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Nnimmo Bassey: How pollution has stolen our mothers

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Nnimmo Bassey: How pollution has stolen our mothers

Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), at the recent workshop (in Bori, Ogoni, Rivers State, Nigeria) on “Building Community Resilience towards the Implementation of the UNEP Report” says that women must be fully involved in monitoring the process and be watchdogs over the environment, especially the clean-up of Ogoniland

Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)
Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)

A Garden of Hope was planted at the Ken Saro-Wiwa Peace Centre, the premises of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, in July 2015. Present at that notable occasion was Vandana Shiva who is an esteemed Fellow of HOMEF’s Sustainability Academy, also the President of MOSOP, Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, among other respected leaders. It was a gathering of Ogoni women, deliberating on strategies to protect their seeds in a hostile environment and to stand as ecological defenders. Now, before Vandana Shiva spoke, we had an interactive session during which one of the Ladies present said she had to tell us why there were no old women amongst them. It was a question on our minds, a question we had all wanted to ask, so her offer was most welcome. She simply stated, “Pollution has stolen our mothers.”

That was a pregnant statement, a great metaphor of the reality of the impact of hydrocarbon pollution in Ogoniland. This single statement explains the carnival of funerals of young persons in these parts, as Comrade Celestine Akpobari often describes it. Apparently pollution has not only stolen the mothers, but also the prospects of regeneration for many, add to these also that it has been said that incidents of ladies experiencing ‘menopause’ well before the age of forty is on the increase in Ogoniland.

If this the environmental situation of Ogoniland, then, Were Ken Saro-Wiwa and MOSOP right when they began intense campaigns from early 1990s for the clean-up of Ogoniland? Were the Ogoni people right to raise so many questions?

The Assessment of the Environment of Ogoniland as carried out by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) handed to the Federal Government on 4 August 2011 was an answer to the many questions that Ogoni people had been asking. Today we have the word of the President that the clean-up of Ogoniland will be fast tracked. As we speak, it will soon be two months since that promise was made and it will be unwise for us to not utilise the hiatus and prepare for the implementation of the answer. Someone once said that the “Unquestioned answers are more dangerous than unanswered questions.”

We are not gathered to question the UNEP Report, but we will interrogate our readiness to engage with the processes and institutions being set up to bring our answers into effect. First, we will assure ourselves that the implementation of the UNEP report is a lifeline that must be unreservedly grabbed. Anything to slow or abort the process should be seen as an attempt to keep the people trapped in the death-grip of hydrocarbon pollution. The pledge to fast track the clean-up is a clear answer as to whether the clean-up would ever happen. With two months gone with no concrete actions yet, we have reasons to raise new questions as to when the clean-up would take off in earnest.

Women must be fully involved in monitoring the process and be watchdogs over the environment. We recall that in August 2014 some of you agreed to be a part of the Ogoni Women as Ecological Defenders (OWED); well, now is the time to step up the network. Pollution must no longer be allowed to steal our mothers.

We will also use this training programme to review the answers and recommendations made by UNEP, we will share knowledge on environmental health monitoring and resolve to work together to ensure that the restoration of Ogoni environment, births the hope that the highly polluted environments elsewhere in the Niger Delta and all over Nigeria will be equally cleaned up.

In a few days the 10th of November will roll in. For lovers of environmental justice, it is the Day of Infamy and a Day of Rage. That will be the 20th anniversary of the martyrdom of iconic Ogoni leaders – Ken Saro‐Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Naute, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel and John Kpuine. Besides these nine mena, other noble Ogoni leaders and peoples lost their lives in the continued struggle for a safe Ogoni environment. It has been a hard road to travel in the struggle against the power of capital in the shape of entrenched polluting oil companies.

A successful clean-up of the Ogoni environment will attest to the fact that the struggle for a clean environment is not a criminal desire, but a necessity, one that we must all demand and contribute to.

COP 21: Concern over France visa, fees in Nigeria

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COP 21: Concern over France visa, fees in Nigeria

As preparations for the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reach a feverish peak, prospective participants from Nigeria have been told in clear terms by the Embassy of France in (Abuja and Consulate in Lagos) Nigeria that visa issuance is only contingent upon the payment of visa consultancy and processing fees. This directive, according to observers, is a contravention of the principles of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Manuel Valls, France's Prime Minister. Photo credit: Christophe Ena/ AP
Manuel Valls, France’s Prime Minister. Photo credit: Christophe Ena/ AP

Participants from over 196 countries are expected to converge on Paris, France this December for crunch climate talks with a view to adopting a new global climate treaty capable of lowering global temperatures and halting further slides into dangerous thresholds of climate vulnerability.

An information note published on the conference organisers’ website reads: “For holders of an ordinary passport, obtaining a short-stay visa to France is subject to a fee of €60 payable in local currency, in addition to the fees charged in the relevant countries by the external service provider. Persons accredited by the United Nations to attend COP21/CMP11 are exonerated from these charges on presentation of their accreditation letter.”

Duly accredited participants from Nigeria including civil society leaders and journalists have condemned the directive by the French embassy in Nigeria and are calling for a policy reversal by the appropriate authorities.

Tina Armstrong Ogbonna, an accredited journalist to the conference, says: “This action by the French Embassy in Nigeria is a direct affront on the integrity of Nigerians and a baseless contravention of UNFCCC protocol governing issuance of visas to COP participants.

“We have attended UNFCCC conferences in several European countries with noone asking us for visa fees so why is France different?” she wondered.

Stephen Onuche, an accredited civil society observer to the conference, recalls: “This action by the French Embassy in Nigeria is pure extortion and manipulation of environmentally conscious Nigerians to achieve a pre-determined objective.

“I was asked to pay N4,500 (€20) as visa interview booking fee to VFS, a consulting firm approved by the embassy, and when I was eventually interviewed at the embassy premises in Abuja, the visa officer pointedly asked me to pay N13,500 (€60) to their cashier if I ever wanted to collect the visa.

“If the French Embassy in Nigeria is broke and in urgent need of funds, they should say so openly and not use UNFCCC conference hosting right as a smokescreen to fleece hapless Nigerians,” he added.

For another Nigerian journalist who prefers to remain anonymous for now, his experience with the French Consulate in Lagos and their accredited visa agents, VFS, leaves much to be desired.

He says: “After paying N20,420 (about €91) and waiting for several weeks, I was issued a visa that is valid from 12/10/2015 to 11/11/2015 even when my UNFCCC accreditation letter, flight ticket, and travel insurance reads 30th November to 16th December 2015!

“As it is now, the French Consulate has succeeded in issuing a visa that is useless to me. I wonder if my application documents were even looked at before the visa was issued,” he added.

Efforts to get the official position of the French Embassy failed as mails to George Vanin, the Embassy’s Head of Press and Communication, were never replied and neither were calls returned. Similar efforts to get the views of the Consul General in Lagos were fruitless as the Secretary switched off all communication lines with the consulate.

Upon investigation by ClimateReporters, it was discovered that €80 is the blanket fee the embassy charges all conference-related visa requests it receives at both Abuja and Lagos centres. A source at the embassy who craved anonymity revealed that the decision to extend this fee to all UNFCCC accredited participants from Nigeria is part of the embassy’s resolve to stamp out corruption from its visa issuance processes in Nigeria.

“You know, our former Consul General, François Sastourné and his deputy, were implicated in a visa racketeering scam which led to their replacement earlier this year so the Embassy is very wary of giving directives on no-visa fees for certain category of conference participants as this may be abused by embassy staff,” the source chipped in.

Over the years, Nigeria’s participation in international meetings has come under global spotlight for varying reasons ranging from having the largest official delegations at UN conferences to reserving the most expensive hotels for official government delegates.

It will be recalled also that many Nigerian CSO delegates and journalists accredited to participate in the UNFCCC 19th Conference of Parties (COP 19) which held in Warsaw, Poland were denied visas by the Polish Embassy in Nigeria for reasons, many termed as ridiculous and racist-inclined.

By Ezekiel Akor (ClimateReporters)

World Polio Day: Nigeria has brought Africa closer to being certified polio-free

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World Polio Day: Nigeria has brought Africa closer to being certified polio-free

Nigeria’s remarkable achievement has brought the country and the African region closer than ever to being certified polio-free, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, October 23 on the eve of the World Polio Day.

Polio immunisation. Photo credit: comminit.com
Polio immunisation. Photo credit: comminit.com

Just three years ago, Nigeria was the reservoir of more than half of all polio cases in the world. This year, for the first time in history, Nigeria succeeded in interrupting transmission of wild poliovirus and, last month, it was removed from the list of polio endemic countries.

The UN organisation made these submissions in a press statement, even as it emphasised that never before in the history of polio have so few children in so few countries contracted the crippling virus.

“But we cannot rest until the number of cases is zero,” insists UNICEF.

“Progress to end polio is real and dramatic, with now just two countries in the world where the wild poliovirus has never been interrupted: Afghanistan and Pakistan,” said Peter Crowley, head of the Polio Unit at UNICEF. “But – and it’s a big but – until all children everywhere are consistently and routinely immunised against polio, the threat remains. We cannot let down our guard; we have to keep going until there is not a single child anywhere who remains unvaccinated.”

Peter Crowley, head of the Polio Unit at UNICEF. Photo credit: en.mercopress.com
Peter Crowley, head of the Polio Unit at UNICEF. Photo credit: en.mercopress.com

In India, where thousands of children once suffered from polio-induced paralysis each year, there have been no cases in four years.  Globally there have been just 51 cases of wild polio virus since the beginning of 2015, compared with 242 wild polio cases for 2014.

These successes, according to Crowley, are a result of political will and government leadership in affected countries; the strong mobilisation and engagement of communities; the courage and commitment of front-line workers; and the combined, coordinated efforts of the partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organisation, Rotary International, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and UNICEF.

As part of its contribution to this Initiative, UNICEF delivered 1.7 billion doses of vaccine in 2014 and supported the training of tens of thousands of front-line workers in communities from Karachi in Pakistan to Kano State in Nigeria, helping to build trust in the vaccine among parents and communities. Other success factors have been the integration of additional life-saving interventions for children such as routine immunisation, nutrition, handwashing with soap, and breastfeeding, into polio campaigns, particularly in the most under-served and high-risk areas.

Despite this progress, recent vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks in countries like Lao-PDR, Ukraine, Guinea and Madagascar have underscored the risks that many countries continue to face due to low routine immunisation coverage. These outbreaks serve as a reminder of the vital need for intensified efforts to strengthen routine immunisation systems and address disparities in children’s access to basic health services. In Ukraine, for example, fewer than 14 per cent of children are immunised against polio.

“We aim to bring a global halt to polio transmission by this time next year, but the only way to do this is for countries with low vaccination dates to re-double their efforts to reach every child, wherever they are and no matter how hard this may be,” said Crowley.

Bonn: Ministers urged to drive ambition, fairness as Paris approaches

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Bonn: Ministers urged to drive ambition, fairness as Paris approaches

At the close of the last negotiating session in Bonn, Germany on Friday, October 23 before ministers, heads of state, and negotiators meet in Paris to finalise what should be a comprehensive, ambitious, and universal climate agreement, parties are leaving with a clearer idea of the outline of the deal.

Nigerian delegation at the Bonn meeting: Prof. Jide Alo (left), Dr Peter Tarfa and Prof Olukayode Oladipo
Nigerian delegation at the Bonn meeting: Prof. Jide Alo (left), Dr Peter Tarfa and Prof Olukayode Oladipo

After a week of careful negotiating, there was concordance reached on some options, while discussion on other issues was taken as far as possible without the involvement of ministers and heads of state. During this session, parties took ownership of the text, building out their bloc positions and deepening a shared understanding on some contentious topics.

Ministers will begin to examine the text at the pre-COP, taking place on November 8-10 in Paris, before the discussion moves to COP21 on November 30. Support for ambitious climate action has never been higher, and leaders from the business, faith, national security, health, and justice communities around the world will assemble in Paris to display the full breadth of the movement.

“Everyone wants to play their cards late. But not everyone can have the ace of spades. This process is too important to be a high risk poker game. They need to put down their cards, and play together as a team,” says Martin Kaiser of Greenpeace.

Tasneem Essop of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), states: “Let us not underestimate what is at stake here. Impacts are already hitting home, affecting the world’s most vulnerable people and ecosystems first and foremost. That is why a Paris agreement must feature solutions to address the loss and damage caused by mounting climate impacts, affecting people and places from Manila to California.

“We know that finance is left to the last moments of negotiations and used as a bargaining chip. But governments need to know that this last moment is now. They now only have just six weeks to figure that out. We need to be clear about the scale, the predictability and additionality of the financial support needed to help countries cut emissions and adapt to the devastating impacts of climate change.”

However, Alix Mazounie of the RAC France believes that the French presidency will need to play a critical role.

His words: “Until the very last minute of the very last night of the Paris COP, they will be the gate-keepers of ambition and fairness. A success in Paris is not only about signing a universal deal, but about signing an ambitious universal deal. And while some countries may have chosen to keep us out of the room here in Bonn, they won’t be able to avoid us in Paris.

“We will be massively taking to the streets on November 28th and 29th – not just in Paris, but in cities all over the world. With our calls for climate action, we will make our voices heard throughout the talks. At the close of the COP, we will take to the streets of Paris again, reminding the leaders that we will not stop demanding progress and holding them accountable.”

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres said that the draft text includes additional options that reflect the concerns of all countries. “We now have a Party-owned text that is balanced and complete. The challenge for governments is to bring it down to a much more concise and coherent form for adoption in Paris.”

French Climate Change Ambassador Laurence Tubiana said: “We have a manageable text for further work in Paris. While much work remains, the text is a good basis for negotiations and negotiations need to start from the first day of the conference.”

Both Ms. Figueres and Ms. Tubiana agreed that the political process between now and the beginning of the Paris Summit will be central to the success of the meeting.

A Pre-COP Ministerial meeting will take place in the French capital in early November to further address the high-level political issues relating to the draft agreement.

The G20 Heads of State will meet in Turkey in mid-November, followed by the Heads of State meeting of the Commonwealth in Malta just before the Paris Summit opens.

Naoko Ishii reappointed head of Global Environment Facility

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Naoko Ishii reappointed head of Global Environment Facility
Naoko Ishii, CEO of GEF
Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson

Ms. Naoko Ishii was on Thursday in Washington DC appointed for a second four-year term as the CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The decision to reappoint Ms. Ishii, a Japanese national, was taken by the GEF’s 32-member Council, representing all of the GEFs 183 member countries.

“This decision followed careful consultations among all GEF constituencies,” said Madam Anyaa Vohiri, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia and Co-Chair of the 49th GEF council meeting taking place in Washington DC. “The Council emphasised Ms. Ishii’s strong leadership in advancing a reform agenda for GEF-6, preparing the GEF2020 strategy, delivering a record replenishment, as well as her dedication to improving the GEF partnership.”

“I am honoured and humbled by the trust shown in me by all GEF’s member countries,” said Ishii. “Our GEF2020 Strategy recognises that Earth is being pushed to its limits, and that an integrated approach is needed to respond to the immense challenges before us. I am convinced that going forward, the GEF can play a key role in supporting countries to make the transformation that is necessary to pursue their development aspirations without jeopardising the global environment.”

“I warmly welcome the re-appointment of Ms. Ishii as the GEF CEO,” said Ms. Wakhungu, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Kenya. “The GEF is an important partner for Kenya. I applaud Ms. Ishii’s efforts to drive strengthen the GEF partnership, and for ensuring that the GEF’s support is fully aligned with our national priorities. I look forward to continuing our strong engagement with the GEF.”

Minister of Finance for Mexico, Luis Videgaray Caso, who last year hosted the GEF Assembly in Cancun, Mexico, congratulated Ms. Ishii, noting: “As a founding member of the GEF, and as a country that finds in the GEF a very strategic partner, Mexico appreciates and recognises Ms. Ishii’s work as the CEO of the GEF. Her efforts have been crucial to achieve a successful sixth replenishment of the Facility in 2014, as well as to ensure an effective allocation of its resources to fight global environmental challenges,” he said.

Ms. Ishii’s reappointment covers the period through July 2020. According to GEF policy, the CEO and Chairperson can serve a maximum of two terms.

Bonn climate talks put spotlight on finance, ambition

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Bonn climate talks put spotlight on finance, ambition

As the Bonn UN climate negotiations gradually comes to an end before talks close in the final intersessional before the Paris talks in December, negotiators were on Thursday making mixed progress on the key issues of the international agreement.

Sven Harmeling of CARE International. Photo credit: econews.com.au
Sven Harmeling of CARE International. Photo credit: econews.com.au

Some success has been reported in the spinoffs and informal meeting groups for mitigation and transparency, while issues like loss and damage and finance have proven much harder to solve before the text passes to the ministers. Countries from all ends of the political spectrum have been working to come up with compromises to bridge the gaps.

The G77 issued a statement to the press, stemming from deep frustration over the profound silence on the plan for post-2020 finance. The G77 highlighted the poverty and hardships still facing many of its members, and emphasized that developing countries need to be able to immediately begin addressing the impacts of climate change.

“With only a little over 24 hours left in the session, pressure on negotiators is increasing. And while progress across the issues is mixed, there’s good reason to be hopeful that countries will come up with a better, more ambitious and substantive draft Paris agreement by the end of the day on Friday,” says Sven Harmeling of CARE, a member of the Climate Action Network (CAN) International.

Harjeet Singh of ActionAid contends: “If your house goes up in flames, the first thing you do is put the fire out.  Developing countries are already fighting the fires of climate change and so are demanding strategies and money to deal with its impact. For rich nations who have the money, technology and skills, the devastation of climate change is not a pressing issue.

“The current climate talks are reflecting the contrasting order of priority of issues between developed and developing nations.  Rich nations need to recognise the crisis is here and now. The money to prepare for and deal with climate impacts must be at the centre of the climate deal in Paris.”

Louisa Casson of E3G submits: “As it becomes clearer that national action plans move us a considerable way forward but won’t be enough alone to uphold governments’ obligation to keep temperature rise well below 2˚C, momentum has been building for an ‘ambition mechanism’ to review and scale up our climate action to bridge the gap.

“In the past month alone, we’ve seen this idea endorsed by US President Barack Obama, the EU and Latin American countries – not to mention city mayors, business leaders and former world leaders. But to do its job this mechanism needs to review and require strengthening of national plans every five years, starting in 2018, and work with a broad scope on issues beyond just mitigation.”

Adesina, Eke call for responsible online journalism

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Adesina, Eke call for responsible online journalism

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, and the Chairman of Zinox Group, Stan Leo Eke, have emphasised the need for responsible online journalism in the country.

L-R: Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Mr Femi Adesina; former Chairman, Punch Nigeria Limited, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola; President, Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Mr Malachy Agbo; and Chairman, Zinox Group, Mr Leo Stan Ekeh, at the formal launching of GOCOP, held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island in Lagos 22/10/2015.
L-R: Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Mr Femi Adesina; former Chairman, Punch Nigeria Limited, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola; President, Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Mr Malachy Agbo; and Chairman, Zinox Group, Mr Leo Stan Ekeh, at the formal launching of GOCOP, held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island in Lagos 22/10/2015.

Adesina and Eke spoke on Thursday at the launch of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), a body formed by professional journalists with not less than 10 years’ experience.

Adesina said the government of President Muhammadu Buhari knows the importance of online journalism hence it is passionate about the standardisation of its practice.

He said in a speech he titled: “Let your light shine,” that the nation cannot do without online publishing despite the realisation that it “can lift up or pull down an administration”.

He said the change that was witnessed in the country in the last elections had a chunk of the support from online publishing.

Adesina however said it has also been realised that online today has the good, the bad and ugly.

He referred to the arraignment of three bloggers for their decision to “bad or ugly”.

He said for this reason, practitioners now need to correct the lapses noticed among online publishers by continuously doing peer reviews.

He said owing to the challenges with online news platforms, people still do not trust them.

He said those who make use of online news platforms, according to research, take in the information provided but still wait till the following day for the “traditional media to validate it.

“That is the challenge the online media must overcome.”

Adesina said among other challenges are concocted stories and the use of foul language, adding: “People believe operating online gives them the liberty to use uncouth language.

“Do peer review.

“Be ready to defend any falsehood you write.

“Those who see online publishing as licence to do what is not right should be ready to pay for it.

“This association should able to do a separation.

“Bad coin tends to drive good coin out of circulation.

“It is important an association like this should thrive, prosper and do peer review.”

Adesina said publishing is not adversarial always, adding: “Criticism good for any government.

“This is our country.

“The President’s image managers will be willing to work with the association.”

Eke, who was the Guest Speaker, said in this age and time, no one can avoid online media.

He said he told those who cared to listen 29 years ago when he launched desktop publishing that it was either you are in or out, but yet a lot of people still do not understand that online publishing and, by extension business, has come to stay.

Eke said the future wealth of the country lies online.

He said with the distress in the economy, Nigerians should not be blind to the future wealth.

He said there was the need to alter the equation fast.

Eke said a lot of people took exception to his comment during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan that the failure of the government to pay attention to online publications was going to cost them the election.

He said the greatest fear was that if the Jonathan government returned to power, he may not be allowed to live peacefully in the country again, adding: “A lot of people forget that creating wealth is not about being in a particular location but what you have in your head.”

He said the administration forgot they rode on the power of the online media to come into power and they paid for it, adding: “President Muhammadu Buhari might be analogue, but he used the online to get elected.”

Eke said he has also been a victim of false reports by online publishers and bloggers, hence he advocated quality practice by practitioners.

He urged the Buhari administration to pay attention to the education sector not minding what it will cost and also work with major telecommunications service providers to provide Nigerians free internet service.

Online publishing comes with its own responsibilities – Ogunshola

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Online publishing comes with its own responsibilities – Ogunshola

A former Chairman of Punch newspapers, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola, has said the practice of online journalism comes with its own responsibilities.

Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Mr Femi Adesina; former Chairman, Punch Nigeria Limited, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola; and Chairman, Zinox Group, Mr Leo Stan Ekeh, at the formal launching of GOCOP, held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island in Lagos 22/10/2015.
Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Mr Femi Adesina; former Chairman, Punch Nigeria Limited, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola; and Chairman, Zinox Group, Mr Leo Stan Ekeh, at the formal launching of GOCOP, held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island in Lagos 22/10/2015.

Ogunshola said just like the traditional media, practitioners of online must be ready for the consequences of their actions whether good or bad.

Speaking on Thursday at the launch of an association formed by professional journalists who have taken to online publishing, the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Ogunshola said there must be minimum standards to be maintained by online publishers, especially if they want to be taken serious.

He said online news platforms must also be able to attract the same level of confidence people have in some of the newspapers that have credibility and balance.

Speaking against the backdrop of the attention he paid to the online arm of the Punch titles when he was chairman of the newspaper, he said: “I am one of those supportive of online media.

“At Punch as chairman, I recognised online. I wanted it alongside the hard copy.  It is not for making money.

“So if you think online publishing can make you rich, that is a mistake.

“Businesses where people are rich is where you have barrier to entrance.

“With phones, you can do online publishing, hence there is no barrier of entrance.

“Almost anybody can do it as you do not require too much money to start it. Since almost everybody can start it, you are not likely to make too much money from it.

“So my encouragement is that in doing online publishing, you must have other goals, the main one being the interest to serve other purposes.”

Ogunshola said it was the failure to realise this that has led to some who claimed to be online publishers to go into blackmailing.

He said: “Some have entered into online publishing trying to make money by blackmailing individuals, thus giving online publishing a bad name.”

Ogunshola said it was in the light of this that he became excited when told about the existence of GOCOP.

He said he wished it had taken off long before the cyber-crime law came into effect, arguing that he is not against the law punishing anyone that has erred knowingly.

He said if every online publisher comes to the realisation that interest is paramount and not making money, there would be fewer challenges to face.

He said like some traditional newspapers that die after a while, some of the online newspapers will also soon die, adding: “But if you have a cause for which you are publishing, you should be able to stay afloat.

“But if looking for wealth, you won’t be able to make it.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, in a goodwill message, said online newspapers have been of immense benefit to lawmakers.

Dogara, who was represented by Hon. Abdulrazak Namdzi, said it has helped to bridge the gap between lawmakers and their constituencies.

He said for lawmakers to reach their constituencies now is just a click away on the telephone or computer.

He, however, said there was the need to identify real journalists who are into the online business.

He encouraged newsmen to “use news that will promote democracy.”

Dogara also said the consciousness that there are online publications had gone a long way in checking corruption, adding: “People now know they are being watched.

“And since part of the 8th legislative agenda is to fight corruption and with the realisation that you cannot do it without the media, it is imperative for the House to work with online publishers.”

Dogara equaly called on journalists to help educate Nigerians about the functions and roles of the legislative arm of government.

The Director General of the Debt Management Office, Dr. Abraham Nwakwo, congratulated GOCOP on its launch.

Nwankwo said the online news platform is a critical component of the development of the country.

He said over 55 per cent of what happens to a nation’s economy is about perception.

He said since that perception is largely created by the media, there is the need for online publishers to assist in doing global marketing for the country and the economy.

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, Barrister Ekpo Nta, said the formation of GOCOP was coming at a right time.

Represented by Hon. Isa Ozi-Salami, Nta said online journalists have “a great role to play in the tackling of corruption”.

He said online publishers can be valuable whistle blowers for the Commission.

He however cautioned against reporting falsehood.

Among other guests at the occasion were the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina; the Chairman of Zinox Group, Leo Stan Eke; Bisi Kazeem, the representative of the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi; the Manager Corporate Social Responsibility of Airtel, Emeka Oparah; and Head of Communications, United Bank for Africa, Charles Aigbe.

Follow The Money to promote rural community accountability with Omidyar Network grant

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Follow The Money to promote rural community accountability with Omidyar Network grant

Follow The Money, a non-profit initiative of Connected Development (CODE), has been awarded a one-year grant of $100,000 (NGN19,894,994) by Omidyar Network to finance the cost of projects in local communities such as stakeholders meetings, focus group discussions, travel support, and visualisation.

Hamzat Lawal
Hamzat Lawal

Founded in 2012 by Hamzat Lawal and Oludotun Babayemi, Follow The Money uses traditional offline engagement methods and technology tools to track government and international aid spending at the local level.

In 2012, the initiative was able to save the lives of about 1,500 children in Bagega, Zamfara State who needed urgent medical attention for lead poisoning. And after the 2012 flooding in Nigeria, the group was able to track N17 billion allocated for intervention and document the impact on affected rural communities.

In 2015, the group’s activities convinced the federal government of Nigeria to change its controversial $49.8 million (N9.2 billion) clean cookstoves plan and ensure accountability.

“Foreign aid and government spending should be grounded in how the spending affects local community realities. Government programmes that track the impact of funds in local contexts are still remarkably rare,” said Hamzat Lawal, Chief Executive of Connected Development.

Omidyar Network’s grant comes through the philanthropic investment firm’s Governance & Citizen Engagement initiative, which works to build stronger and more open societies by increasing government responsiveness and citizen participation.

In the past, Follow The Money had received grants from The Indigo Trust, Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) through her Open Societic Initiative led by CITIC Dakar, Open Knowledge Foundation, Heinrich Boell Foundation in Nigeria and The European Union.

‘Consider ecosystem-based approaches to climate adaptation’

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‘Consider ecosystem-based approaches to climate adaptation’

Biodiversity and the ecosystem services it underpins can be the basis for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies as they can deliver benefits that will, according to the outcomes of a recent technical workshop on ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, increase the resilience of people to the impacts of climate change.

Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity

The key messages from the workshop, recently held in Johannesburg, South Africa, were delivered at a side event in Ankara, Turkey, at the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The focus of the messages is that governments should consider ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction to provide safety nets to communities in times of climate shocks and natural disasters. These findings come in advance of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (“Paris 2015”).

“Biodiversity and healthy ecosystems are the building blocks that provide natural solutions which build resilience for society to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change,” said Barbara Thomson, Deputy Minister, Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa.

As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather and climate events, ecosystems can provide protection from these extremes by stabilising the movement of water, earth, rocks and snow; serving as a buffer from climate impacts and hazards. Ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation (EbA) use biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people adapt to the adverse effects of climate change, while ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) are defined as ‘sustainable management, conservation and restoration of ecosystems to reduce disaster risk, with the aim to achieve sustainable and resilient development’.

“Biodiversity is a critical resource, not only for climate change adaptation and mitigation, but as a tool to make countries more resilient and help reduce the risk and damages associated with natural disasters,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. “Taking ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation and ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction enables people to adapt to the impacts of climate change by using opportunities created by sustainably managing, conserving and restoring ecosystems to provide ecosystem goods and services. It is clear that these approaches should be integrated into broader adaptation and development strategies.”

Healthy ecosystems can also reduce socio-economic vulnerability by providing essential goods and services to people, such as supporting income generation and protecting human health. At the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in October 2014, member States requested the Executive Secretary to compile and analyse experiences on ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction and ecosystem-based adaptation. In response, the Secretariat is preparing a synthesis report that compiles experiences, planned activities and national targets of Parties, as well as other relevant information related to EbA and Eco-DRR. In addition, a technical workshop on ecosystem-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction was organised in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 28 September to 2 October 2015, with the support of the European Union, the Government of South Africa, the Government of Sweden and the Government of Germany.

The purpose of the workshop was to review a draft synthesis report on experiences with implementation of EbA and Eco-DRR, identify gaps and share more information to strengthen the report. Workshop participants, which included national experts from key regions, including from Small Island developing States and least developed countries, representatives from indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as experts from relevant organisations, provided perspectives on implementing EbA and Eco-DRR.

The main conclusions from the synthesis report and from the workshop will be presented to the Convention’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice for consideration at its twentieth meeting.

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