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Abuja-Kaduna train service rakes in N5m in two weeks

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Abuja-Kaduna train service rakes in N5m in two weeks

The Abuja-Kaduna train service recorded N5 million income within the first two weeks of operation.

The Abuja-Kaduna train service
The Abuja-Kaduna train service

This was disclosed by Fidet Ikhiria, the Acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).

Ikhiria made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while travelling on the train from Abuja to Kaduna on Saturday.

The Managing Director of NAN, Bayo Onanuga, and the Editor-in-Chief of NAN, Ado Lawal, were also on board.

NAN recalls that the $1.46 billion Abuja-Kaduna train service was inaugurated on July 26 by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ikhiria said he did not have record of the daily income of the service.

He said: “In the first week of operation, we made N2.2 million; in the second week, we made N2.9 million.

“This is the third week of operation. The last week report showed that we had almost 5,000 passengers in six days. We have capacity for 320 passengers per trip.

“For now, the maximum we can carry per trip is 320. So, for a day, the maximum number of passengers we can have is 1000.”

Ikhiria said fencing of the tracks would commence before the end of August.

He acknowledged that there were some operational lapses on the route, adding that the management was working toward addressing them.

He said some of the staff had yet to get used to the seat numbering as it was different from what was obtainable in the previous trains.

According to the managing director, the coaches are overwhelmed by the number of people coming on board.

Okhiria said: “Some passengers with economy class tickets are coming to sit on the first class coach because the economy class is filled up.

“We are going to do more enlightenment on this at the station and communities levels.”

On the speed of the train, Okhiria said the parameter for speed was not the coach but track, which, according to him, was designed according to specification.

He said the train moved at 90 kilometres per hour from the initial 70 kilometres per hour but would get to 150 kilometres per hour in due course.

“The slow speed of the train is to avoid accidents as people living close to the tracks have yet to get used to the movement of train,” he explained.

Okhiria said efforts were being made to beef up security at the stations and on board the train.

He said: “By next week, our scanners will be in place. I am also discussing with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to deploy more men.

“We have armed policemen on board and some security personnel without uniform.”

Okhiria added that efforts were also being made to install internet facilities in the train.

In an interview, Onanuga lauded the service and said Nigerians were beginning to enjoy train services the way they did in the 60s and the 70s.

Onanuga, who was in company with Ado, however, said NRC needed to do more work to improve on the train services.

He said: “Apparently, NRC underestimated the interest of our people in boarding train.

“They need to acquire more trains; they need to increase the capacity and increase the frequency of movement.

“They need to provide food and other services such as internet.

“It is a good one; we made it to Kaduna in two and half hours.”

Another passenger, Kayode Emmanuel, told NAN that the system of boarding the train was chaotic and disorganised.

Emmanuel said the management should know the number of passengers each coach contained and sell tickets accordingly to avoid crowded coaches.

On his part, Isa Yusuf, who was also on board, said he expected that passengers on the first-class coach would be given light refreshment.

18 dead, N700m property destroyed in Kano flooding

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18 dead, N700m property destroyed in Kano flooding

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said no fewer than 18 persons lost their lives and property worth over N700 million to flood in Kano State in the past two weeks.

Flooded parts of northern Nigeria
Flooded parts of northern Nigeria

This was contained in a statement by the North West Zonal Coordinator of the agency, Alhaji Musa Ilallah, in Kano on Saturday.

According to the statement, the massive flood ravaged 22 local government areas (LGAs) of the state.

It said properties, including houses and farmlands, were lost to the floods by no fewer than 1,000 persons.

It said: “The worst affected LGAs are Shanono, Bagwai, Kiru with 749 victims and N347 million worth of properties were damaged.

“The other areas affected are Rano, Kibiya, Bunkure, Gabasawa, Dawakin Tofa, Kano Municipal, Danbatta and Takai.

“Others are Dawakin Kudu, Karaye, Rogo, Kura, Wudil, Bichi, Sumaila, Garun Mallam, Ungoggo, Bebeji and Warawa.”

The agency said it collaborated with the Kano State Emergency Management Agency (Kano SEMA) in the assessment of damages in the areas.

It said: “NEMA commiserates with the government and people of Kano State over the loss of lives and also sympathises with victims who lost their properties in the flood.

“NEMA assures that it will continue to partner the Kano State Government to alleviate the sufferings of victims of all disasters in the state.”

Another world is indeed possible, says PACJA

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Another world is indeed possible, says PACJA

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has again brought the world’s attention to Africa as thousands of movements from across the globe gathered in Montreal, Canada in the ongoing World Social Forum (Fórum Social Mundial in Portugese) (FSM2016) holding from August 9-14, 2016. The 2016 Forum is themed: “Another World Is Possible”

Participants at a World Social Forum
Participants at a World Social Forum

The goal of the WSF 2016 is to gather tens of thousands of people from groups in civil society, organisations and social movements who want to build a sustainable and inclusive world, where every person and every people has its place and can make its voice heard.

The Alliance, besides joining the global march organised by the Forum, made a case for Africa on several burning issues at various global organised events at the Forum. Some of the issues the Alliance took to the global scene at this event include Climate Justice and the Fight for Peoples’ Right to Food, Water and Land; Transforming the Energy Systems for People and Communities; Climate Justice, Land Rights and Food Security in Africa in the context of Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals; Implementation of SDGs, Accountability and the Role of Civil Society Organisations.

The Alliance called on world leaders to listen to the voices of the people and act now in the interest of the planet and save the world from further humanitarian and environmental crisis.

“To achieve the goal of keeping the global temperature rise to well below 20C and pursuing efforts to keeping it below 1.50C as enshrined in the Paris Agreement and to further achieve the objective of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it will require a lot of sacrifices in the way we live,” says Samson Samuel Ogallah of PACJA.

“The sacrifice will require switching from the current unsustainable production and consumption lifestyle especially by the industrialised countries as the business as usual scenario will lead the world to a 30C and above scenario by 2030 thereby eroding any gain that may have been made from the implementation of SDGs by 2030,” Ogallah adds.

“Civil society fought hard to get the human rights language into the SDGs, they must now work even harder to ensure its operationalisation beyond the adoption of the SDGs by governments across the world,” says Mr. Savio Carvalho of the Amnesty International at the Forum.

In his submission during the Forum, Mithika Mwenda, the Secretary General of PACJA, called for global solidarity among civil society organisations to ensure that they hold governments accountable to their commitments in the SDGs and Paris Agreement. They era of paying lip service to commitment governments signed up to is over especially in the light of Paris Agreement that have spelt out clear role for all Parties in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), everyone and all Parties now have a role to play, Mithika added.

The World Social Forum is an annual meeting of CSOs. First held in Brazil, it offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemonic globalisation. Some consider the World Social Forum to be a physical manifestation of global civil society, as it brings together non-governmental organisations, advocacy campaigns as well as formal and informal social movements seeking international solidarity.

Campaigners, labour to collaborate on climate change

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Campaigners, labour to collaborate on climate change

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in the country have agreed to work with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on issues related to global warming, thereby opening a fresh vista in the nation’s climate change policy dynamics and diplomacy.

L-R: Nnimmo Bassey (Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation), Michael Roll (Resident Representative, FES Nigeria) and Henry Okotie (Project Manager, FES Nigeria)
L-R: Nnimmo Bassey (Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation), Michael Roll (Resident Representative, FES Nigeria) and Henry Okotie (Project Manager, FES Nigeria)

The CSOs, who also resolved to offer their expertise when needed, likewise appreciated the fact that labour unions used to be the political voice of the society and are therefore willing to help in reviving that process.

These resolutions were the outcome of a recent engagement session in Abuja involving CSO and NLC representatives, courtesy of a continental initiative being promoted by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) in about three sub-Saharan African countries including Nigeria.

Henry Okotie, the FES Nigeria project manager, assured the activists that his organisation would communicate the opportunities being offered by the CSOs to the labour unions, especially the NLC, and will encourage them to make use of them. The NLC representative had left midway into the daylong forum, which also featured representatives from the academia.

Panelists: L-R: Prof. Olukayode Oladipo of the University of Lagos, Dr Jennifer Spiff of the Women Initiative for Transparency, Prince Chima Williams of ERA/FoEN and Priscilla Achakpa of the Women Environment Programme
Panelists: L-R: Prof. Olukayode Oladipo of the University of Lagos, Dr Jennifer Spiff of the Women Initiative for Transparency, Prince Chima Williams of ERA/FoEN and Priscilla Achakpa of the Women Environment Programme

His words: “The date for the publication and launch of NLC’s Climate Change Policy hasn’t been set yet. We will inform you as soon as we know about it and send the soft copy.

“We will communicate the outcome of the workshop to the NLC and I will then let you know what the plans for future activities in this field are.”

At the opening of the session, Michael Roll, the FES resident representative, expressed the hope that a workable partnership between labour and CSOs would be forged in the bid to address numerous labour/workplace and climate related challenges.

Thereafter, a panel discussion session featuring Prof. Olukayode Oladipo of the University of Lagos, Priscilla Achakpa of the Women Environment Programme (WEP), Dr Jennifer Spiff of the Women Initiative for Transparency (WIT), Nnimmo Bassey of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and Prince Chima Williams of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) explored a number of issues bordering gender and climate change as well as the legal focus.

For instance, Dr Spiff noted that women and children/girls are the most vulnerable in cases of climate change impact in the areas of reproductive health rights, epidemic and conflicts. She also shed some light on the role of women in climate change.

Prince Williams emphasised that no law has in fact criminalised the negative impacts of climate change on human life pattern (such as loss of farmland), adding that impact can be linked with constitutional right to life.

He said: “We can bring an enforcement of legal action against climate impacts on us, and those to enforce such rights against are GHG emmiters such as operators in the extractive sectors involved in gas flaring, oil spillage and deforestation.”

Achakpa said: “We need more women organisations in the gender constituency. There is also the need to be involved in data generation. We need to generate our data ourselves.”

According to observers, areas to be addressed in future when the CSO-labour collaboration becomes operational entail how climate change contributes to substantial labour productivity loss, labour’s involvement in the transition to a green economy, and challenging conditions in the workplace due to climate change, among others.

Concern as wild polio virus resurfaces

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Concern as wild polio virus resurfaces

On the brink of eradicating wild polio, Nigeria suffers a major setback as an outbreak of the virus is confirmed

Victims of polio
Victims of polio

Minister of Health, Prof.Isaac Adewole, has confirmed an outbreak of wild polio virus in Borno State.
The outbreak has reportedly affected two children from Gwoza and Jere Local Government Areas of the state.

The discovery and confirmation of the outbreak was as a result of strengthened surveillance due to improved accessibility, which has been made possible by the recent military action in liberating more communities in the North Eastern part of the country.

Adewole said the detection of children paralysed by polio shows that surveillance has increased with more access.
He equally said it is a reminder that the country needs to remain vigilant and immunise all eligible children with oral polio vaccine until polio is completely eradicated worldwide.

He said: “Our overriding priority right now is to rapidly boost immunity in the affected areas to ensure that no more children are affected by this terrible disease.”

To this end, the minister has directed the deployment of an national emergency response team comprising government and partners to Borno State for immediate and robust polio vaccination campaign, targeting eligible children to prevent the spread of the virus locally and internationally.

The Federal Ministry of Health through the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency with the support of partners, including the World health Organisation (WHO) and the United nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), are conducting detailed risk analysis to clearly ascertain the extent of circulation of the virus and to assess overall levels of population immunity in order to guide the response.

As an immediate response, about one million children are to be immunised in four local government areas in Borno State.

Children in adjoining states of Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe will also be immunised, bringing the number to about five million in the four states.

Prof. Adewole reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to achieving a polio-free Nigeria and assuresd the general public that this outbreak would be controlled as soon as possible, adding that government will provide the needed resources to contain it.

He therefore called on other states and local governments to redouble their efforts by safeguarding their territories from importation of the virus by providing the required leadership and ensuring accountability among healthcare workers and other stakeholders.

It will be recalled that, in 2012, Nigeria accounted for more than half of all polio cases worldwide, but the country has made significant strides in recent years, going two years without a single case.
This progress has been as a result of concerted efforts by all level of government, civil society, traditional and religious leaders as well as dedicated health workers.

World Elephant Day: Need to protect Tanzania’s Selous reserve

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World Elephant Day: Need to protect Tanzania’s Selous reserve

As the World Elephant Day is observed on Friday, 12 August 2016, the Tanzanian government has been asked to protect its largest game reserve and the wild species that call it home – including elephants.

Elephants
Elephants

Director General of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) International, Marco Lambertini, in a correspondence with Sara Thomas, the WWF Online Advocacy Manager, reflects upon his recent trip to the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania, where he saw the effects of elephant poaching and wildlife crime firsthand.

He reminisces on a trip he took to the same site some 30 years ago – how much of the landscape has changed since, but how the problem of ivory poaching has not – and how the world must urgently take action to protect the future of elephants and other wild species in Selous.

“Let’s bring elephants back to the many empty ‘Selous of Africa’,” Lambertini says, as he seeks for people to join the 55,000 other WWF supporters who have already signed the petition to help protect the future elephants in Selous.

His letter reads thus:

In 1986 I boarded a flight to Tanzania and Botswana to write an article about the elephant crisis for the the Italian equivalent of National Geographic. Yes, we have been here before. In the 80’s we lived through the first dramatic post-colonial wave of elephant poaching. The demand back then was driven by different countries, but the target was the same, ivory.

In 1989, when the international ivory ban was introduced, and was combined with stronger on-the-ground efforts and demand-reduction campaigns, the African elephant population recovered rapidly. Today we see a new crisis. History is repeating itself and we should learn from it.

Last month, after a gap of 30 years, I visited two of the same sites in Tanzania and Botswana. As I flew in on a small single-engine plane, I was overwhelmed by the majestic view.

The vast green expanse and extensive wetlands, cut through by the muddy enchanted snake-shaped Rufiji river. But on the ground I encountered a different, sad story. The place felt empty. The large African wildlife was scarce and even the most common species like impalas and warthogs were extremely shy. In three days, we only saw one single shy elephant. However, the biggest shock was the change in the habitat. Trees and shrubs now encroach on the open spaces that, as I remember, teemed with wildebeest, zebras and impalas. When the ‘Architects of the Savannah’ are gone, the landscape changes and the impact on another grassland species is inevitable.

This is the Selous, the largest game reserve in Africa, at over five million hectares. 90 per cent of its elephants have been lost to poaching – an average of almost 2,500 per year since 1976. Thankfully, there is hope, which resides with the new Tanzanian Government. The Government has shown gritted determination to pursue and prosecute ivory trade kingpins. This resolve, if it continues, will make a difference.

We have done it before. We can do it again. Let’s bring elephants back to the many empty “Selous of Africa.” How exciting.

Why Indigenous Peoples are central to climate action

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Why Indigenous Peoples are central to climate action

August 9 is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2016, and is devoted to the right to education

Indigenous communities across the world have a key role to play in tackling climate change and in achieving the climate goals set out in the historic Paris Climate Change Agreement. Indigenous peoples not only have a right to education, they can educate other groups in sustainable life-styles.

Farmers in Peru. Photo credit: International Institute for Environment and Development
Farmers in Peru. Photo credit: International Institute for Environment and Development

For indigenous peoples, resilience to climate change is rooted in traditional knowledge, and their capacity to adapt to environmental change is often based on in-depth understanding of the land.

As climate change increasingly impacts indigenous landscapes, communities are responding and adapting in unique ways. Others can learn from these best practices.

For example, the indigenous Quechua community in Parque de la Papa, Peru, maintain a Potato Park in the Andes with a bank that holds over 1,000 varieties of the vegetable.

Climate change is threatening biodiversity and forcing them to change centuries-old agricultural practices.

But having many types of potato crop which grow under harsh conditions, some of which can also be planted in other countries, constitutes an important form of resilience. Indigenous communities are increasingly offering their generations of traditional knowledge to further science. Knowledge about these and other best practices is discussed and shared by the Adaptation Committee of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Indigenous peoples who live near or in forests are also stewards of the world’s most valuable remaining ecosystems. These ecosystems are a source of food and water for millions of people, and at the same time they play a crucial role in regulating the climate and absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide.

According to the UN Development Programme, approximately 70 million indigenous peoples depend on forests for their livelihoods and another 350 million rural people reside in or near them.

Indigenous land rights and education are a vital part of preserving these carbon stocks by reducing deforestation, managing forests sustainably and restoring tree cover as part of productive rural economies.

Indigenous peoples also have a powerful interest in sustainable, clean energy in order to preserve their life-styles.

UN University has been convening indigenous peoples to discuss how they can contribute to and build energy independence, notably with renewable energy.

Multilateral development banks mobilise $81bn in climate funds

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Multilateral development banks mobilise $81bn in climate funds

Climate finance totaling some $81 billion was mobilised for projects funded by the world’s six largest multilateral development banks (MDBs) in 2015. This included $25 billion of MDBs’ direct climate finance, combined with a further $56 billion from other investors.

Bambang Susantono, ADB Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development
Bambang Susantono, ADB Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development

The latest MDB climate finance figures are detailed in the 2015 Joint Report on Multilateral Development Banks’ Climate Finance, prepared by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) together with MDB partners: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDBG), and the World Bank Group (WBG).

This noteable contribution to the global climate change challenge was reinforced last year by pledges from all of the MDBs to significantly increase their climate finance in the coming years. They made these pledges in the run up to the COP21 Paris Agreement, the world’s first universal climate accord adopted in December last year by 195 countries.

The report covers the 2015 year and shows that MDBs delivered over $20 billion for mitigation activities and $5 billion for adaptation. Mitigation activities involve the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency measures and the use of clean, renewable energy sources, while adaptation measures reduce climate vulnerability and increase resilience to climate change through, for example, investing in climate-resilient land-use and water resource management. Since 2011, MDBs have jointly committed more than $131 billion in climate finance.

Among the regions, non-European Union (EU) Europe and Central Asia received the largest share of total funding at 20%; with South Asia receiving 19%; Latin America and the Caribbean 15%; East Asia and the Pacific 14%; the EU 13%; sub-Saharan Africa 9%; and the Middle East and North Africa 9%. Multi-regional commitments made up the other 2% of the total.

On a sectoral basis, the largest recipient of adaptation funding was for water and wastewater systems (27%), followed by energy, transport and related infrastructure (24%), and crop and food production (18%). Renewable energy received the bulk of mitigation finance (30%), lower-carbon transport received 26%, and energy efficiency activities 14%.

ADB contributed over $2.5 billion for mitigation finance and $356 million for adaptation finance in 2015, a slight increase from 2014.

“MDBs will play a central role in generating the pipelines of quality climate action projects needed to deliver the goals of the Paris Agreement,” said Bambang Susantono, ADB Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development. “The Asia-Pacific region includes economies which are among the world’s most vulnerable to climate change extremes. To that end, ADB has committed to double climate finance from its own resources to around $6 billion annually by 2020, as well as to seek out and mobilize cofinance from a wide range of public and private sector sources.”

Given the role of MDBs in catalysing finance, the inclusion in this year’s report of a common tracking approach for climate cofinancing is a significant step forward in making the reporting of climate finance flows more robust and transparent. MDBs have also been working closely together to harmonise reporting on greenhouse gas emissions and the use of proceeds from MDB green bonds.

Moving forward, the report notes that the MDBs will scale up climate finance activities across multiple sectors, in particular in renewable energy and energy efficiency; low-carbon and climate-resilient cities, regions and industries; low-carbon transport; natural resource efficiency; and climate-smart agriculture and food security. These efforts will help countries meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement, moving to a low-carbon, more resilient future.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, ADB in December 2016 will mark 50 years of development partnership in Asia. It is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region. In 2015 alone, ADB assistance totaled $27.2 billion, including cofinancing of $10.7 billion.

Images: Environment Outreach Magazine decorates eminent Nigerians

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Images: Environment Outreach Magazine decorates eminent Nigerians

At the 7th Environment Outreach Magazine Public Lecture held recently in Abuja, awards were conferred on eminent Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in the protection of the environment through positive action and years of dedicated service.

Some of the recipients include the Minister of Environment, Amina J. Mohammed; Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State; Professor Sani Abubakar Mashi, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Admin) of the University of Abuja; Kingsley Chinda, former Commissioner for Environment, Rivers State and presently Chairman of Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives, Abuja; and, Professor I. K. E Ekweozor, Secretary, Board of Trustees, Nigerian Environmental Society.

Others include Dr. Daru Owei, former Deputy Managing Director of AGIP; Dr. Victor Fodeke, environmentalist and former Technical Adviser to the African Union; Mr. Akin Awobamise, retired Zonal Director of NESREA; Elder Uche Agbanusi, former National President of the Nigerian Environmental Society; Mr. Salisu Dahiru, National Project Coordinator of NEWMAP; and, Mr. Pyagbara Saro Legborsi, President of MOSOP.

Former Minister of Environment, Sir John Odey (right) presenting an Environmental Award to the Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, through her representative, Dr. Lawrence Anukam, DG of NESREA
Former Minister of Environment, Sir John Odey (right) presenting an Environmental Award to the Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, through her representative, Dr. Lawrence Anukam, DG of NESREA
The Vice Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Professor Ndowa Lale presents an award to Professor I. K. E. Ekweozor of the River State University of Science and Technology Port Harcourt
The Vice Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Professor Ndowa Lale presents an award to Professor I. K. E. Ekweozor of the River State University of Science and Technology Port Harcourt
Dr. Daru Owei, former DMD of Agip receives an award from the Director-General of NESREA, Dr. Lawrence Anukam while Publisher of the Environment Outreach Magazine admires
Dr. Daru Owei, former DMD of Agip receives an award from the Director-General of NESREA, Dr. Lawrence Anukam while Publisher of the Environment Outreach Magazine admires
Nigeria's former climate chnage chief, Dr Victor Fodeke (left) was likewise decorated
Nigeria’s former climate change chief, Dr Victor Fodeke (left), was likewise decorated
President of MOSOP, Mr. Legborsi Saro Pyagbara (left) with Publisher of the Environment Outreach Magazine, Chief Noble Akenge
President of MOSOP, Mr. Legborsi Saro Pyagbara (left) with Publisher of the Environment Outreach Magazine, Chief Noble Akenge
Special Guest of Honour and former Deputy Managing Director of AGIP, Dr. Daru Owei (left) and Chairman of the occasion, Sir John Odey, former Minister of Environment
Special Guest of Honour and former Deputy Managing Director of AGIP, Dr. Daru Owei (left) and Chairman of the occasion, Sir John Odey, former Minister of Environment

 

Mohammed urges government, activists to synergise in tackling insurgency

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Mohammed urges government, activists to synergise in tackling insurgency

Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, has urged civil society and the people to work closely with government to fight the menace of insurgency and other militant acts in the country.

Left to right: Madam Anne Ene-Ita, former Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Aviation; Representative of the Emir of Potiskum, Alhaji Muhammad Yusuf; Representative of the Minister of Environment and DG of NESREA, Dr. Lawrence Anukam; and former Minister of Environment, Sir John Odey at the 7th Environment Outreach Magazine Public Lecture in Abuja recently
Left to right: Madam Anne Ene-Ita, former Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Aviation; Representative of the Emir of Potiskum, Alhaji Muhammad Yusuf; Representative of the Minister of Environment and DG of NESREA, Dr. Lawrence Anukam; and former Minister of Environment, Sir John Odey at the 7th Environment Outreach Magazine Public Lecture in Abuja recently

The minister, who spoke recently in Abuja at the 7th Environment Outreach Magazine Public Lecture, reiterated the fact that government alone cannot win the war against insurgency in any form without the active collaboration of the people.

She stressed the need for closer cooperation in view of the enormous damage the scourge has cost the country in material terms and general damage to the environment.

According to her, Nigeria’s economy has suffered greatly in the last two decades since the activities of militants escalated in the Niger Delta. “Pipeline vandals have wreaked havoc on our environment due to the huge amounts of crude oil spilled into the environment by their nefarious activities. This has in turn reduced our oil production output with attendant consequences for the economy,” she disclosed.

The minister, who was represented by the Director-General of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr. Lawrence Anukam, lamented the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents that have in the last few years caused serious dislocations and untold hardship to the people of the north-east and other parts of the country. She called for an immediate end to the activities of insurgents in all parts of the country so that developments can thrive.

Chairman of the occasion and former Minister of Environment, Sir John Odey, commended the publication for its commitment in ensuring an enduring and well protected environment for the country by creating awareness of environmental issues across the country.  He called on the authorities and other corporate bodies to support and partner with the magazine in sustaining the fight against environmental abuse and degradation in the country.

He described the topic of the lecture, “Insurgency and its effect on Nigeria’s economy and environment”, as very apt and urged all stakeholders to close ranks and ensure that the environment is protected from abuse in all forms.

Special Guest of Honour, Dr. Daru Owei, former Deputy Managing Director of AGIP, stressed that the environment has become a strong issue now both locally and globally, not only to the oil industry but to all strata of society.

Publisher and host of the event, Chief Noble Akenge, stated that the reason for initiating the Public Lecture Series was to create awareness and also bring environmental issues to the front burner of national discourse and action.

He described the theme of the Lecture as very appropriate in the light of the heavy damage insurgents, militants and pipeline vandals are doing to the Nigerian environment and economy.

He said: “From the Boko Haram insurgency in the north which has devastated our environment and virtually halted most of the desertification projects in the frontline states to the activities of militants and vandals that have made life virtually unbearable for the people of the Niger Delta and Nigerians in general, the story is the same.”

He lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for his positive response to the recommendations of the UNEP Report on Ogoniland and the launching of the clean-up process and urged the President to speed up the process through appropriate institutional mechanisms and action and also extend it to other states in the Niger Delta where oil exploration and exploitation has caused considerable damage to the ecosystem over the years.

He appealed to the Federal Government to strengthen the Federal Ministry of Environment and Regulatory Agencies like NESREA and NOSDRA through capacity building and adequate funding of their operations to enable them carry out their statutory functions effectively.

He called on corporate bodies and other institutions in the country to begin to respect and place value on the nation’s collective heritage – the environment.

“A percentage of the huge profits being declared annually by many of these corporations and financial institutions can be ploughed into environmental protection and sustainable development activities in our country,” Akenge stated.

As part of activities marking the event, Environmental Awards were conferred on eminent Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in the protection of the environment through positive action and years of dedicated service.

Some of the recipients include the Minister of Environment, Amina J. Mohammed; Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State; Professor Sani Abubakar Mashi, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Admin) of the University of Abuja; Kingsley Chinda, former Commissioner for Environment, Rivers State and presently Chairman of Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives, Abuja; and, Professor I. K. E Ekweozor, Secretary, Board of Trustees, Nigerian Environmental Society.

Others include Dr. Daru Owei, former Deputy Managing Director of AGIP; Dr. Victor Fodeke, environmentalist and former Technical Adviser to the African Union; Mr. Akin Awobamise, retired Zonal Director of NESREA; Elder Uche Agbanusi, former National President of the Nigerian Environmental Society; Mr. Salisu Dahiru, National Project Coordinator of NEWMAP; and, Mr. Pyagbara Saro Legborsi, President of MOSOP.

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