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Tough hurdles on the way for aspiring NITP Fellows

Human Settlement

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September 16, 2015

Tough hurdles on the way for aspiring NITP Fellows

Do you wish to become a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP)? Well, you may need to do some bracing up as it will no longer be business as usual, following a review recently in Abuja of the guidelines for selection to the “prestigious group”.

President of the NITP, Tpl (Dr) Femi Olomola (middle) flanked by the Fellows Selection Review Committee: Tpl Barnabas Atiyaye (secretary) (left), Tpl Waheed Kadiri (chairman) (second left), Tpl (Dr) Don Okpala (second right) and Tpl (Dr) Stephen Hirse (right), during the NITP Retreat in Abuja, on August 24, 2015. A member of the committee, Tpl (Dr) Helen Anazia, is not shown.

The review was one of several activities at a week-long retreat organised by the institute. Others are the finalisation of a model LUPAR report (to produce the multi-user template) and handover of the institute’s Examination Board.

The Fellowship Class is the highest level of membership of the NITP, which lists other categories of membership to include: Student, Graduate, Full and Retired. However, Honourary (as well as Fellowship) membership are conferred on persons not engaged in the practice of the profession but have, by reason of interest, made valuable contributions to the advancement of the theory and practice of town planning.

But, worried by the fact that members are being admitted into the Fellowship Class despite the absence of a clear cut criteria, the institute had indeed made attempts in the past to overhaul the existing benchmark. For instance, courtesy of the College of Fellows, a committee was set up to review existing criteria and present to the College for consideration before any other election. Though the committee was given a period of three months to submit its report, it never materialised.

However, the latest attempts to address inherent flaws came by way of the inauguration of a fresh College of Fellows Committee that deliberated on the issue for a couple of days in Abuja. The committee comprises: Tpl Waheed Kadiri (chairman), Tpl (Dr) Helen Anazia, Tpl (Dr) Don Okpala, Tpl (Dr) Stephen Hirse and Tpl Barnabas Atiyaye. NITP president, Tpl (Dr) Femi Olomola, inaugurated the committee.

Essentially, the NITP Constitution states that an aspiring Fellow must be an active Full Member for no less than 10 years, and made significant contributions to the profession in the areas of practice, administration, research or academics.

But, according to the committee, the 10-year mark does not automatically qualify any Full Member to become a Fellow, and needs to demonstrate that he/she has been an active member over the previous 10 years of Full Membership.

They listed parameters to be considered for consideration to becoming a Fellow to include:

Activeness of member in the institute (membership of state chapter; evidence of regularity of attendance of meetings and programmes at chapter level/financial responsibility; regularity at national programmes; attendance of MCPDPs; attendance/sponsorship of international programmes sponsored by the institute; financial responsibility; material contributions to the institute; positions held/achievements recorded at state chapter and national executive committees)
Practice (registration of private practice with NITP and TOPREC; number of projects handled; types of projects handled; procedure of commission; basis of fees charged; number of professional colleagues involved; duration of project; evidence of acceptance and approval of project by the client; level of implementation of project and duration of project before review)
Administration (participation in policy formulation; proposals for preparation of masterplans and planning schemes to government/private individuals, and number of successes recorded); supervision of masterplan preparation and implementation; activities in development control and urban management; number of building plan approvals granted through applicant’s participation in the process; facilitation of enactment of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) Law, Planning Standards and Regulations in state/national levels; creating awareness on town planning)
Research (planning researches conducted and their relevance with evidence of reports produced; general response of public to research; areas of research in view; sponsorship of research)
Academics (years of experience in teaching; courses taught and level; number of student projects supervised; number of academic papers presented at national conferences or NITP journal; number of papers presented and published in international journals; number of books published)
General (disciplinary case with the institute; case of misconduct in the court of law; knowledge of the NITP constitution/URP law/code of ethics and professional practice; information on contemporary issues related to the profession; dressing and general comportment)

While the first parameter (Activeness) carries 25 marks, the remaining five (Practice, Administration, Research, Academics and General) carry 15 marks each – totalling 100 marks. A cut-off pass mark of 60% was recommended.

“It is hoped that if these parameters are followed, there would be some measure of objectiveness and providing a level playing ground for all intending Fellows of the institute,” submitted Tpl Kadiri, a Fellow himself as well as a past president of the NITP.

Following the inability of Tpl Donatus Obialo to attend the retreat, Tpl Kadiri stepped in to chair the LUPAR Committee, which had Tpl Luka Ach, Tpl Lekwa Ezutah, Tpl (Prof.) Ahmed Adamu, Tpl (Dr.) Ma’aruf Sani and Tpl Alex Ogbodo as members.

The committee fine-tuned all existing materials and produced a model LUPAR report, which will be printed and launched at the 2015 Annual Conference/AGM of the institute in Ilorin, Kwara State, in October.

FUTA workshop examines climate change causes, consequences

Climate Change

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September 16, 2015

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FUTA workshop examines climate change causes, consequences

In an effort to broaden understanding of climate change and the capability for incorporating its issues into decision-making and policy development and implementation, the Federal University of Technology, Akure in collaboration with West African Science Service on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use Graduate Research Programme – West African Climate Science (WASCAL GRP-WACS, FUTA centre) and the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science of FUTA, embarked on a five-day training workshop on Climate Information for Adaptation and Policy Development.

Flooded area in Sokoto. Photo credit: channelstv.com — Flooded area in Sokoto. Extreme rainfall and flooding have been linked to climate change. Photo credit: channelstv.com

The workshop, which drew participants from ministries, departments & agencies (MDAs), and university departments, is aimed at dealing with current topics on climate change causes, consequences, management and adaptation.

Specifically, the workshop is addressing issues of climate change: the science, causes and consequences; climate change projection, variability and extremes; climate change challenges, risks and opportunities; politics and economics of climate change; climate change mitigation; climate change: adaptation, policies and governance and climate change policy design and response.

Director, WASCAL GRP-WACS, Prof. Jerome Omotosho, in his welcome remarks at the opening session of the workshop on Tuesday, said there had been a lack of adequate information to stakeholders on climate change.

According to him, everyone talks about climate change but a lot of people do not really understand what it is all about.

He stressed that the workshop was organised to bring middle-level officers from MDAs and reach out to them on what climate change is all about, what brings it about and, importantly, what can we do.

“That is why we put this workshop together,” he said.

Director, Centre for Continuing Education, Dr. J.O Bashorun, said the environment is now threatened and human health and food scarcity is of concern to people even in the developed world.

Head of Meteorology and Climate Science Department, FUTA, Prof. Kehinde Ogunjobi, said the workshop is coming up in line with the new name of the department. He explained that, for the Third World countries, the issue is more of adaptation than mitigation.

He added that the workshop would help to collate ideas which will be useful for policy and decision makers in addressing climate change challenge.

While declaring the workshop open, Vice-Chancellor of FUTA, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola, represented by his deputy, Prof. Tunde Arayela, noted that the world’s climate is changing and would continue to change, and that it has been postulated by scientists that, by the end of this century, global temperature will rise significantly by more than two degrees celsius.

He said such a level of warming and attendant changes in climate would have a severe impact on socio-economic development.

“There is now a growing shared understanding that the response to climate change can only be effective if it is linked with the broader array of policy and development.

“It is therefore obvious that the solution must involve multi-disciplinary research agenda with natural and social scientists working together to deliver sustainable strategies to combat this menace,” he added.

Daramola, who congratulated the WASCAL director, Head of Meteorology and Climate Science department and the Centre for Continuing Education on the eventful milestone, said the institution management’s expectation is that the workshop will identify challenges presented by climate change, project into future and expectations, and develop pragmatic approach for adaptation.

He urged participants, as scientists, to synergise with both local, national and international institutions to assist in stopping degradation of the only home of man through workshop of this nature and advocacy programmes.

“The linkages between climate change and the three pillars of sustainable development – environment, social, and economic – are strong and deserve in-depth, expert discussion. It is, therefore, my sincere hope that this workshop will also play a catalytic role in helping policy and decision makers acquire deep understanding of climate change and work hard to mitigate its effects,” he added.

Global consumption trends break new records

Sustainable Devpt

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September 15, 2015

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Global consumption trends break new records

Worldwatch Institute’s Vital Signs exposes latest global peaks of production and consumption, as well as associated impacts

Global meat production has more than quadrupled in the last half century to over 308 million tons in 2013, bringing with it considerable environmental and health costs due to its large-scale draw on water, feedgrains, antibiotics, and grazing land

From coal to cars to coffee, consumption levels are breaking records. According to the Worldwatch Institute’s latest report, Vital Signs, Volume 22: The Trends That Are Shaping Our Future, the acceleration of resource depletion, pollution, and climate change may come with underappreciated social and environmental costs.

Drawing on a wide range of sources, Vital Signs shows trends related to today’s often record-breaking levels of consumption by providing data and concise analyses of significant global trends in food and agriculture, population and society, and energy and climate.

“Consumers often do not know the full footprint of the products they are buying, such as the embedded water in a t-shirt or steak, the pesticide exposure of cotton farmers, or the local devastation caused by timber companies cutting down forests to produce paper,” says Michael Renner, Vital Signs Project Director.

The 24 trends tracked in Vital Signs illustrate these and other consequences of consumption on a scale never before experienced on Earth. With a global population of over seven billion and growing, the need to preserve ecosystems is undeniable. Yet, for many products, the growth of consumption is reaching new levels:

Global meat production has more than quadrupled in the last half century to over 308 million tons in 2013, bringing with it considerable environmental and health costs due to its large-scale draw on water, feedgrains, antibiotics, and grazing land.
Coffee production has doubled since the early 1960s. However, an estimated 25 million coffee growers worldwide are at the mercy of extreme price volatility.
For more than 50 years, global plastic production has continued to rise, with 299 million tons of plastics produced in 2013 alone. Recycling rates remain low, however, and the majority of plastics end up in landfills and oceans-polluting ecosystems, entangling wildlife, and blighting communities.
The world’s fleet of automobiles now surpasses 1 billion, with each vehicle contributing greenhouse gases and reducing air quality.

Vital Signs, Volume 22 presents these and other global trends and analyses of our planet and civilization. The book uses straightforward language and easy-to-read graphs to present each indicator. Vital Signs is created as a guide to inform governments, businesses, teachers, and concerned citizens everywhere to make the changes needed to build a sustainable world.

“Untrammeled consumerism lies at the heart of many of these challenges,” writes Renner. “As various articles in this edition of Vital Signs show, consumption choices matter greatly.”

Photos: Opening of FUTA climate change workshop

Photo News

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September 15, 2015

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Photos: Opening of FUTA climate change workshop

At the instance of the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science as well as the West Africa Science Service Centre and Adaptive Land-use (WASCAL) Graduate Research Programme on the West African Climate System (GRP-WACS) of the Federal University of Technology (FUTA), Akure, a week-long training workshop on climate change formally opened on Tuesday, September 15, 2015.

The conference, which has “Climate Information for Adaptation and Policy Development” as its theme, is holding at the institution’s WASCAL Centre.

L-R: Director, West African Science Service on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) Graduate Research Programme-West African Climate Science, Prof. Jerome Omotosho; Deputy Vice- Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof. Tunde Arayela; Director, Centre for Continuing Education, FUTA, Dr. J.O Bashorun, and the Head of Meteorology and Climate Science Department, FUTA, Prof. Kehinde Ogunjobi, at the opening ceremony of a five-day Climate Information for Adaptation and Policy Development workshop at the WASCAL Centre, FUTA, Akure, Ondo State …on Tuesday 15th September, 2015.

Participants at the ongoing five-day workshop on Climate Information for Adaptation and Policy Development, organised by the Federal University of Technology, Akure in collaboration with WASCAL GRP-WACS and Department of Meteorology and Climate Science at the WASCAL Centre, FUTA, Akure, Ondo State

Poisoned French farmer wins lawsuit against Monsanto

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September 15, 2015

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Poisoned French farmer wins lawsuit against Monsanto

A French court of appeal has upheld a judgement against US biotech giant Monsanto in the poisoning of a farmer with a corn herbicide.

Monsanto was found responsible during a trial in 2012 and was ordered to fully compensate the partially disabled cereal farmer.

Paul Francois suffered severe neurological disorders after accidentally inhaling the weedkiller’s fumes on his farm in 2004.

The ruling Thursday, September 10, 2015 in Lyon was condemned by Monsanto, which has argued that there was not enough evidence linking the farmer’s symptoms to the herbicide.

But the decision has been celebrated among other French farmers who say it gives them hope that their health problems could be recognised as the result of similar exposure.

It is also considered a win for organisations which lobby against the massive use of pesticides in the country.

Francois said that after inhaling the Lasso herbicide, he became nauseated, began stuttering and suffered dizziness, headaches and muscular aches which rendered him unable to work for a year.

His lawyer has argued that the company failed to say what its product contained on the label, or warn of the risks.

Monsanto was also accused of keeping Lasso on the French market until 2007, despite bans of the product in Canada, Britain and Belgium.

It is just the latest blow in France for the US giant. In June, the French Ecology Minister Segolene Royal announced a ban on over-the-counter sales of the Monsanto weedkiller Roundup, after an active ingredient was classified by the UN as a probable carcinogenic to humans.

Courtesy: RFI

Western Post newspaper for launch

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September 14, 2015

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Western Post, a newspaper founded by seasoned journalist, Tunde Rahman, is to be launched officially on Tuesday, September 15, 2015.

In a statement by the management of the newspaper, the launch will take up at Civic Center Hall of Bashorun Agodi in, GRA, Ibadan, Oyo State. The topic for debate at the launch is: The dwindling oil revenue: A case for regional integration.

Chairman of the occasion is the Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, while the Special Guest of Honour will be the Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, with the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, as the royal father of the day.

Other Guests of Honour include the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki; and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yusuf Suleiman Lasun.

Others are the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose; the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; and the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.

Before establishing Western Post, Rahman was the Editor of ThisDay on Sunday. He had previously worked with The Punch, Daily Times and some other highly rated publications in Nigeria.

Western Post is published by Western Post Newspaper Nigeria Limited.

Kidnappers abduct wife of Sun director, Steve Nwosu

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September 14, 2015

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Kidnappers abduct wife of Sun director, Steve Nwosu

Toyin, the wife of the Deputy Managing Director of the Sun newspaper, Steve Nwosu, has been abducted.

Toyin was abducted in their home at about 2:30am on Monday.

The family lives in the Okota area of Amuwo Odofin in Lagos State.

According to Steve, as at 9am, his wife’s abductors had not gotten in touch with the family.

Steve is also an Executive Director with the Sun newspaper. He is also a columnist of repute.

Before his appointment as Executive Director, he was the Daily Editor of the Sun.

String of deaths trails decade-old Agip pipelines explosions

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September 14, 2015

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String of deaths trails decade-old Agip pipelines explosions

The Environmental/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has demanded a Federal Government probe of explosions caused by Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) operations in several communities in Bayelsa State where the company has facilities. The group is also calling on government to revoke the company’s operational license.

An Agip pipeline explosion in Bayelsa State. Photo credit: sundiatapost.com

According to ERA/FoEN, explosions from Agip pipelines and resultant deaths were recorded since 1995 and have escalated in the last three years, with the latest incident in Azuzuama in Bassan Clan, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA) on 9 July 2015 which claimed the lives of 14 persons.

ERA/FoEN through its field monitors verified that the 14 persons died along Agip’s Tebidabe-Clough Creek pipeline at a damaged section of the pipeline during a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) while several others received burns. The first major tragedy by the company recorded by ERA/FoEN was at Ozochi in June 1995.

The incident claimed seven workers attempting to clear a major spill at its facility, disclosed the ERA/FoEN spokesman, Philip Jakpor, in a statement on Monday. According to him, the victims were roasted while clearing oil spills with spade and bucket.

“DAEWOO got the contract for the cleanup but contracted youths from Ozochi without any training and proper clean up kits to dig pits which they transferred the crude oil into in order to set it ablaze later. An ensuing inferno claimed five of them in addition to the destruction of the environment, farmlands and biodiversity,” Jakpor stated.

He added that, in 2000, 18 youths died in a tragic incident which occurred in Etieama community in Nembe Local Government Area LGA during a clamping operation on a ruptured section of NAOC’s Brass-Ogoda pipeline. The incident, he stressed, was caused by spark from a machine used during the clamping.

“On Sunday, 29th July, 2012 a similar incident happened along Agip pipeline within Ayamabele/Kalaba community environment, in Okordia clan, Yenagoa LGA. Sixteen individuals were lucky to have escaped when a fire was ignited in the process of the cleanup.”

ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Godwin Uyi Ojo, said: “A clear pattern of ecocide has been observed in in the Niger Delta. The incident in Azuzuama is yet another sad episode from NAOC operations as the testimonies from bereaved families and officials of the Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment indicate.”

Demanding the revocation of Agip’s operating license, Ojo explained that a consistent trend of explosions leading to needless deaths have trailed the company’s operations hence the need for the Federal and state government to set up an investigative panel to review its operations as well as its spill contingency plan and protocols, which have so far put production and profit at the fore and left safety at the back seat.

“Government should ensure that Agip complies with international standards in oil pipeline clamping and procedures which must also guarantee the safety of workers, regulators, and the communities.

He insisted that Agip must be brought to book following the equipment failure and substandard mode of clamping and procedures in addition to adequately compensating the bereaved families including victims of the Ozochi tragedy.

Government must also ensure only competent firms are engaged as contractors to carry out clamping jobs that require high levels of professionalism.

Ojo said that while a price cannot be placed on the loss of human life, Agip must compensate each family with the sum of $2 million.

“Beyond the investigation, Agip must provide public response to the fire explosion incidents, conduct immediate clean up and environmental remediation and compensation for destroyed livelihoods. Enough is enough on this systematic decimation of the lives and environment of our people,” Ojo stressed.