The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has warned motorists and the general public against taking laws into their hands by assaulting its officials while on duty.
Road Safety Corps marshall, Boboye Oyeyemi. Photo credit: premiumtimesng.com
Sector Commander of the FRSC, Lagos Sector Command, Hyginus Omeje, who made this submission in a statement issued on Monday and made available to EnviroNews, spoke against the backdrop of assault on some Marshals of the Corps around the Jibowu/Yaba area in Lagos on Sunday 3rd July 2016.
In the course of their duty, the Marshals reportedly arrested the driver of a Toyota Camry with registration number MU 780 KJA for not using seat belt. The driver, who allegedly had no driver’s license on him, was to have his vehicle impounded when he reportedly veered off the route to his street where he mobilised area boys to beat up the Marshals, who consequently sustained various degrees of injuries.
In the statement that was endorsed by the Ag. Public Education Officer, Deputy Route Commander Olabisi Sonusi, Omeje debunked news making the rounds in the media that the Marshals caused a crash that led to fatalities while trying to stop the vehicle as there was no crash recorded during and after the arrest. Omeje stated that the team had successfully arrested the man and was taking him to the FRSC Office in Yaba before the offender zoomed off to his area where he knew people and mobilised miscreants against the Marshals. The offender reportedly capitalised on the confusion that ensued to run away with his vehicle.
The Sector Commander said the matter has been reported to the police and that the Command has declared the vehicle and the owner wanted. He warned against such occurrence in future, even as he promised to deal decisively with any motorist or group of persons “engaging in such unholy and unacceptable act no matter how highly placed the person or persons may be.”
Sonusi declared: “It is a criminal offence to assault a Marshal or an Officer in the course of his duty, hence the Command has not only resolved to bring this particular culprit to book, but has equally resolved to bring the full weight of the law against any traffic offender who dares to assault our Marshals in future. Motorists are hereby enjoined to always obey traffic rules and regulation to avoid being arrested.”
The auditors examined the European Commission’s humanitarian support in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania for the period between 2011 and 2015, which amounted to about €300 million
Karel Pinxten, Member, European Court of Auditors
EU humanitarian aid to refugees from conflicts in the African Great Lakes area is responding to the challenges faced but may be costing too much to deliver, according to a new report from the European Court of Auditors. Despite the difficult working environment, EU aid has made a valuable contribution to addressing the problems but there are some weaknesses in the way the aid is managed, say the auditors. More information is needed from the UN and its partner agencies as to how the money is spent.
The auditors examined the European Commission’s humanitarian support in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania for the period between 2011 and 2015, which amounted to about €300 million. They concluded that the aid was, in general, managed effectively. However, as humanitarian needs are increasing and funds are limited, efficiency is ever more important. The budgets examined were not detailed enough and there were no assessments of whether the proposed costs were reasonable. About half of the EU aid was spent through UN agencies and when the UN sub-contracted its activities no data was made available on how much was actually spent on the beneficiaries.
“I am concerned that the Commission does not have the figures it needs to check whether the aid is being delivered in the most efficient and economical way,” said Mr Karel Pinxten, the Member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the report. “The more links there are in the chain between the EU taxpayer and those in need, the more difficult it becomes. The Commission should press UN agencies such as UNHCR and the World Food Programme, together with NGOs, for more information on how the EU’s money is being spent. Otherwise, this aid risks being too expensive.”
The auditors found there was a lack of documentary evidence to determine geographical priorities and assess project proposals. As a result, it was not possible to determine whether the projects chosen complied with the relevant criteria and if the most appropriate projects were selected.
The monitoring framework was appropriate, given the difficult working environment. The reports from the partners were, however, frequently late and this limited their usefulness. The expertise of the Commission’s field staff was helpful to the funded partners but reporting from the field visits was not sufficiently comprehensive. Because of inadequate recording of the follow-up of problems raised, it was not possible to ensure that these were satisfactorily resolved. On a more global level, there is no reporting on the Humanitarian Implementation Plan to provide an overview of results and lessons learnt.
The results achieved overall for the projects examined were satisfactory. One partner, however, managed to spend most of its budget but only achieved a small percentage of the planned results. In a few cases the justification for time extensions and additional budgets was not apparent. While the desirability of linking relief, rehabilitation and development has been widely accepted by the Commission and other donors, there are very few examples of this being applied in practice. Without very actively pursuing this goal, say the auditors, there is a danger that opportunities to move from humanitarian aid to development aid will be missed.
Catholic bishops in Enugu on Saturday called on the Federal Government to drop the idea of the grazing bill to forestall ethnic clashes and crises in the country.
The advice came after the 20km peaceful procession of more than 7,000 catholic faithful in Enugu.
The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, said Nigerians were already suffering much on account of the present economic hardship and free grazing in communities in the South would further compound it.
Onaga, who spoke on behalf of Catholic Bishops in Nsukka and Awgu Dioceses, noted that this would amount to government abdicating its responsibility of providing security for the people.
He said: “As responsible citizens, clergymen, spiritual leaders and opinion leaders, we have been praying about and deliberating on these mounting challenges.
“At the end of a long prayer session with the members of our flock and after careful consultations with thoughtful men and women across the state, we have come to the following conclusions:
“That the free grazing of cattle in our area has now become a threat not only to the growing of crops, which is the mainstay of our sedentary people, but also to our lives.
“That the nomadic lifestyle makes policing and the pursuit of criminals much more complex and hazardous.”
The bishop urged community leaders to refrain from entering into agreements with herdsmen or with any other groups of persons that would create room for tension and crisis.
Onaga said: “We would advise that all such agreements already in existence be renegotiated in a way that would ensure justice for all the parties.
“Finally, may we all intensify our prayers for peace, unity and harmony in Nigeria, while resolving to collaborate with God’s grace in making it a great country.”
Also, addressing the Catholic faithful, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State lauded the Church for the peaceful procession as well as organising its faithful in an orderly manner.
Ugwuanyi assured the bishops that he would deliver their message to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The governor, however, enjoined residents of the state to be law-abiding and to work for a harmonious coexistence between all Nigerians irrespective of religion, tribe and profession.
“We owe it a duty to God as Christians to all be our brothers’ keeper and to show unconditional love to everyone even where we feel aggrieved,” he said.
The Catholic faithful from all walks of life took part in the 20km walk from the Holy Ghost Catholic Cathedral to the Government House and back, while praying for the healing of the land.
Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, has said the World Bank will support FADAMA III Project in the country with $200 million.
Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh
Ogbeh made this known on Friday at the official launching of FADAMA III Additional Financing Cassava Intervention Project in Awa Iman in Onna Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Represented by Peter Ajibade, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the minister said the bank would support the project with the $200 million fund injection for four value chains of cassava, rice, tomato and sorghum.
He added: “The Federal Government approached the bank for support and $200 million credit was approved to support four value chains of cassava, rice, tomato and sorghum for six core states.
“We all know what is happening to our oil and the need to provide food for our teeming population.
“This decision was taken to open up the projects to other states that have potential in these value chains.”
Ogbeh explained that more value chains would help to realise the objectives of providing food for the country, noting: “It is desired that this country will not only feed itself, but will export to neighbouring nations.”
Tayo Adewunmi, the National Project Coordinator, FADAMA III Additional Financing Project, said: “This project is a game changer in agriculture development.
“This is because rather than the old system of subsistence agriculture or even supporting individual small holder farmers, additional financing is looking at the totality of agricultural commodity value chain.
“We are also looking at the issue of clusterisation of farmers.
“We currently look at agriculture as a business and that is why the funding instrument in Additional Financing has gone from local development to business plan.
“Right now, farmers are being given head start in agricultural business; they have the capacity to negotiate market and determine what prices their commodities will go for at the end of the day.
“It is no longer a situation where somebody who has big money out there will come and buy off these farmers and at the end of the day, they become losers.”
Adewunmi explained that the FADAMA III Additional Financing was initially meant for six states and Akwa Ibom was the seventh state to join.
He said: “I want to let you know that Akwa Ibom is one of the earliest states to come on board among the new entrants into the Additional Financing when the door was opened.”
He commended the Akwa Ibom State Government for paying its counterpart fund for the project and described Governor Udom Emmanuel as “a friend of the farmer.
“You can have as much as you can from the big bowl of money that is there for farmers.”
Adewunmi advised the governor to encourage the people to take agricultural business seriously in the state, noting that many commodities had been packaged and many exported through FADAMA III project.
Emmanuel, who launched the project, appreciated the organisers for launching the FADAMA III Addition Financing Cassava Intervention Project in his village, Awa Iman in Onna Local Government Area.
He said the inauguration of the project was a show of commitment that the state government embraced agriculture as viable and guaranteed means of diversifying the economy of the state.
The National Space Research and Development Agency has predicted that the appearance of the first moon crescent for July would be on July 5.
This was contained in a statement signed by Dr. Felix Ale, the Head of Media and Corporate Communications of the Agency in Abuja on Friday.
Moon crescent
The statement said: “The first appearance of the moon could not be sighted with naked eyes except with the aid of Charged Coupled Device (CCD) imaging, astronomy telescope or any good optical astronomy instrument.”
The statement emphasised that the conjunction of the moon for July would be on July 4 at about noon.
It said this would make the first astronomical crescent visible for sighting on July 5 between the hours of 1.26am and 8.13pm.
It said: “Jos will be first to scientifically witness the first young lunar crescent at about 1.26am concurrently to 7.50pm.
“This would be followed by Gombe and Maiduguri between 1.29am – 7.40pm, and 1.29 a.m. – 7.39 p.m. respectively.
“While, the lunar crescent will be scientifically sighted lastly in Kano, Abuja and Sokoto between 1.57 a.m. – 7.58 p.m., 1.57 a.m. – 7.58 p.m. and 1.57 a.m. – 8.12 p.m. respectively.”
It, however, said the first lunar crescent would not be visible on July 4 during its conjunction.
It added that all other states of the federation will experience the first lunar crescent between the estimated time of 1.26am and 8.13pm on July 5.
It added that the statement showed precise dates, appearance time of first crescent, sunset as well as moon set time for all the capital of the 36 states and FCT.
The statement by Ale said: “In Abuja, the first lunar crescent will appear between 1.57 a.m. and 7.58 p.m., with sunset at about 6.57 p.m. and moon set at about 7.58 p.m.
“In Kano, the appearance of the first lunar crescent will be experienced between 1.57 a.m. – 7.58 p.m., with sunset and moonset at about 6.58 p.m. and 7.58 p.m. respectively.
“Sokoto, the seat of the caliphate will be between 1.57 a.m – 8.13 p.m., with a sunset and moonset time of about 7.13 p.m. and 8.12 p.m.
“The first lunar crescent for Enugu is between 1.53 a.m. – 7.51 p.m., while in Calabar, it will be between 1.54 a.m. – 7.46 p.m.
“The sun and moon are expected to set in Enugu at about 6.49 p.m. and 7.51 p.m., and they will expectedly set in Calabar at about 6.43 p.m. and 7.46 p.m.
“The south-west states of Lagos and Ibadan will expectedly experience the first lunar crescent between 1.50 p.m. – 8.10 p.m., and 1.53 a.m. – 8.05 p.m. respectively.
“The sun will set in these states at about 7.07 p.m. and 7.05 a.m., while the moon will set at about 8.10 p.m. and 8.05 p.m. respectively.”
The statement emphasised that the moon will be oriented at an Azimuth of +285 degrees: 39’.53” in Abuja, Azimuth of +285 degrees: 34’.36” in Kaduna, Azimuth of +285 degrees: 29’. 05” in Kano.
It added: “Also, Azimuth of +285 degrees: 48’.20” in Lagos, Azimuth of +285 degrees: 22’.07” in Sokoto, Azimuth of +285 degrees: 32’.46” in Maiduguri, Azimuth of +285 degrees: 39’.50” in Ilorin.
“It would be oriented at an Azimuth of +286 degrees: 02’.28” in Port Harcourt to enable observers point their instruments and locate the moon’s direction easily.”
The statement stated that the calculated results were made available for the information of the general public, especially those who would need them for religious and academic purposes.
It also added that scientific researchers should be at liberty to request for detailed analysis or more results on other states of the federation from the space agency.
With a total of 22.4 million Nigerians unemployed or under‐employed out of the 76.9 million total labour force, Worldstage Economic Summit (WES) 2016 (http://worldstagegroup.com/wes/) will be hosted in Lagos between September 7- 8, 2016 to address the unemployment challenges in the African biggest economy.
Kemi Adeosun, Finance Minister
According to Mr Segun Adeleye, President/CEO, World Stage Limited (www.worldstagegroup.com), the organisers, “The alarming rate of unemployment in Nigeria is not only of great concern to the three tiers of government, but also to the private sector and other critical stakeholders of the economy on job creation. While some people see it as an indictment on the educational system that seems to be churning out ‘unemployable graduates’ it is also being seen as an economic deficiency, with economy having a limitation of the labour force it can sustain by its productivity.”
He said Nigeria’s unemployment rate of 10.4% represents about 14 percent of global unemployment in fourth quarter 2015, the 7th highest in the world with only Kenya, Congo and Djibouti having worse rates in Africa.
“This should be embarrassing when compare with countries such as Qatar (0.2%) unemployment rate, Cambodia (0.3%), Belarus (0.5%), Thailand (0.8%), Benin (1.0%), Madagascar (1.2%), Laos (1.40%) and Guinea Bissau (1.80%),” he said.
He said the statistics that job loss in Nigeria dropped by only 1.29% in Q4 2015 at a period when oil price crashed by 65% could only show that there are other inherent factors outside oil that shape the labour market, which will be reviewed at the summit.
On how an economic summit can address unemployment challenges, he said, “We are in an era where Nigeria’s economic problem can no longer be left in the hand of government to fix alone. There are organisations and experts that have the knowledge of how to solve economic challenges of any kind, but in most cases, they are either not talking at the right forum, or they are not being heard. At WES 2016, the government side is going to be represented by ministers, members of the National Assembly, head of regulatory agencies, CEOs of public corporations, top official from state governments; and they will be interacting with representatives of the organised private sector along with local and foreign experts, to discuss series of the sub-themes through which the problem of unemployment in Nigeria will be tackled.”
He made reference to the challenges facing state governments to the extent that they can no longer pay salaries as at when due, saying these can be addressed with the right concept of how to explore economic potentials to create private sector jobs.
“With about 65 per cent drop in oil price since 2014, Nigeria’s main source of income, the revenue allocations to the Federal Government, States and the Local Government have dropped drastically with most states now finding it almost impossible to pay workers’ salaries. This has become one of the greatest challenges facing Nigerian economy, as the elected governments are becoming aware that they may not be able to deliver the electoral promises and dividend of democracy if an urgent solution is not found,” he said.
“Besides providing knowledge base for government on how to save billions of naira in revenue, diversify economy, create jobs and end the practice of committing the largest portion of income to the payment of civil servants’ salaries, WES 2016 will help review the economic potentials of the states and arrive at sustainable development strategy for them to be economically viable with or without revenue from federation account.”
He listed the objectives of WES 2016 to include: To identify and proffer solutions to the growing unemployment problem in the public and private sectors of Nigerian economy; To identify the employment generation potentials of every sector of the economy from ICT, Maritime, banking & finance, mining, aviation, construction, oil and gas and others and then address what they need to realise the full potential; To connect new entrepreneurs with financiers and skilled workers for them to be at the driving seat of job creation; To connect employers with job seekers and enhance migration of skills across all sectors; To generate a national unemployment data bank; To assist government on policies to make the economy productive, global competitive and generate jobs; To help review the economic potentials of the states and arrive at sustainable development strategy for them to be economically viable with or without revenue from federation account; To provide knowledge base for government on how to save billions of naira in revenue, diversify economy, create jobs and end the practice of committing the largest portion of income to the payment of civil servants’ salaries.
On how WES 2016 will not end like others past summits at home and abroad with nothing to show for them, he said, “When one deploys a conventional solution to a problem, the result will still be the same old story. It’s easy for government agencies to announce that they want to create thousands or millions of jobs, but how they will do it is very critical, and has to be tested to be sure that they are on the right track. They will need the right knowledge base to achieve it and carry other stakeholders along. Governments and institutions have to invest in time and knowledge to think outside the box on how to address economic challenges, and when the solutions are found, they have to try all possible best to apply them to achieve desirable result. What is unique about WES is that it’s research driven. If the obstacle to job creation in a particular sector of the economy has to do with legislature, the National Assembly Committees involved will be at the WES 2016 and will be made to understand what is expected of them and why they must act fast. The WSE will then do the necessary following up on all resolutions of the summit to ensure that they are not thrown into the dustbin.”
The expected participants at the summit include the Presidency, National Assembly, MGAs, State Governments, OPS- Oil and Gas, Banking, Insurance, Maritime, Aviation, Mining, Agriculture, Hospitality & Tourism, Entertainment, Construction, Power, ICT, Education, Transportation, Local and Foreign Investors, Media and Other Relevant Stakeholders.
WorldStage is the operator of WorldStage Newsonline, the online news (www.worldstagegroup.com) which is currently a leading source of business information in Africa. WorldStage is also the publisher of TrueColour, the African dream magazine that celebrates the positive side of Africa.
A tortoise, aged 135 years, has been found in a private zoo in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
The 135-year-old tortoise
The good, old tortoise of about the size of a microwave was able to crawl with a woman weighing about 82 kilogrammes on its back.
“It’s age is determined by counting the lines on its shells,” says one of the zoo attendants.
The massive tortoise crawled about freely on the sandy surface just like other younger ones, not minding the huge human presence at the zoo.
Children were particularly excited about the old tortoise as well as two prayerful Chimpanzees which were performing acrobatics and shaking hands with visitors.
“I love the tortoise. Daddy said it’s the wisest animal on earth,” says an excited seven-year-old boy who sat on the back of the tortoise together with his sister.
Other creatures at the zoo include a lion, two crocodiles, monkeys, peacocks, porcupines, an hyena, a jackal and an ostrich.
Owner of the zoo, Prince Abiola Kosoko, says plans are being made to move to a more spacious environment that will accommodate more animals such as elephants, zebras and gorillas which, according to him, have already been acquired.
“We have the animals, but the challenge now is land where we will keep them. As you can see here is small. It can’t contain the animals,” he explains.
“We have approached the Lagos State Government for a land. But the amount they are calling is too much. They are demanding millions of naira which we cannot afford.”
Prince Kosoko appealed to Lagos government to be of help by providing the land for the project, so that some endangered species the zoo harbours would be saved from going into extinction.
His words: “The state should assist us. That is the only way we can preserve these animals. Most of them are seriously threatened and would go into extinction if efforts are not put in place to preserve them.”
When asked how lucrative the business is, Prince Kosoko replied, “What we do, we do out of passion. We are not making any gain. But indeed, this is a multi-billion-naira project. However, beyond the profit, we should save the animals from extinction so that the we would have something to leave behind for the coming generations.
“Aside the care, the monetary involvement in feeding the animals is the greatest challenge of running a zoo.
“They eat a lot and if you do not feed them well enough, they begin to lose weight, look unkempt or even die. So we spend a lot just to feed them.”
Visitors to the zoo per head are charged a fee of N500 to gain entrance.
But the zoo’s receptionists who sold entry tickets said the cost of entrance might change when the facility relocates to bigger place.
“The price will definitely change. It may double or thereabout. I cannot say until then. The place we are planning is much bigger. We intend to keep more animals, including gorillas, elephants and zebras. Visitors will have a good experience, but they will pay higher,” he adds.
The first ever Africa CleanUp Conference & Award held in Lagos, Nigeria, 24th to 25th June, 2016.
Africa CleanUp Conference & Award 2016 was organised by Passion House in partnership with Hypo. The event was also endorsed and supported by Federal Ministry of Environment, Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Africa Youth Initiative on Climate Change, Climate Wednesday, Miss Environment International and RecyclePoints.
At the event, delegates were inspired by top environmentalists in various sectors. The promoters disclosed that it was a great experience for everyone that attended.
Some of the speakers and panellists from Day 2 of the African Clean-up ConferenceMaryam Njie of Thermal Initiative presenting the Environmental Youth award to Mma Hasana from Accra, GhanaCross section of participants with the Convener, AlexGreat Akhigbe, at the end of Day 1 of the Africa Clean-up ConferenceRecyclePoints received award for Recycling Venture and Club17 Africa received award for the innovation in Youth SDG InitiativePanel Discussion Session: Left to Right: Lolade from West AfricaENRG; Mazi from RecyclePoints and Ugochi from TVC News
A call has gone to all tiers of government to encourage private and public partnerships through favourable policies to ensure improved waste management in the country.
Waste disposal and management has posed a major challenge to authorities in Lagos and other major cities in the country
Mr Alex Akhigbe, an environmentalist, who made the call during the Africa CleanUp Conference and Award that held recently in Lagos, also encouraged the delegates to develop a better approach to engaging people to get involved in community-led sanitation.
Akhigbe, who is also the Coordinator, Clean up Nigeria Project, stated in a presentation that more priority should be given to the sanitation/environmental sector to make the environment cleaner, healthier and safer for all.
““The government should create an enabling environment for people and organisations to explore the opportunities around waste management. Everyone should take up a personal social responsibility that is focused on the environment,” he stressed.
According to him, Passion House has conducted nine major clean-up exercises in Lagos State since 2010: Clean-up Ajegunle (twice), Clean-up Amukoko, Clean-up Surulere, Clean-up Oshodi, Project Clean and Recycle, Clean-up Makoko, Clean-up Mushin, and Clean-up Ketu projects. He urged every individual and stakeholder to do more for the environment.
Themed “Engaging Local Communities on Best Sustainable Practices in Sanitation and Waste Management”, the Africa CleanUp Conference, which is the first in the series, attracted delegates from across Nigeria and Africa and also provided an opportunity for delegates to acquire knowledge, share ideas and network.
The two-day forum that held 24th – 25th June 2016 featured a break-out session where stakeholders brainstormed on challenges faced by entrepreneurs and businesses in implementing a sustainable waste management strategy.
A panel discussion featuring the CEO of RecyclePoint, Mazi Ukonu; COO of WestAfricaEnrg, Lolade Oresanwo; and environmental journalist, Ugochi Oluigbo, stirred up reactions from both government agencies and other stakeholders from the waste value chain. A communique was developed from the interactions and follow-up steps are expected to be carried out with the various government agencies to ensure there is collaboration to take waste management in Africa to the next level.
The Africa Clean-up Award, which held on Day 2 of the conference, was, according to the organisers, designed to appreciate the unending efforts of individuals, organisations, and government agencies who are passionate and committed to environmental sustainability on the continent.
The event also paraded a line-up of speakers such as Desmond Majekodunni, Ola Oresanya, Paul O’Callaghan, Nosa Aigbedion, Nnimmo Bassey, Adebola Shabi, and Alison Ukonu, who spoke and interacted with delegates on how they can be more committed to the environment as Environmental Sustainability Champions.
Marketing Manager of Hypo, Jadesola Surakat, also spoke of their commitment as an organisation to environmental sustainability and how the outfit carried out several clean-up exercises in Lagos. According to her, Hypo is setting the pace for other corporate organisations when it comes to the issues of waste management and sanitation in Nigeria.
Africa CleanUp Conference & Award 2016 was organised by Passion House in partnership with Hypo. The event was also endorsed and supported by Federal Ministry of Environment, Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Africa Youth Initiative on Climate Change, Climate Wednesday, Miss Environment International and RecyclePoints.
During the 2014 Nigerian National Conference (Confab), three committees made recommendations with regard to handling of Biosafety in Nigeria and with particular reference to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). As at the time of the Confab the National Biosafety Management Act 2015 (simply known as Biosafety Act 2015) had not yet been enacted. The Confab committees that considered Biosafety matters were the Agriculture and Water Resources Committee, the Environment Committee and the Science, Technology & Development Committee.
The National Confab during a session in 2014
The Biosafety Act came into force April 2015 after former President Goodluck Jonathan assented to the Biosafety Bill. Within a year of the Act, two permits have been issued to Monsanto Agriculture Nigeria Ltd for commercial release of Bt Cotton and for confined filed trails of GMO maize.
Farmers, consumers, faith-based organisations, media, community groups and other civil society groups, including Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), have expressed their rejection of the introduction of GMOs into Nigeria. The reasons for objecting to this development is that these crops would lead to a massive introduction of toxic chemicals into our environment, erode our biodiversity and entrap hapless farmers in the grip of the biotech industry.
We are encouraged that the Federal Ministry of Environment is considering a holistic look at the Biosafety situation in Nigeria, including the Biosafety Act itself. The recommendations of the Confab committees are weighty and it is germane for us to remind ourselves of what these committees recommended with regard to our biosafety and the matter of GMOs in Nigeria.
Here are the Sections of the Confab report referred to:
Agriculture and Water Resources Committee
5.1.7 Bio-Technology (pages 72-73 of the Confab Report)
Conference resolved as follows:
That adequate funding should be devoted to biotechnological research, especially those that do not involve cross-species genetic manipulations; and
That action should be expedited on the passage of the Biosafety Bill to regulate trans-boundary movement of genetically modified agricultural products and encourage development of improved varieties and breeds under ethical research environment.
That the Bio-safety Bill should be reviewed to include the following: (1) Public participation: It should be obligatory to ensure public participation when applications to introduce GMOs are being considered; (2) The Bill should specify clearly how large-scale filed trials would be contained and regulated to avoid contamination of surroundings or farms; (3) Besides Environmental NGOs, Farmers organisations should be represented on the Governing Board; (4) Risk Assessment: The Bill should state criteria for risk assessment and such assessments must be carried out in Nigeria and not offshore; (5) Liability and Redress should be included in the Bill bearing in mind that this is a key part to implementing the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol to the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety adopted in October 2010; and, (6) Precautionary principle: The Bill should include the implementation of the precautionary principle that entitles our government to decide against approval or for restriction in cases of incomplete or controversial knowledge.
Environment Committee
5.7.3 Policy Resolutions (Pages 151 & 156 of the Confab Report)
Resolutions on Institutional Framework and Enforcement
There must be policy and action coherence between and within government agencies to ensure synergy in tackling our environmental challenges;
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) are not project planning approval documents but veritable tools for environmental protection. Accordingly, EIAs must be conducted for all major projects as stipulated in the EIA Act. Moreover, there should be detailed post project assessment requirements and approved decommissioning plans;
The Precautionary Principle of the Cartagena Protocol of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) prevails in discussions of modern biotechnology in agriculture and foods. Nigeria must be kept free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as a key way to avoid biodiversity erosion and seeds colonization by agri-businesses;
Modern biotechnology in agriculture should be restricted to laboratories – and a regime of strict liability and redress should be in place in case of accidents;
Biodiversity (Page 156)
Identify biodiversity hotspots, like the wetlands and forests which have very high concentrations of native species, and which are rapidly losing habitat and species, as primary targets for conservation.
Ensure strict bio safety laws and particularly reject acts that could lead to invasion of alien species and resulting colonisation and biodiversity erosion;
Ensure strict liability and redress in bio-safety matters and bar untested and unregulated technologies including those related to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), geoengineering, nanotechnology in foods and agriculture and synthetic biology;
Science, Technology and Development Committee (pages 352-353 of the Confab Report)
5.19.6 Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Transfer, Diffusion, Reverse Engineering, Standardisation and Quality Assurance.1. Biodiversity and Biotechnology
Conference resolved that:
A National Biodiversity Conservation Authority be established. State Biodiversity Board and Local Government Biodiversity Task Forces should be created;
Government should discourage the use of foreign plants for afforestation, so that indigenous flora ecosystem is protected from extinction and disease;
Government should fast-track the passage of the Bill establishing the National Biotechnology Development Agency into Law (NABDA);
There is need to fast-track the passage of the bill on Biosafety, with the inclusion of provisions to cover potentially pathogenic and deleterious microorganisms. In doing so, there is a need to ensure the independence of the Biosafety Agency to guarantee its efficacy;
Biotechnology and Biosafety Bills should be amended to include “strict liability” provisions;
Biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of bio resources should be incorporated in the school curriculum;
There should be adequate and consistent funding to NABDA to enable it make the impact it should nationwide;
Deliberate steps should be taken to recruit staff with required expertise, who can add value to the Agency;
Clear incentives, conducive environment and staff welfare, should be maintained to ensure that staff remain productive and free of concerns which inhibit productive and innovative research and work;
States should be involved in biotechnology development, as well as the private sector to cut cost and also give the students the needed relevant experience;
There should be increased and improved training and retraining facilities and international exposure.
By Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)
