National Council of Voluntary Agencies as a collective forum for all voluntary organisations registered with the Commission, adding that the said Council would develop a Code of Conduct on matters related to funding, foreign affiliation, and national security, amongst others.
The Bill, which contains Seven Chapters, 58 Clauses and a Schedule, will guide the operations of the Commission when established.
But Oghene Emmanuel Egor (APC: Delta) opposed the Bill on the floor of the House, stating that the establishment of the Commission would defeat the aim and objectives of CSOs as it may attempt to manage and control funds received. He stated that it is not within the jurisdictions of the Federal Government to monitor funds that it did not donate nor have ownership of.
The Bill has been referred to the Committee on CSOs and Development Partners for further legislative
input.
Meanwhile, CSO operatives, who have been debating the implications of the proposed law, decry the development.
Paddy Ezeala, erstwhile spokesperson with the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), submitted: “The whole idea negates the openness of society, nay public space which constitutes the basic ingredient of democracy. The contributions of the civil society to the restoration of democracy in Nigeria shouldn’t have been forgotten so soon.”
Another campaigner, Martins Egot, stated: This is an attempt to deprive the Nigeria society of the enormous positive role the civil society play in ensuring wide spread participatory development in the nation. It is an attempt to put the civil society under the manipulation of government, and make them propaganda instrument of government. Just thinking aloud; what would have been the state of the Cross River State’s rich biodiversity today if the civil society where under the absolute control of the state government?
“I salute the courage of Oghene Emmanuel from Delta State for speaking out against the bill, and hope that other members who are not threatened by the position and role of the civil society in a growing democracy like ours will join him in opposing the bill.”
Godwin Ugah of CSO International said: “It seems our government does not have much of work up their sleeves. When other countries are busy setting aside funds to help developing countries like Nigeria, we are busy passing bills that regulate NGOs. These efforts have never yielded any positive results, as in the case of Cross River State where the Department of International Donor Support was created and was at that time proposing that NGOs pay certain tax. The department ended up being separated and led to the creation of the Department of Civil Society and NGOs, which aimed to raise funds from NGOs by carrying out yearly validation of NGOs in the state.
“In my opinion, NGOs should be allowed to operate freely without the intervention of government, and government should rather make funds available to NGOs to function properly instead of trying to making it difficult for NGOs to access the ever decreasing funding which has led to the extinction of several NGOs.”
Women and youth potters in the Malkohi Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Yola, Adamawa State, are being thought how to construct stoves that save wood, reduce smoke and save money for IDP families and members of the Malkohi community.
IDP women molding a stove
Rather than giving clean cookstoves hand-outs, the Australian High Commission, through the Direct Aid Programme, has opted to build the capacity of the IDPs, some of who are already earning income by selling the fuelwood efficient stoves to the needy. The project is being implemented by the International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development (ICEED).
Maryam Musa, one of the IDPs, said: “Before Boko Haram drove us out of Gwoza in Borno State some of us were potters. Hardly did we know that our skills as potters will help us in our time of need as IDPs. Today, we have learnt to build these cooking stoves and now have a source of income to help our families.”
The project has empowered about 50 IDP women and youths in the production of clay-based energy efficient cookstoves, and will be training an additional 50 on sales and distribution of the stoves. The stoves, it was gathered, reduce emissions of harmful gases compared to the traditional three-stone open fire stoves and firewood consumption by about 50%.
The broad objective of the project, according to its promoters, is to strengthen the protection of IDPs and provide them with a sustainable source of livelihood. By building their skills on sustainable energy production, IDPs in Malkohi camp are reportedly making important contributions to combating climate change.
Ewah Eleri, Executive Director of ICEED, stated: “This project seeks to fill a gap in the humanitarian response in Nigeria. Typical IDP camps are characterised by lack of opportunities for employment and meaningful livelihood. This contributes to youth restiveness and tension. Adopting alternative fuels and energy technologies can create jobs for IDPS, especially women and youths. The use of these stoves also reduces the risks of physical and sexual attacks faced by IDP women.
“Access to fuel-efficient stoves, cooking fuel and lighting is usually a minimum standard in humanitarian response. However, while clean cookstoves and lighting are all recognised as lifesaving non-food items provided to IDPs, these minimum requirements are not often met. In Nigeria, there is no formal recognition of this gap in humanitarian support and therefore fuel and energy are not yet an integrated part of the items provided to IDPS.”
Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, Akwa Ibom State, Dr Iniobong Ene Essien, sheds some light on the forthcoming Climate Change Summit scheduled to hold in Uyo, the state capital. He believes that, tothe people of the state, this is an opportunity to create green jobs
Dr. Iniobong Ene Essien, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources
Kindly shed some light on this much-talked-about climate change conference.
The summit is essentially on climate change and sustainable environment, with the theme, “Charting a Roadmap for Sustainable Environment and Creation of Green Jobs”. It is going to attract national and international audience. We have prominent speakers, like the Honourable Minister of Environment, who is going to give a keynote address; we have Prof Hillary Inyang, who is going to present a technical paper and quite a number of other experts on climate change and clean energy and technology. The Summit will also feature the exhibition of clean technology and other related climate change technologies. Participants will be drawn from within and outside the country. We have invited all the state Ministries of Environment and their Commissioners. Participants will also come from the academia. Clean energy developers and operators will also participate. Our youths that returned from the state government-sponsored training on solar energy will also be there. And of course, in tandem with our principle of catching them young, we are going to have a number of students from various schools participating actively.
I understand this is the maiden edition of the Summit. Why do you choose to have the summit on climate change in Akwa Ibom State now?
It is scientifically proven that climate change has come to stay and the impacts are such that we cannot run away from. The effect is all over the place. In a coastal state like Akwa Ibom, we have erosion all over the place. The question is: why are these things happening now? The environment has always been there but we never experienced these kind of problems. If the scientific evidence of climate change and its effects are real, then we certainly do have a better time than now to look seriously at the urgent need to ensure that we put in place mechanisms that would ensure mitigation and adaptation against climate change. Climate change affects agriculture, food production, water supply and many other areas. There is serious flooding and sea level rise and these are quite prominent now. We have a number of communities that are dislocated because of this problem. So, now is the time to look seriously in the direction of ensuring that we put in place mechanism that will mitigate against climate change.
How beneficial would the summit be to the people of Akwa Ibom and Nigerians?
To the people of Akwa Ibom, this is an opportunity to create green jobs. We are also looking at participating fully in the Intended National Determined Contributions (INDCs) of Nigeria towards the policy on climate change. Nigeria took part effectively in COP21 in Paris, and COP22 is coming up in Morocco. We should be able to make our own contributions towards what will be presented in Morocco. More importantly, we are trying to create a low carbon city in Akwa Ibom State and make it a hub for renewable energy and, in the long run, because climate change is on the front burners, it is going to attract many investors. Investors from the developed nations are looking for low-carbon city where carbon credit is created, and of course, money is generated from there. So, it is going to be a win-win situation for our state and by extension, our country.
Like I said, impact of climate change has come to stay. Scientists have proven that the earth is warming and there is no running away from that fact. Therefore, we must key into global trend. Climate change issues are on the front burner. Sometime last year, President Muhammadu Buhari was in Dubai and, later, Paris to attend Climate Change Summit. Therefore, there is no way we can say this is not an important event. This is the time to bring climate change issues to the fore, to create awareness on effects of climate change and also put in place structures and mechanism that will mitigate the effects of climate change.
How has your ministry been performing in terms of tackling issues affecting the environment in the state?
First of all, we have to key into the policy of industrialisation of the present administration. There is no way you can do industrialisation without clearing bushes and cutting down trees; the groundbreaking ceremony will certainly end up with cutting down trees and getting the places ready. The consciousness must be there that for every tree you take down you should be able to plant three or more, considering the fact that it takes up to five years before you can even have seedlings grow into mature trees. For us as a Ministry, we are careful that once these trees are being brought down, we are making conscious effort to replace them. Secondly, in the area of waste management, we are looking at it seriously because industrialisation comes with population increase and, therefore, increase waste generation. So, we are looking at waste recycling as part of our waste management effort. Waste-to-wealth is something that we are looking at seriously. We have an integrated waste management plant that is coming up and, once it takes up fully, all our waste will go there for management.
That one in particular is looking at organic fertilizer as a final product. We are also encouraging other investors to come in and look at other areas of recycling. The other area is on the issue of flooding and erosion control. A lot of erosion problems that we are facing now are man-made, which goes to agree with what scientists themselves have confirmed. I remember that the Pope once said that the human induced climate change is something that the scientists have confirmed and therefore, its mitigation is a moral and religious obligation for humanity – it is an imperative. That means we must take steps now to correct past mistakes. The president of US said that for the sake of our future and that of our own children, we must do more to combat the effects of climate change. That underscores the seriousness of the effect of climate change – it is staring everybody in the face and so, all hands must be on deck. The Ministry of Environment is doing everything to ensure that all areas of human-induced climate change are tackled. And then the areas that are vulnerable to climate change, we should take steps to reduce the vulnerabilities of such areas.
Has the ministry been carrying out sensitisation programmes to enlighten the people on the fact that most environmental problems are man-made?
We have stepped up enlightenment in this area. We are enlightening our people on the effects of degrading their natural environment. We are also talking to people on the need to keep our drainages free. You know, a number of people still believe that drainages are dumpsites, and so, they generate their wastes and throw them into gutters and, at the end of the day, these gutters, which are supposed to be channels for water to flow, are blocked. Enlightenment is a continuous thing. We will continuously enlighten the people on the need to preserve the environment and keep it clean.
What should people expect from the summit?
It is a major summit that will address issues of climate change. Climate change challenges are here with us and every person who is interested in the mitigation of climate change must attend this summit. The gains of the climate change are long-lasting. We must start planning to be able to benefit maximally. One of the gains will be the creation of green jobs. Some of the people who are coming to exhibit have products that will create green jobs for our people. For instance, not too long ago, we had 200 of our youths that went to train on solar energy technology. They are through with the training and have returned home. We need to integrate them into some of the renewable energy technology programmes.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has announced the cancellation of logging concessions observers feel were illegally granted.
Illegal logging
Environment watchdog, Greenpeace, believes that its report on 12th July about several breaches of the DRC moratorium on allocation of new logging concessions influenced the government decision.
Robert Bopolo Bogeza, DRC’s Minister of Environment, Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development, announced in the press recently that “all three titles will be canceled”.
Greenpeace Africa in a statement on Tuesday welcomed this decision by DRC Minister of Environment which, it added, was one of the recommendations outlined in the report.
“However, a mere cancellation of the logging contracts on its own is not enough: any responsibility for the breaches that lies with the former or current Minister of Environment must be clearly identified, and sanctions taken,” Greenpeace submitted in the statement endorsed by spokesperson, Hellen Dena.
The further demands “a thorough and transparent investigation done by an independent investigation commission, to ensure accountability of all officials associated with or involved in concealing the violation.”
It adds: “This is a crucial first step to address the impunity, nepotism and corruption in the forestry sector. To further ensure that all involved in this serious breach of the moratorium will be sanctioned, Greenpeace will bring this case to the Public Prosecutor for further investigation.”
In February 2016, the Minister of Environment signed three mission orders for Ministry staff to supervise and facilitate the negotiation of social contracts in the concession areas. In a comment on the Greenpeace report, the Minister reportedly claimed that the public records of the Ministry of Environment show, ‘… no sign of these contracts granting three forest concessions to Somifor and Fodeco. The Treasury has not cashed anything in this illegal transaction”, adding that he had decided to cancel these contracts “for the holders not to be able to claim them later”.
Yet, according to the concession contracts, a deposit of $50.000 was paid as a guarantee for each concession.
Greenpeace believes that this statement warrants a full investigation. “The facts suggest that either the Minister signed the mission orders in the full knowledge that the concessions were illegally awarded, which would be a clear breach of the moratorium, or the Minister signed the mission orders without even the most basic check of the legality of the concessions, which suggests negligence and a serious lack of governmental control over the forest sector. Both possible explanations are of grave concern and call for serious ramifications.”
Greenpeace also requests a response from the current Minister on the claims made by his predecessor, Mr. Bienvenu Liyota Ndjoli. Mr Liyota denied that the concessions were illegally awarded on the grounds that all three concessions were “reallocations, not new concessions”.
Dena wrote: “Yet the 1st article of the Ministerial Order of May 14th 2002 is very clear: it suspends the granting of new supply guarantees (‘Garanties d’Approvisionnement’) or letter of intent (‘Lettres d’Intention’) related to timber, as well as their renewal or extension. The titles in question were returned to the private domain of the State after the moratorium was put in place. The ‘reallocation’ of such title is a case of renewal to a different concessionaire, and therefore a new forest concession contract, which is a clear breach of the moratorium.
“This safeguard to protect Congolese forests cannot be lifted unless a geographic programming of future allocations is made, based on a consultative process. This process has not yet started. The former Minister of Environment Liyota also claimed to have received a principal agreement from the Prime Minister to examine the concession demands.”
Use of mobile telephone technologies and community radio services has been cited as one of the best methods of sharing and disseminating climate information for effective early warning, and adaptation.
Community based flood early warning system. Credit: unfccc.int
Experts attending the sixth session of the Africa Water Week (AWW-6) in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, have pointed out that early warning systems can be set up to avoid or reduce the impact of hazards such as floods, landslides, storms, and forest fires. However, the significance of an effective system lies in the recognition of its benefits by local people.
According to Dr Abdourahman H-Gaba Maki of the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), early warning system is a major element of disaster risk reduction, and helps in preventing loss of life and properties.
“This also ensures there is a constant state of preparedness,” he told the AWW-6 audience.
To make the system effective and relevant to the people, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has developed a mobile telephone application (app) known as “IGAD-ASIGN”, through which mobile phone owners have an opportunity to contribute towards disaster preparedness by taking and sending photos of given geographical situation, in relation to an impending, or a particular disaster.
“The IGAD-ASIGN is an important smart-phone application because it facilitates interaction and feedback from the ground,” said Maki.
The photos taken by volunteers are used as field validation of IGAD and other partners’ satellite image analyses, thus contributing to accurate and efficient disaster risk reduction solutions. This has helped vulnerable countries in the Greater Horn of Africa region to make better and faster decisions.
In the same vein, Maki pointed out the RANET radio networks operated by the Meteorological Department in Kenya, through which farmers and residents are able to access climate related information via community based radio stations, which usually broadcast in local languages.
“RANET” is an international collaboration of meteorological and similar services working to improve rural and remote community access to weather, climate, and related information.
Less than two years after it went on air, Nganyi RANET Community Radio in Western Kenya, for example, has become a valuable asset to the community, where many people keep glued on their radio sets listening to different programs, while other access the signal via mobile phones.
Through this radio station, the community served by the station can now understand when it is likely to rain, whether the rainfall will be heavy to cause floods, when the dry spell is likely to begin; hence, helping them prepare for the eventualities.
It helps farmers know when to plant and the type of seeds to plant depending on the amount of rainfall expected.
The Horn of Africa region has been noted to be one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in the world (IPCC, AR5, 2014) due to the inadequacy of resources to adapt socially, technologically and financially.
Use of radio and mobile phones therefore ensures that the required information reach the people on the ground, as a way of reducing the negative impact of climate change.
According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, early warning systems have limitations in terms of saving lives if they are not combined with “people-centred” networks.
To be effective, says the federation, warnings will have little value unless they reach the people most at risk, who need to be trained to respond appropriately to an approaching hazard.
And now, with the bigger percentage of people in rural areas having access to community radio, and some of them to smart-phones, it has become easier to interact between the government, the people and the experts.
The African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) has called on member-countries to increase their budget for water in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on water and sanitation.
Executive Secretary, AMCOW, Bai-Mass Taal
AMCOW’s Executive Secretary, Mr Bai-Mass Taal, made the call at the ongoing Africa Water Week in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Monday.
He said that there was no doubt that achieving the SDGs for water security and sanitation would require a different approach from that of the MDGs.
According to him, finance plays a major role toward meeting this goal and it is saddening to note that most country budgets relegate water and sanitation to the background.
“When you look at budgets for water in most African countries, it can never be in the top five; this is not good.
“Most leaders forget that water is a multi-sector issue; it cuts across agriculture, health, education, socio-economic issues, so we must stop this trend if we want to achieve the SDGs.”
Taal said that water was seen as non-important, but said that the trend should change.
He said that the week was a wake-up call for the region to begin to think outside the box for strategies that would help countries scale up access to water for all.
He also said to ensure secured, productive and sustainable water for all purposes as well as sanitation and hygiene, interventions were prerequisite for sustainable economic development.
Earlier, AMCOW President, Mr Amadou Faye, said that the choice of the theme, “Achieving the SDGs on Water Security and Sanitation”, was driven by the recognition to lay foundation for Africa to meet the SDGs.
He said that the “SDG 6’’ was interlinking with other SDGs, hence the need to place emphasis on matching commitments and plans with concrete actions.
Faye said that the outcome of the Africa Water Week would be a roadmap for developing a comprehensive plan of action from the ‘Ngor Declaration’ on water security and sanitation.
He stated that the programmes that would emanate from the plans would contribute to poverty alleviation, health improvements, social development and economic growth.
The president called for strengthened cooperation among countries with shared water resources to build stronger partnerships for the implementation of AMCOW work plan.
The 6th Africa Water Week aspires to lay the building blocks for Africa to achieve the “SDG 6’’ as well as other inter-linking SDGs connected with water resources management.
The week represents a political commitment at the highest level for creating platform to discuss and collectively seek solutions to Africa’s water and sanitation challenges.
