Following a five-month progress report, the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) Project has established 137 limiting nutrient and 70 intercrop trials in a bid to crack the agronomy of cassava.
Agronomy implies the science of soil management and crop production. Centered on improving cassava production, the project aims to improve the livelihoods and incomes of cassava farmers in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda.
A statement released by Godwin Atser, Communication and Knowledge Exchange Expert at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, disclosed that, so far, “20 limiting nutrient trials have been established in Nigeria and 117 in Tanzania,” while for “the intercrop trials, 29 cassava/maize trials have been established in Nigeria, and 41 cassava/sweet potato trials in Tanzania.”
ACAI’s Project Leader, Dr. Abdulai Jalloh, said that the trials would help researchers to answer key questions that relate to cassava agronomy. “Understanding the agronomy of cassava is a crucial step towards maximising the genetic gain of the root crop.”
The statement further disclosed that the project has plans for 667 trials in both Nigeria and Tanzania across the four use cases directly associated with field experimentation. “These are as follows: fertilizer recommendation (295); best planting practices (150); intercropping (202), and staggered planting (20),” it disclosed.
While the trials so far established represent about 44% of the targeted total number of trials, the progress report shows that, across countries, establishment of trials has been higher in Tanzania with 82%, compared to Nigeria, which has 26%.
“This is mainly due to the varying rainy season and farming systems in the two countries. The rains for the first planting during which most of the planting has been done in Tanzania are relatively earlier (March/April), while the main planting season for cassava in Nigeria is April/May. The remaining trials will be planted by the end of May/June in Nigeria while the rest of the planting in Tanzania has been shifted to the second planting in October/November. In general, the trials will be established within the window of planting by the farmers in both countries,” the statement explained.
The Central Africa Director of the IITA, Dr. Bernard Vanlauwe, said, “We hope that more trials will be set up as we enter June when rains would have steadied in Nigeria.”
Costa Rica is an especially biodiverse country, holding about 4% of the world’s known species. Sadly, the country is contractually obligated to keep two of its zoos open for another decade.
Still, after that, they plan to shut it down in favour of a cage-free habitat for the animals to live in.
Treehugger reports that the nation, which also recently banned hunting for sport, will close the last two zoos in the next 10 years and give the animals a more natural habitat in which to exist. They want to convey to the world that they respect and care for wild animals.
Environmental Minister René Castro says, “We are getting rid of the cages and reinforcing the idea of interacting with biodiversity in botanical parks in a natural way.”
We don’t want animals in captivity or enclosed in any way unless it is to rescue or save them.”
Any animals currently in captivity that would not survive in the wild will be cared for in rescue centres and wildlife sanctuaries. No new zoos will be opened.
The biological effects and medical applications of radiation from wireless communication technologies and domestic gadgets have been debatable.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that more than 25,000 articles have been published over the last 30 years on the subject.
This report looks at what happens when we are exposed to to electromagnetic frequencies and how we may protect ourselves.
People often buy the quality of cookware that fits their budget.
After all, the end result of a cooked meal is what matters the most.
Studies have it that the wrong kind of cookware could be endangering your health.
Following the commencement of rainy season in parts of Nigeria, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is sensitising stakeholders on the need to start early preparation against flood in the country.
UNICEF Emergency Specialist, Olusoji Adeniyi, stressing a point during the programme
In 2015, hundreds of houses and lives were destroyed by floods that affected more than 10 states across the country. Thousands of people in both rural and urban communities were displaced by the floods.
Some of the 2015 floods victims recently received government assistance from National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
A three-day Emergency and Preparedness Response workshop on Flood was organised recently by UNICEF for emergency preparedness stakeholders in 13 states in the Northern part of the country plus the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and media practitioners.
UNICEF Emergency Specialist, Olusoji Adeniyi, stressed the need for people to start emergency preparedness in their homes, saying the rains are here and the floods are going to come whether people like it or not.
He explained that emergency preparedness and response is everybody’s business, adding: “If we prepare, we are likely to have better chance of responding appropriately.”
“So, if you know you are living in a place that was flooded before, this is the time you should know that it’s likely to flood again and you should have a Plan B of when you need to relocate to higher ground or to clear your drains. Make sure that sufficient provisions are made for the water to flow away rather than flow into your apartment, if your environment is clean and the drains are well taken care of you are likely not to suffer flood,” he said.
in his remarks, Media and External Relations Officer, UNICEF Kaduna, Rabiu Musa, who delivered a paper on “Media Engagement in Emergencies”, noted that emergencies are facts which is part of people’s daily lives and as such must be prepared for, addressed and responded appropriately and timely too.
He sought the cooperation of the media which he said has a greater role to play in sensitising the public on emergency response.
Rabiu called on the media to continue to deliver on positive reportage in constantly educating and informing the people on issues of emergencies and to also respect people’s privacy especially when it concerns children and women.
A coalition of civil society groups comprising the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria/Friends of the Earth International (ERA/FoEN/FoEI), has accused the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) of defying government policy statement and going ahead to issue permits for genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) in the country.
Critics fear genetically modified foods can cause environmental harm and damage human health. Photo credit: dailymail.co.uk
The coalition disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday in Benin City, Edo State that the NBMA also acted contrary to efforts by millions of Nigerians to resist the product.
Nnimmo Bassey (Director, HOMEF) and Mariann Orovwuje (Food Sovereignty Manager/Coordinator, ERA/FoEN/FoEI) disclosed in the statement: “Despite the promise of the Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibril that ‘Nigeria would not mortgage the safety of its citizens by introducing unproven products into the country’ and the concerted efforts by over five million Nigerians (made up of 100 groups comprising farmers, faith-based organisations, civil society groups, students and local farmers) to prevent the introduction of genetically modified (GM) cotton and maize into Nigeria’s foods and farming system, the NBMA has issued two permits, one for the Commercial Release and Placing on Market of genetically modified cotton and the other for the confined field trial of maize, to Monsanto Agriculture Nigeria Limited.”
The two permits have been posted on NBMA website. They were signed by the Director-General of NBMA, Rufus Ebegba, on Sunday, 1st May, 2016 and issued to Monsanto Agriculture Nigeria Limited. The first is entitled: “Permit for Commercial release / Placing on Market of Cotton (MON15985) genetically modified for lepidopteran insect pest resistance” with Permit No: NBMA/CM/IM/001. The second is entitled: “Permit for Confined Field Trial (CFT) of maize (NK603 and MON 89034 x NK603) genetically modified for insect resistance and herbicide tolerance” with Permit No: NBMA/C FT/001.
Reacting to the development, Bassey stressed: “This is extremely shocking. Little wonder officials of NBMA, National Biotech Development Agency (NABDA) and their pro-GMO train have been fighting tooth and nail to fool Nigerians by claiming that GMOs are safe! They approved the poorly concocted applications and issued these permits on a Sunday when government offices do not open. In fact, 2nd May was also a public holiday.”
Orovwuje disclosed: “Several main areas of concern had been identified regarding objections to the release (and placement in the market) of GM Cotton and confined field trial of Maize in Nigeria. There are serious concerns and they include amongst many: health concerns, environmental concerns, socio-economic concerns, technical and administrative concerns, molecular concerns, safety assessments, environment risk assessment, secondary pests and insect resistance and many more concerns have been extensively laid out in our submissions to NBMA objecting to Monsanto’s applications.”
In the objection to Monsanto’s applications, the concerned Nigerians stated that in its application MON 15985, Monsanto is using genes referred to as cry2Ab2 and cry1Ac, which produce Bt toxins that have been synthetically manufactured with no history of safe use in nature. The insertion of the antibiotic resistant marker gene (ARMG) causes concerns regarding the potential transfer of antibiotic resistance to other living organisms. This concern, which is dismissed by the applicant, has been raised by a scientific panel of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), stating that this particular ARMG should be restricted to field trial purposes and should not be present in GM plants to be placed on the market – this is what NBMA has released into the Nigerian market.
The groups also complained that there is no baseline data regarding the quantity, spread and use of cottonseed meal/cakes/oil used for human or animal consumption in Nigeria, and therefore no foundation for the assessment of food and feed safety.
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, a concerned consumer, faults NBMA’s decisions, saying: “The claim of the agency shocking when it claims that in arriving ‘at this decision the National Biosafety Management Agency took into consideration the advice of National Biosafety Committee National Biosafety Technical Sub-committee and public views. The Agency was convinced that there are no known adverse impacts to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity taking into account risk to human health.’ The agencies they consulted are in the business of promoting these toxic and risky GMOs in Nigeria. We do not also know which public NBMA consulted.”
Bassey said, “We have always said the NBMA Act of 2015 is gravely defective, because its governing board is filled with GMO promoters such as NABDA and the Biotechnology Society of Nigeria. Those GMO promoters are concerned with ensuring the profit of biotech entrepreneurs rather than the health and environmental concerns of Nigerians. A case in point is that NABDA a member of the Board of NBMA is a co-sponsor with Monsanto of the application for the field trials of the GMO maize. We are also appalled that an agency saddled with defending Nigeria’s biodiversity is actively promoting these risky technologies.
“NBMA approved Monsanto’s proposal for Bt cotton despite the fact that on the 14th of April, 2016, our neighbours, Burkina-Faso’s cabinet announced their goal to reduce the acreage for genetically modified cotton this season until it’s completely phased out in 2018 and replaced by conventional cotton. The reached that decision because GMO cotton yielded shorter fibres and they were thus suffering economic loses.
“NBMA approved the glysophate herbicide resistant maize despite the IARC report, that linked the active ingredient glyphosate to cancer. It is no surprise that nations like Sri Lanka, amongst others, heeded and took action by banning Monsanto’s roundup herbicide because of its link to Kidney disease. That NBMA is considering giving us this ‘Trojan horse’ gift is indeed unfortunate knowing the low level of use of protective gears by our rural farmers and communities living close to farms. References used in support of claims made by Monsanto are too old and none referred to the two GM maize events specifically but are general references for normal maize research. This may be due to the lack of thorough scientific peer-reviewed research carried out in support of the claims made in the application, or is a deliberate effort at hiding information. We note that no details of feeding studies whatsoever were provided by the applicant.
“No data is given on the safety of the chemicals to which the events are resistant, namely glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs). In fact, no information on experiments carried out has been made available. The application is of extremely poor quality. The application ends on page 50 without comprehensive information on insect pest resistance, which is a critical aspect of the information required to justly appraise the application in relation to the insect-resistance trait and in particular to purpose 3 of the field trials to evaluate the efficacy of the MON 89034 × NK603 against certain Lepidopteran pests.
“Throughout the application, Monsanto asserts that NK603 and MON 89034 × NK603 are equivalent to conventional maize. The theory of ‘equivalence’ is a worn out argument that has been discredited by independent science, including in a joint South Africa – Norway biosafety project published in 2011. (See SANBI (2011). Monitoring the environmental impacts of GM maize in South Africa: The outcomes of the South Africa – Norway biosafety co-operation project (2008 – 2010). Department of Environmental Affairs.
“NBMA Approved this herbicide resistant GMO knowing full well that The EU nations have refused to back a limited extension of the pesticide glyphosate’s use, threatening withdrawal of Monsanto’s Roundup and other weed killers from shelves if no decision is reached by the end of this month.”
Commenting on the decision, Bart Staes MEP environment and food safety spokesperson said: “We applaud those EU governments who are sticking to their guns and refusing to authorise this controversial toxic herbicide. There are clear concerns about the health risks with glyphosate, both as regards it being a carcinogen and an endocrine disruptor. Moreover, glyphosate’s devastating impact on biodiversity should have already led to its ban. Thankfully, the significant public mobilisation and political opposition to re-approving glyphosate has been taken seriously by key EU governments, who have forced the EU commission to back down.”
On May 26, 2016, a St. Louis jury ordered Monsanto to pay $46.5 million in damages for negligence in the production of polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs. This case, which went on trial April 28 2016, involved just three of nearly 100 plaintiffs “claiming that exposure to PCBs caused cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Bassey adds: “Sadly, while a number of plaintiffs have died as a result of the cancers they developed from Monsanto’s toxic PCBs, their claims were made by surviving relatives. The suit claims that Monsanto knew about the dangers of PCBs decades ago, but gave false testimony and scientific information to the public saying it was safe.
“Further damaging evidences pile up against indicted Monsanto: A trial in Redlands, California in May 2016 on the dangers of Monsanto’s Roundup reveals that ‘it is not only glyphosate that is dangerous, but also chemicals listed as inert ingredients.’ A high court in Paris has punished a high ranking official representing Monsanto’s interests for deceitfully covering up research data proving that Monsanto was hiding toxicity of its own corn. The information showed that it could promote neuro-developmental disabilities including autism, attention-deficit, disorder, dyslexia and other cognitive impairments affecting millions of children worldwide and seem to be increasing in frequency.
“Essentially, therefore, GMO maize and cotton into Nigeria must be rejected because they would not only create health challenges, sterilise agric-potentials of the nation but scuttle the change agenda of the current government just as they would lead to neo-colonisation of Nigeria and Africa. The time to stop it is now.
“It is a mark of utter recklessness that NBMA would rush to issue approvals for GMOs to be released in Nigeria less than a year of the NBMA Act coming into force. We demand that the permits surreptitiously issued to Monsanto on a platter of gold without regard to the concerns of millions of Nigerians should be revoked immediately. We also urge that the recently enacted National Biosafety Agency Management Act should be quickly repealed to prevent NBMA from running amok with GMOs and flooding our country with these risky organisms.”
To help developing countries monitor and report progress in a transparent manner under the Paris Climate Agreement, a new financial initiative and an associated trust fund was approved on Tuesday in Washington, DC by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council.
Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF
Set up in response to a Paris Agreement decision, the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) trust fund will help countries in their efforts to build institutional and technical capacity for meeting enhanced transparency of action and support needs.
Many developing countries still lack the necessary capacity to effectively monitor and report their progress vis-à-vis national greenhouse gas emission reduction, and track progress made in the implementation of their Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs.
“The Paris Climate Agreement represented a watershed moment for the global commons,” said Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson. “One key success factor to the Agreement is its bottom-up approach, building on countries’ INDCs. Transparency of reporting is the linchpin to the credibility of, and mutual confidence in, the agreement.”
Addressing the 50th GEF Council meeting in the US capital, Ishii said, “I am honoured that countries have put their trust in the GEF to take on this important task. We are fully committed to support the CBIT, which I believe is key to ensure the success of the Paris Agreement. I also want to express my appreciation to donor countries, who are considering to make voluntary contributions, and to the recipient countries, who are committed to start implementing the CBIT.”
A number of donor countries have expressed their support for the new fund, including pledges of US $15 million from the United States, £10 million from the United Kingdom, and CAD $5 million from Canada. Others, including Germany, Italy and New Zealand have also confirmed their intention to announce pledges of support in the near future. The World Bank has been invited to serve as the Trustee for the CBIT Trust Fund.
“Transparency is a bedrock of the Paris Agreement. The United States recognises that an enhanced transparency system will require greater efforts from all countries,” said U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Jonathan Pershing. “Our $15 million pledge is an indication of our strong commitment to building developing countries’ institutional and technical capacity to meet these enhanced transparency requirements.”
COP21 in Paris last December requested the GEF to support the establishment and operation of the CBIT as a priority reporting-related need, including through voluntary donor contributions. The aims of the CBIT are to strengthen national institutions for transparency-related activities in line with national priorities, to provide relevant tools, training and assistance for meeting the provisions stipulated in Article 13 of the Paris Agreement, and to assist in the improvement of transparency over time.
At COP21, the GEF was reconfirmed as the financing mechanism for the climate convention. Parties also requested the GEF to consider how to support developing country Parties in formulating policies, strategies, and programs and projects to implement activities that advance priorities identified in their respective climate action plans, or INDCs, in a manner consistent with the operational policies and guidelines of the GEF, starting in 2016. To respond to this guidance, the GEF is now encouraging governments to align the GEF programming for GEF-6 with INDC priorities, i.e., asking for more explicit linkage between INDCs and how GEF resources are programmed.
The 50th session of the GEF Council opened with strong endorsement by many member governments for the strategic direction the organisation is heading.
In her opening remarks to the Council, Ishii, said, “The worsening global environment is an ever increasing threat to our global aspirations for growth, jobs, security and prosperity. In many ways, the GEF’s support for Earth’s life support systems is needed more than ever.”
Referring to the opportunities presented by the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement, she said, “We need to build on the momentum created by the SDGs and Paris and strengthen this emerging global movement for safeguarding the global environmental commons. It’s the wisest investment we can make.”
“I am convinced that only when everybody plays their part, can we achieve the massive transformation in our economies that we need to safeguard the global commons,” she added.
The GEF Council meeting is also marking the 25th anniversary of the GEF being at the forefront of tackling the planet’s most pressing environmental problems. In its 25-year history, the GEF has invested some $14.5 billion – and leveraged an additional $75.4 billion – for nearly 4,000 projects in 167 countries.
The African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE), an Agency of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and Nigeria’s Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu will hold a training programme for African policy and decision-makers on Biosafety, in collaboration with the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) and the Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA.
Main gate to the Godfrey Okoye University campus, permanent site, Ugwuomo Nike, Enugu. The institution is hosting the biosafety training
According to a Concept Note developed by the organisers, the training is in recognition of the “opportunities and challenges that modern biotechnology offers for enhancing agricultural productivity in Africa.”
Similar short courses, ABNE states, had been held in partnership with African universities including “the Polytechnic University of Bobo Dioulasso in Burkina Faso (2013), the Makarere University in Uganda (2014 & 2015) and the University of Ghana in Ghana (2015),” adding that “the courses aim at empowering policy and decision makers and other important stakeholders with current information on biosafety and biotechnology to enable them effectively support regulatory processes.”
The Concept Note further stated that the choice of Nigeria as a host country and Godfrey Okoye as the host University was informed by Nigeria’s participation in the inaugural short course in Ghana and noting its relevance in garnering stakeholders support for biosafety processes.
“The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) requested ABNE’s support for the hosting of the Short Biosafety Course in Nigeria as well as Godfrey Okoye, a private and one of the fastest growing universities in Nigeria with strong competencies in biotechnology as hosting university. GO also offered to share the cost of the training.
“With the Biosafety Act being passed in 2015 and the subsequent establishment of the NBMA, it is necessary to build a critical mass of stakeholders that will offer support at both institutional and national levels to the biosafety regulatory system,” the Note further stated.
The objectives of the short course are: “To introduce policy and decision makers with evidence-based information on biosafety and biotechnology to help demystify the science and regulation of the technology; to increase awareness among key actors on their role, and the significance of having functional regulatory systems for biotechnology; to provide a platform for networking among key actors and to foster inter-agency collaborations and to promote biosafety awareness amongst key stakeholder and actors to facilitate their participation in biosafety decision making.”
The course program comprises: Environmental issues associated with agricultural production;
Overview of environmental biosafety, and crop biology; Environmental and food safety issues associated with GM crops; functional Biosafety Administration during the GM crop development (laboratory, greenhouse testing and field testing); Biosafety of GM crops considerations beyond confined field trial (CFT); post release consideration of GM crops; a visit to biotech laboratories; and confined field trial (CFT) of GM crop at National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Nigeria.
It is expected that, at the end of the course, capacity would be built in regulators for science-based risk evaluation and justified decision making process as well as development of regional biosafety experts and establishment of a network.
Those expected to attend the three-day training include policy makers, technocrats, regulators and legal practitioners in government ministries, departments and agencies who may be directly or indirectly involved in regulating biotechnology, news editors in selected government and private media organizations, leaders of farmers’ groups and other interested stakeholders.
Tragedy struck in Lagos on Tuesday when the world famous Makoko Floating School went down like a pack of cards as a heavy rain storm hit the bustling coastal city. The building had overtime survived several storms, but the already battered structure finally caved in around 12 noon on 07 June, 2016.
The Makoko Floating School, Lagos
However, none of the pupils were hurt. Due essentially to the fact that they were not there at the time of the incident – they had all been moved to a different location months earlier due to what looked like the deteriorating condition of the building. Nonetheless, the about 300 children mainly from the nearby Makoko waterfront community have now been left without a school.
According to the Head Teacher of the school, Noah Shemede, many of the children are in despair and hoping that something is done urgently to enable them complete their last term of the 2015/2016 academic year.
He said: “The school collapsed between 11am and 12noon. This was after we noticed some cracks on the building. I moved my pupils from the school in March to Wainaina Nursery and Primary School due to severe weather condition that was making learning difficult and not conducive for the children.”
The Head Teacher expressed joy that none of the pupils were hurt. “My joy is that none of the children was in the school when it finally collapsed. I pray we can get our school back and in a better condition. How will I cope with these children? We need help to ensure these children have the best of education,” he lamented.
The Floating School since its construction in 2013 has become one of Lagos’ iconic structures seen from the Lagoon. The school, which was built as an adaptive structure for coastal communities in developing countries that are grappling with rapid urbanisation, was supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and international NGOs.
Collapsed…
Prior to the commencement of the project, the children of Makoko only had access to one primary school which was considered inadequate, built on reclaimed land and was frequently threatened by recurrent flooding. The old school which had only four classrooms was grossly overpopulated. The new school thus came as a huge relief for the teeming population of primary school students in Makoko, where Wainaina was hitherto the only primary school of the waterfront community.
In 2013, an architect, Kunlé Adeyemi of NLÉ, proposed to transform the water slum status of the Makoko waterfront community to a floating island by creating a functional building prototype. He collaborated with organisations such as the Heinrich Böll Foundation, UNDP, Federal Ministry of Environment’s Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP), Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and Makoko waterfront community to execute the project.
Down, but not out?
The floating school comprises alternative sustainable buildings and structures designed to adapt to the resident communities’ aquatic lifestyle. The floating school utilises local materials such as bamboo, timber and resources to produce architecture that applies to the physical, social needs of people and reflects the culture of the community.
Wood is used as the major material for the structure, support and finishing of school building. The form of the school building is a triangular A-Frame section with about 1,000-square-foot play area. The classrooms are located on the second tier and are partially enclosed with adjustable louvered slats. The classrooms are also surrounded by spatial public greenery. There is a playground below the classroom while the roof contains an additional open air classroom. The classroom spaces are used for communal functions especially during out-of-school hours. Sustainable features include application of solar cells to the roof, rainwater catchment systems and composting toilets.
Bird’s eye view of the school
The structure was also designed to use about 250 plastic barrels to float on the waters and be naturally ventilated and aerated. There are considerations to use the building prototype to provide additional infrastructure for the community including an entertainment centre, a community hub and health clinics.
The floating school design won the 2013 AR+D award for emerging architecture and was shortlisted for the London Design Museum’s 2014 Design of the Year award. It also received a nomination for the 2015 International Award for Public Art.
The Federal Ministry of Environment with the collaboration of sister agencies has spread its tentacles across the nation’s borders to check the illegal trading in wildlife.
Environment Minister, Amina J. Mohammed
Minister of the Environment, Amina J. Mohammed, who announced this in a message to commemorate the World Environment Day celebration in Lagos, also enjoined all Nigerians to join in the war against the illegal trading in endangered species of fauna and flora, to conserve them for the future generation, as well as generate revenue for host communities and the nation.
The minister, who was represented by the Controller, Federal Ministry of Environment (FME) in Lagos, Agbenla Oluwatoyin, assured that the country would fully meet the recommendations by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), which it is a signatory to.
Mohammed explained that through the collaboration of the Nigerian Immigration Service and other institutions, traders in engendered species are being intercepted and handed over to the police for prosecution.
“The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) is the enforcement arm of the FME. We are investing hugely on monitoring. Once any one runs fowl of the law, apart from the fact that the animal or animal parts are seized from him or her, the person is handed over to the police for prosecution. Nigeria is signatory to many conventions on wildlife protection, one of which is the CITES. So we are compelled by law to enforce it,” she said, adding:
“Illegal trade in wildlife is the exchange of undomesticated animals and plants from their natural habitat against established rules and regulations. This has led to wildlife crime which covers different kinds of criminal activities such as poaching, capture/collection of fauna and flora from the wild, smuggling, possession, and illegal import or export of endangered species of wild fauna and flora. The criminal activities differ from country to country depending on the fauna and flora available. Some of the world’s Illegal trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora include: poaching of elephants and rhinoceroses in Africa for ivory and horn respectively; smuggling rare parrots captured in the rain forests of Brazil, tortoise, turtles and other reptiles; collection of eggs of wild birds; trafficking in bears’ gall bladder and tiger parts, etc.
“Illegal wildlife trade is a challenge because it has the potential to be very damaging. Population of species on earth declined by an average of 40% between 100 and 2000; and the second biggest direct threat to species survival, after habitat destruction, is wildlife trade. However, the most obvious problem associated with illegal wildlife is that it can cause over exploitation to the point where the survival of a species hangs in the balance. Such exploitation has caused extinction or severely threatened species, and as human population increases, the demand for wildlife also increases.
“Wildlife is a very important component of the ecosystem and it is expedient to stop its illegal trade in order to conserve wildlife for posterity and ecological balance. It is important to note that different species in nature are connected through various food webs, and the disappearance of one species could affect several others down the line. For example, overfishing does not only affect individual fishing communities and threaten certain fish species, but also causes imbalance in the whole marine system. As human life depends on the existence of a functioning planet earth, careful and thoughtful use of wildlife species and their habitats is required to avoid not only extinction, but also serious disturbances to the complex web of life.”
In a lecture, a Deputy Director of Forestry at the FME, Dr. Elizabeth Ehi-Ebewele, said the collaboration with communities in checking the killing and smuggling of wildlife should be strengthened.
“They go to all the nooks and crannies destroying our forests. They collaborate with community people, and gain access to the bush. They kill any elephant, any mammal, including the young ones and those that are pregnant. To them, what is important is money. They have no regard for the future,” she stated.
This, according to her, is necessary because wildlife traffickers from China and others succeeded because they collaborate with local people.
In an address, Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Lateef Suberu, a wildlife expert, advised the authorities to give more impetus in enforcement of laws against poaching and illegal trading to secure its wildlife.
He said: “What is the need for laws when they are not enforced to the letter? Nigeria really needs to wake up, else we will just wake one day and see that the wildlife has all disappeared. Illegal trade in wildlife as you know is not a new practice, it has been in occurrence for many years and is still booming. It is fully detrimental to our beautiful heritage. UNEP states, ‘The killing and smuggling is also undermining economies and ecosystems, fuelling organised crime and insecurity across the globe’.
“It is for these reasons that we are gathered here to create awareness on how best to fight this war against global menace. This year’s theme of world Environment Day, “Fight against the illegal trade in wildlife” and slogan “Join the race to make the world a better place” carry a clear message and ask everyone to get involved in making the world a better place to live in.”
The event featured the exhibition of body parts of wildlife animals including ivory from elephants and rhinoceros, the skins of python, tiger, and crocodile, and the shells of sea turtle, to the admiration of many school children.
Some of the students and pupils said they were happy to see how the animals look like in real life, and called on government to ensure the proper conservation of the wildlife so that the future generations will see them.
“I am really happy to see these animals because I have not seen them before. What I learnt is that these animals deserve to live so that school children will know more about them and also the future generations will see them not to only read about them in books,” said a student.
Another one stated: “I learnt there are different species of snakes and that it is such a big animal that no other animal can kill easily.”
Yet another disclosed: “I have never seen an elephant before neither have I seen the tusk. So, It is very interesting to see one today.”
