The Lagos State Government has been accused by a civil society organisation of double-speaking on a transaction on water provision it reportedly got involved with.
Demand for water is steadily on the rise. Photo credit: vanguardngr.com
According to the group, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), the announcement by Lagos State Water Corporation (LSWC) that it is seeking partnership with private individuals on how to meet current demand for water in the state is an indication that the corporation may be pursuing a strategy of intentionally marketing forms of privatisation in the guise of Public-Private Partnership (PPPs) to avoid scrutiny and public resistance.
The LSWC had in a statement signed by its Controller, Media and Publicity, Ronke Famakinwa, disclosed that the partnership would help it meet current demand for water in the state, which is put at 540 million gallons per day.
“Intense local and international demands for disclosure had forced the World Bank to open up on the water privatisation scheme, which centres on the appointment of its private arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), to design a PPP water scheme for Lagos. So far, the project is shrouded in utter secrecy, with no input from critical segments of the population that it will supposedly benefit. The bank had initially said it had no deal with the Lagos government and then swiftly announced it had cancelled the IFC contract,” Phillip Jakpor, the ERA/FoEN spokesperson emphasised in a statement.
He added: “Until the recent pronouncement, the LSWC had refused to volunteer any information on the project. It also shunned demands to speak up on the issue.
“Not only has the LSWC shocked Lagosians with its confirmation of a PPP arrangement, residents are deeply concerned by the devastating track-record of water PPPs which include rate hikes, sporadic access, unsafe water, and infrastructure neglect. Clearly this is not a solution.”
ERA/FoEN Director, Corporate Accountability, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said: “The LSWC announcement has confirmed what ERA/FoEN and allies have been concerned about for months–the city intends to privatise its water system. By expressing interest in pursuing a PPP, Lagos officials are expressing interest in a form of water privatisation that has many of the same consequences as full-scale privatisation.”
Oluwafemi explained that the disorientation of Lagos residents is further heightened by the fact that the corporation has also made contradictory statements regarding the justification for its PPP plans.
“Despite admitting that it does not expect the private sector to find any capital improvements in a potential contract, it is an irony that the corporation still relies on the rationale that the private sector will help fund costly and much-needed water infrastructure improvements. This theory has been thoroughly discredited by experts as well as the World Bank and even the private water sector itself.”
Oluwafemi maintained that water PPPs are water privatisation under a different name and that while government’s primary objective should be equitable access, the private sectors’ major concern revolves only around profit.
He went on: “A true partnership as the name suggests cannot exist with such disparate goals. If the Lagos government allows its water system to be run with profit as a priority, Lagos residents will continue to suffer.
“While we laud the Lagos government interest in solutions to the water problem, we strongly advocate that it commits to real solutions that prioritise the human right to water above and over profit motives that drive the privates in a PPP. We believe the water corporation is still holding back vital details on the deal with the World Bank and we demand to know them.”
In the last couple of years, almost 22% of global electricity was produced from renewable sources, a study has revealed. It adds that renewables now account for over half of the world’s estimated 280GW of new installed electric capacity.
A geothermal power station in Iceland. Photo credit: greenfieldgeography.wikispaces.com
Titled: “Renewables on the rise: A West African Energy Transformation” and published last November, the report reveals that the total global operating capacity for solar PV reached the 100GW milestone and prices of solar PV modules fell by more than 30%.
A renewable resource is an organic natural resource that can replenish in due time compared to the usage, either through biological reproduction or other naturally recurring processes.
Conducted by the Abuja-based Heinrich Boll Foundation’s Nigeria & West Africa Office and authored by Hans Verolme, the study adds that almost 45GW of wind power capacity came in operation in 2012, increasing global wind capacity by 19% to 283GW. The annual growth rate of cumulative wind power capacity between 2007 and 2012 averaged 25%.
Verolme wrote: “Interest in concentrated solar power (CSP) is on the rise, particularly in developing countries, including Africa. In 2012, total global CSP capacity increased more than 60% to about 2,550MW.
“Global solar thermal capacity reached an estimated 255GWth for glazed water collectors, mostly installed in China and Europe. Around 350TWh of electricity was generated from bio-power, whose capacity was 12% to nearly 83GW, with notable increases in fast-growing economies.
“Geothermal electric generating capacity grew by an estimated 300MW during 2012, bringing the global total to 11.7GW and generating at least 72TWh.”
According to the study, the age of cheap, clean energy has arrived, with clean energy markets outpacing fossil investment. It emphasises that renewable energy is now more affordable in both developed and developing countries; even as markets, manufacturing and investment shift increasingly towards developing nations.
Renewable energy is energy that comes from resources which are naturally replenished on a human timescale such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat.
The report notes that, despite policy uncertainty due to the 2009 crises that affected investments in Europe, China and India, solar photovoltaics and onshore wind power experienced continued price reductions “due to economies of scale and technology advances, and a production surplus of modules and turbines.”
It adds: “The balance of power has rapidly shifted from developed to developing economies. Since 2011, global investment has stagnated around $250 billion per year, but installed capacity has continued to grow due to falling technology costs.
“Globally, an estimated 5.7 million people work in the renewable energy sector. Policymakers are increasingly aware of the potential national development impacts of renewable energy such that, by the end of 2012, 138 countries had renewable energy targets.
“Rural use of renewable electricity has increased with greater affordability, improved knowledge about local renewable resources, and more sophisticated technology applications. Attention to mini-grids has risen in parallel with price reductions in solar, wind, inverter, gasification and metering technologies.
“We witness an increase in direct involvement by the private sector with rapid technology innovation reducing prices. In Africa, there has been a rise in social entrepreneurship, with successful business models in rural energy through dealership and fee-per-service, leasing arrangements, and in some cases public private partnerships.”
Chairman, WASH (water, sanitation & hygiene) Media Network Nigeria, Edo State Chapter, Francis Odupute, is co-ordinator of this infographic initiative designed to raise awareness on the malaria scourge and WASH-related diseases, which are prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa in particular and the developing world in general.
According to the environmental cartoonist, this is the first edition of a multi-phase intervention (“WASH 4 All”)made possible by Horizon International in collaboration with MediaBFI, Beautiful Feet International.
Chairman, Cross River State Forestry Commission, Odigha Odigha, is committed to the implementation of the UN-REDD+ Readiness programme, with the state collaborating with the Federal Government under an innovative, two-track approach. During a recent Stakeholder Engagement Forum in Calabar, he bares his mind on a number of issues entailing the climate change mitigation programme that will soon spread to other states in the federation
Odigha Odigha, Chairman, Cross River State Forestry Commission
How is the stakeholder Engagement Forum relevant to the REDD+ Readiness process?
It is the practicalisation of the participatory behaviour in governance. That’s what we are seeing here. It is the meeting of all the identified stakeholder groups, namely: forest dependent communities, the civil society organisations, the MDAs, the media, the academia and the private sector, to look at issues that have taken place; the meetings, the information they provided. It’s to give them a feedback for them to deliberate on these issues: can we adopt this position? To resolve at the level the structure that we are establishing. The decisions are taken with their information. It is basically a feedback process.
How do you assess the deliberations so far, and what are the likely outcomes?
We are trying to establish ownership of the entire programme and the ownership should start from a process that we all designed and all took part in, which is what is going on. Like we are talking about establishing a community-based REDD+ where decisions will be taken by the community, and essentially we will be talking about providing alternative livelihood options. We don’t want to impose any options, they should through interactions say, this is what we have identified and this is how we want it, help us facilitate the process. That is just a couple of resolutions that we have in that respect, and that should be respected. That will mean that the sustainability element is there, point of ownership is established, and place the demand in the people to say that we brought out this idea, it was not imposed on us, we really engaged. So those are things that are emerging in this process.
How do you expect the deliberations to progress as the day unfolds?
We are complying with the basic elements of good governance. Participatory behaviour is one of such, and then the issue of accountability and transparency; things will be discussed extensively. And also, the issue of equity – the stakeholders are freely contributing and they are not coarsed into doing anything. Equity is fairness. We feel that these are the essential pillars in governance. If we put them there, then we are sure that we will best address the issues at stake.
The current governor has been very supportive of this project over the years. But he will be leaving in a few months and someone else that may not be very familiar with the project will come in. What are being place to ensure that this project and processes continue even beyond outgoing governor’s legacies, and are attractive to the incoming one?
We are optimistic about that in the sense that we are involving the MDAs and other stakeholders as much as possible. The essence is that, within the shortest possible time, can we institutionalise some of these processes? Like the stakeholder forum, do we have a legal interpretation of it? So that way, it will take some other further effort to wish it away. The intention is that, can we legalise this processes? And play a part that will be appreciated by whoever comes in. You can see that the traditional rulers are actively involved, the government departments are involved – and they have a voice. These are institutions.
How can you make the politician buy into the project?
As of now, the REDD+ Readiness phase is not asking for resources from government. We are seeing how we can draw some aids from outside to establish a process that will guarantee proper resource management which will in turn generate the necessary revenue, increase the IGR for the state and enhance good governance even at the grassroots level. We feel that when these things are done, they will create employment opportunities, contribute to development and create some goodwill to the coming administration and with that understanding it will inform their decision to work with this structure and allow the REDD+ programme to flourish.
CRS is pioneering the REDD+ Programme in the country. However, other states have shown interest in being part of the action. Now, being the flagship player, how would you like to get others involved in this initiative?
We are very conscious about that. It is a mandate of the project that best practices be established here with the view that the experience will be duplicated in other states of the federation that are interested in REDD+. As we speak, we have started seeing that. About a month ago, several states interested in the project came here to CRS as a group; the likes of Ekiti, Ondo, Delta, Nasarawa and Taraba states were all here. But beyond that other states like Bayelsa had visited here and asking that yes, they need some hand-holding in their efforts to do REDD+.
I have had the opportunity of taking some state representatives from here in Calabar to international forums like one in Ethiopia where we participated in the forest governance conference. Also involved were Lagos and Delta. So we are interested in ensuring that the forest, the last surviving forest in Nigeria is protected, and we are privileged to have some experiences over time in forest management and conservation. We want to see how Nigeria can be classified again as a big forest nation and we have something to do to help that to happen in the rest of the country.
So Nigeria has lost most of its forest resources over the decades. Can the REDD+ project help reverse this trend by way of some sort of a reforestation process?
Yes, it can. The incentives are there and they are quite attractive because part of the REDD+ programme is to increase the forest carbon stock and that comes through afforestation. So there is that attraction there that it can happen. So what is necessary is the goodwill from government and the people to do it. As long as there is goodwill, the incentives are quite there. Besides the carbon financial incentive, the ecosystem services, opportunity of improving the health of the environment are enough attraction and benefits to get us to embrace that, and we in CRS are committed to helping Nigeria to build that process.
Nigeria’s worrisomely high maternal mortality ratio was called to question recently when an expectant mother, Folake Oduyoye, 35, died on December 13, 2014 at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, under controversial circumstances. It is believed that the deceased’s husband, Adeyemi Oduyoye, could not pay the over N1.3 million incurred after his late wife’s over one month’s stay in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Late Mrs Folake Oduyoye, before her illness
Nigeria has one of the highest figures of maternal mortality in the world. In fact, according to the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) 2013, the country accounts for about 13 per cent of the global maternal death rates with an estimated 36,000 women dying in pregnancy or at child birth each year. At least 5,500 of these deaths are among teenage mothers.
The DHS 2013 also noted that 70 per cent of these pregnancy-related deaths in the country are due to four conditions: haemorrhage, eclampsia, sepsis and abortion complications.
Mrs Oduyoye was however said to have died of pulmonic complications. She was rushed to LUTH in a critical condition after developing complications from failed a Caesarean Section (CS) from childbirth on August 30, 2014, at a Lagos private hospital: Midas Touch Clinic, Aguda, Surulere.
Mr Oduyoye, who said his wife was in the process of giving birth to their fourth child, disclosed that she went into the theatre healthy but came out with infections that required advanced surgery as a result of accumulation of pus in her. He stated that she died after spending about three months in LUTH due to the negligence of the hospital which “detained my wife for our inability to settle a bill of N1.3 million and we were not allowed to leave the hospital to either seek help elsewhere, yet the staff were not attending to her when her condition deteriorated following infections which she had acquired from the hospital,” said Mr Oduyoye.
His words: “When we got to LUTH on September 7, my wife was refered to the Accident and Emergency Unit. I was told to pay the sum of N250,000 before my wife will be attended to but unfortunately I was able to raise N230,000 which I paid. Three days after she was admitted, we were informed that she will be operated upon, they carried out the surgery and it was successful.
“She was later transferred to Intensive Care Unit of LUTH. I was told to pay N65,000 to one pharmacist which I did. At the end of the day, we were given a bill over N1 million, I couldn’t pay so I met with the acting Chief Medical Director (CMD), who frankly told me to go and pay. I met with the social worker, who told me to write for a rebate, I did that and the CMD was magnanimous to reduce just 20% from the sum despite all I have spent in the past. The social worker, one Doherty, asked how much I can afford and I told her N300,000. She told me to go and pay which I did but my wife was not released. She told me to get a guarantor, I got one and she said that one wasn’t qualified. I got another guarantor who is a staff of LUTH but, right in my presence, she discouraged her and that one refused to stand in for me. My wife after much battle died on December 13.”
Mrs Oduyoye while in hospital
LUTH was said to have kept the woman in ICU for 31 days at a cost of N250,000 weekly compared to over N400,000 charged at other government hospitals and over N1 million in most of the specialist private hospitals in Lagos. The family was then billed about N1.3 million after discharge, which the husband could only pay N300,000. The charges included that of drugs, blood, laboratory tests and others.
This, it was gathered, prompted the hospital management to delay Mrs. Oduyoye until the husband was able to pay. The husband alleged that the hospital also refused to give her further treatment and failed to allow her seek treatment elsewhere for fear that the couple might abscond. He alleged that attempt to pay in instalment was rejected and further complaints about her deteriorating condition were not attended to.
“They did not treat her; they left her in the hospital; they did not allow me to take her for good treatment; they depend on money; they don’t care for human life,” he lamented.
In a reaction, Acting Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Professor Chris Bode, described Mrs Oduyoye’s death as “regrettable in spite of all the efforts by the hospital and not because of negligence of its staff”.
Shedding some light on the events leading to the tragedy, he said, “Mrs Folake Oduyoye was admitted into LUTH on 7th of September 2014 as an emergency following some complications from a caesarean section earlier performed in a private hospital. Examination at LUTH Accidents and Emergency showed that she was in shock with possibility of intra-abdominal collection which was confirmed to be an abscess on abdominal ultrasound scan done in LUTH.
“She underwent an emergency abdominal surgery for drainage of the pus in her abdomen following which she remained in critical condition and was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit, with multiple organ failure and for one month she was on ventilator during which she had a tracheostomy for airway management.
“She later suffered two episodes of cardiac arrest from which she was rescued. She also developed renal failure for which she underwent four sessions of haemodialysis and stayed a total of four weeks in the ICU.”
Mrs Oduyoye’s remains. Photo credits: Development Communications (DevComs) Network
He explained that the multiple surgeries, specialised tests, interventions, dialysis, drugs and consumables cost a total of N1.5 million of which the family paid a total of N300,000 and requested that a total bill of N1.2 million be waived. He said Folake though was discharged on November 9 to the ward under the care of the Neurologist in Ward A4 when she was deemed fit to go home while her husband was sourcing for money to pay hospital fee.
“But her relations, who wanted the hospital to let them walk away without paying for the services she received, abandoned her. The husband requested to pay in instalments of N15,000 per month and this was accepted, but he could not bring anyone to stand as guarantor. The conditions of Folake Oduyoye became suddenly poor and she died of pulmonic complications on Dec.13,” said Bode.
The development has attracted the attention of female gender-focused non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) and Women’s Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON), which have vowed to ensure justice is received over the manner of death of the Mrs Oduyoye in the hands of caregivers at LUTH.
Esentially, the women organisations who are taking up the fight for justice are of the opinion that the handling of the case was “unfair and unjust”.
The WARDC, in a petition, is demanding, among other things, an independent post-mortem examination to ascertain the cause of her death; compensation to the family of the deceased; an end to the practice of detention after birth for indigent women; and, immediate release of every woman held in custody in such manner.
Executive Director, WARDC, Dr Abiola Akiyode, decried the insensitivity of hospitals in Nigeria noting, “The high cost of health care in Nigeria is preventing women from accessing quality deliveries in hospitals.
“This is very common when it comes to the issue of maternal mortality in Nigeria. Women don’t want to go to the hospital because they know that when they give birth and they cannot afford the huge amount of money that the hospital presents to them, they normally detain them. This is one of such cases detentions and this death is the result of the detention.”
Similarly, Executive Director of WOCON, Bisi Olateru-Olagbegi, stated, “The situation is very sad for this country because when you have a situation where if you don’t have money you are not entitled to standard health. It is just terrible.
“Is it a crime for a woman to produce children? We say we have high mortality rate in this country, we are the second largest in the whole world and we are supposed to be getting funds from all kinds of people, all kinds of agencies to assist us in this. Can’t they use that kind of funds to prevent the loss of lives?”
The two organisations have jointly petitioned the hospital, demanding for compensation to the family of the deceased.
The petition reads in part: “According to information available to us, a large number of women are being prevented from going home after discharge from LUTH for their inability to offset huge bills relating to pregnancy and child birth. Yet further treatment is withdrawn from these women and they are not free to seek treatment in other hospitals.
“According to our client, several women have died due to failure of the hospital management to attend to them and several are still being detained for failure to pay up the fees. If nothing is done immediately, more women would likely suffer the same fate as the late Folake.”
Bode however explained further: “LUTH cares (at highly subsidized rates) for all patients who cross her threshold. Treatment in an Intensive Care Unit costs as much as N400,000 to N5 million in other hospitals in Lagos and LUTH ICU care is the cheapest. To continue this level of care efficiently, cost of care must be recovered, otherwise there will be a decline in quality. The real questions that should be asked is how many Nigerians have Health Insurance to cover them and their families? To lay these issues at the doorsteps of our Hospital is akin to barking up the wrong tree. Advocacy groups should assist healthcare givers to preach the need for everyone to embrace Health Insurance and improve unencumbered access to affordable medical care.
“Be informed that although treatment in LUTH is highly subsidised, it is not free. Those who benefit from this hospital should pay for such services so that others may also have access to the same quality of care in future. If however someone is so poor that they cannot pay for treatment, we do not expect them to bring a crowd to our ward, destroy property, threaten our workers and assault them. The death is a Coroner’s case and the official cause of death would be made known to the family after the post mortem examination.”
Meanwhile, Development Communications (DevComs) Network and its partners on the NOTAGAIN Campaign has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure effective implementation of the new National Health Law to help women and children have access to quality health care.
The NOTAGAIN campaign is a National Campaign slogan initiated by a number of MacArthur Foundation’s grantees in a bid to work towards achieving the overall goal of bringing maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria to its barest minimum.
The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has expressed pessimism about the outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 20) that held this month in Lima, describing the failure of developed nations to cede ground on contentious issues beneficial to poor countries as a reminder of the “missteps” of previous talks.
About 196 nations that gathered in the Peruvian capital city agreed that each should present a plan in 2015 for individually reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution. Demands from poorer countries received little attention at the talks, including a proposal that nations like the United States be more explicit on how billions of dollars will be deployed to developing nations to cope with increasing temperatures, storms and rising seas, among other impacts.
Dr Godwin Uyi Ojo of ERA/FoEN
ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Godwin Ojo, said: “The climate talks turned out to be the relay of previous meetings where the same issues were tabled and yet no concrete concessions made by the polluting nations. It’s a shame that the meeting was driven by behind the scene deals and negotiations which were not transparent.”
Ojo explained that the polluting countries that drove the process as was the case in the past talks still rejected issues of adaptation, finance, technology transfer, and capacity building which are key to mitigation of the impacts of their appetite for fossil fuels and other polluting.
He added: “Evidently, the talks were built on quick sand with no concrete proposal for Paris COP 21 next year. We have said it time and again that the historical responsibility for the payment of climate debt by developed countries in the provision of finance, technology transfer, and capacity building have been grossly sidestepped and on a wrong footing.
“With the impacts of climate change already being felt in vulnerable communities around the world, the need for immediate action is now, even as the US and other wealthy nations still foot-drag on finance to emissions and other critical issues that poor nations have raised.”
Poor countries urged the U.S. and nations in Europe to consider strengthening the targets they’ve already announced for cutting greenhouse gases before and after 2020.
They argued that the Lima agreement should require wealthy countries to broaden the scope of their carbon-reduction plans by including measures detailing their financial commitments to helping poor countries and their efforts to assist nations in adapting to the effects of climate change. Instead, the final text “invites” countries to consider including adaptation measures in their plans.
Poor countries want the US and other wealthy nations to set a clear path toward providing $100 billion a year in public and private money for climate aid by 2020. The Lima text however falls short of that, instead, “urging” countries to “provide and mobilise enhanced financial support.”
“The talks have shown that social movements can instigate processes of change that the climate talks fail to address. The outcome of the COP undermines historical responsibility putting pressure on developing countries without adequate support in financing and technology transfer. The urgent obligation of developed countries to provide climate finance is glaringly missing,” Ojo insisted.
Mattias Söderberg, co-chair of the ACT Alliance Advisory Group on Climate Change Advocacy. Photo credit: dailykos.com
International humanitarian and development organisation ACT Alliance is urging governments to stop gambling with the future of communities struggling with the impacts of climate change and to come to an agreement that reflects the urgent need for change on the ground.
The alliance questioned whether governments at the negotiating table actually share the belief in a resilient and sustainable future.
Mattias Söderberg, Co-chair of the ACT Alliance Advisory Group on Climate Change Advocacy,said: “The current proposals on the table are far from our vision, and far from the recommendations given by science. The proposal has been striped of ambition, fairness and concrete agreements that could promote progress towards a sustainable future. We need those at the negotiation table to work together to fix this.”
ACT Alliance is a coalition of more than 140 churches and affiliated organisations working together in 140 countries to create positive and sustainable change in the lives of poor and marginalised people regardless of their religion, politics, gender, sexual orientation, race or nationality in keeping with the highest international codes and standards.
“We see a vision of a resilient and sustainable future,” said Söderberg. “A future where everyone, everywhere in the word, has the same rights and possibilities to benefit from development. To make this vision come true, we need to go through a transformative change, towards a low carbon development. This is a global challenge, and thus we need a global cooperation and agreement about how to move forward.”
In light of the fact that the green colour is rooted in Nigeria’s heritage as a nation, Adeola Adebiyi of the non-governmental organisation (NGO), Decarbonising The Next Generation, underlines the fact that developing and implementing a Green Growth Policy is critical to the country’s wellbeing
Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital city. Photo credit: northafricaculture.com
For Nigeria, the green is rooted in its heritage as a nation. It is a symbol of national identity as represented on its national flag. Although there are about forty other countries in the world that have the color green on their flag, it can be agreed that no other country identifies with the colour green as Nigerians do. Green is also the color that represents nature and the environment, which means that the physical environment and natural resources play an important role in the geographical and social history of Nigeria.
Green being the colour associated with growth, is significant seeing that the Nigerian economy is growing at a very fast pace. Quite recently, Nigeria surpassed South Africa as the biggest economy in Africa. Blessed as it is with natural and human resources, there are predictions that the Nigerian economy will continue to grow in the coming decades. It is therefore important to understand Nigeria’s growth trajectory.
A trajectory simply means a course, a path, direction or route. Whichever way you may choose to define it, every system of economic growth has a pattern. For the rich European countries across the Atlantic, the pattern of growth was intensive industrialisation. For other countries across the pacific, specifically Asian countries, the growth pattern has been extensive development of their manufacturing sectors.
Many Nigerians are oblivious of the growth path of their economy. However, history has revealed that Nigeria is currently experiencing significant economic development, due to its great wealth of natural resources, mainly to oil and gas resources. Most of its earnings come from the direct sale of what is known as natural capital stock of fossil resources. This means that it simply extracts and sells its natural resources in the form of export.
This current pattern of economic growth is a major concern for the future of all Nigerians. Over exploitation of natural resources is unsustainable, especially when assets of commensurate value are not acquired to replace them. What usually happens is that income from exports is used to purchase imports. This is a situation, Paul Collier a renowned economist, in his book, The Plundered Planet, describes as “selling the family silver”.
Another point of major concern is that, very often, unsustainable economic systems are allied or paralleled with environmental degradation. Environmental degradation is a combination of environmental pollution, over extraction of natural resources and unproductive use of natural resources.
Environment degradation is plaguing the nation and there seems to be an unconcerned attitude towards it. Overexploitation and mismanagement of natural resources have become the norm. For instance, the country might soon experience scarcity of ground water resources if over extraction of ground water from the uncountable use of borehole machines, across the country are not properly regulated. In addition, bad management of waste, both toxic and non-toxic into the environment can cause dangerous environmental consequences. I must also mention the incessant air pollution from fuel emissions in major cities like Lagos, and land degradation, intoxication of water bodies, gas flaring and oil spill in the Niger Delta which all remain major issues the government is yet to tackle.
The point is that Nigeria could be having good economic benefits at the expense of the environment, a condition known as “brown growth”. Brown growth is economic growth paralleled with overexploitation of natural resources and excess of carbon emissions.
One of the major causes of brown growth is lack of awareness about environmental issues. Even though environmental effects are not felt on a daily basis, they can bring about devastating impacts to human health and wellbeing. For instance, oil pollution and gas flaring in the Niger Delta also contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions hence climate change.
Nigeria must endeavor to understand that interactions with the environment are inevitable as everything necessary for survival comes from the environment. Everything is gotten from the environment, used in the environment, interacts with the environment, and is disposed of in the environment and so the need to be more conscious about the environment.
To arouse consciousness, social learning is critical. Government Institutions charged with the responsibility to protect the environment need to start stimulating social learning of environmental problems and create policies for environmental learning at all educational levels. Environmental protection involves many complex social and physical activities that need to be tackled not just by the government alone, but by every individual. Education can act as a high impact tool in this situation.
Corruption is another vice that requires a lot of attention. Corruption can jeopardise the wellbeing of the environment. In this part of the world, government projects and societal needs do not always tally. Yes, the economy must grow and yes, infrastructural development is important but some types of development are unsustainable and their impacts on the environment must be scrutinised thoroughly. Projects should be about people and their interactions with their environment and should enhance the entire wellbeing of citizens. Government officials should not take decisions that only favour project developers. Not every project is sustainable. Some projects impact the environment negatively.
The point is that the high level of environmental neglect could become a major constraint in sustaining the current and future economic growth of Nigeria which brings me back to the color green.
For a sustainable, balanced harmonious future, economic growth must be green and not brown. A green economy is one that is low in carbon emissions, low in pollution and resource efficient. In its simplest expression, “Green Growth” is growth that is environmental conscious. Achieving Green growth in Nigeria will involve developing policies that keep resource use and environmental impacts declining while the economy is growing.
Developing and implementing Green Growth policies in Nigeria is critical because the Nigerian population is projected to increase from 156 million people to 200 million by 2050. If this is an accurate projection, Nigeria may become the world’s third most populous country after India and china. The huge population already puts tremendous pressure on the environment and will lead to higher consumption of food and water and other types of resources, exerting pressure on natural resources. Increased consumption of resources will lead to increased waste and combined with inefficiency and poor management of waste will in turn cause environmental degradation and the cycle goes on and on.
What this implies, is that Nigeria needs to better value its natural resources and environment. Effort must be made to protect its natural resources strongly as not all are regenerative or renewable in nature. Do not get me wrong, Green Growth does not refer to economic stagnation. Nigeria can off course continue to use its natural resources, however with more efficiency, reducing waste and preventing environmental pollution. The opportunities for adopting green growth policies are tremendous for instance; turning waste to electricity in Mega cities like Lagos can solve some electricity shortage problems faced in the country.
In developing green growth policies, there must be a holistic approach and an implementation plan that can be followed. It must also involve all sectors.
Green Growth In the energy sector is an opportunity to replace unrenewable carbon resources with cleaner renewable energy resources such as wind, solar and bio energy.
Green Growth in agriculture means we have to reposition our agricultural sector as the engine of growth and development. It involves ensuring food security for our nation, and at the same time- while- yielding environmental benefits and creating employment opportunities.
Green Growth in industry involves making sure that industries adopt cleaner production processes and use resources efficiently.
Green Growth in infrastructure transportation and even in the household is also very important.
Innovation will play a major role in a green growth trajectory, instead of acquiring every type of technology from abroad, the Nigerian government could encourage science and technology institutes to understudy and adapt technologies to local context. Young Nigerians can also be encouraged to use their creativity and energy to find solutions to our unique environmental problems.
Action should not be left to the government alone, every individual and corporation must understand their responsibility towards nature. This is a very hard requirement, but through education and awareness, it can be achieved. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) implemented by organizations should also embrace environmental sustainability. It should not only be about philanthropic acts. Environmental protection responsibilities should be included in CSR activities such as appropriate resource consumption, energy management, waste minimization etc.
Even though faced with a lot challenges, leaders in Nigeria should try as much as possible to avoid short sightedness in development, and to see how the country can move towards achieving a more sustainable green economy. Economic Growth should not only be about becoming bigger but on becoming more productive. That is indeed sustainable Green Growth.
In partnership with Amuwo Odofin Local Government (AOLG) in Lagos State and with support from the Heinrich Boll Foundation, Community Conservation and Development Initiatives (CCDI) has produced a participatory risk reduction and management strategy. As all local governments in Lagos face climate change risks, the strategy, according to CCDI’s Director of Programmes, Kofo Adeleke, could be used as a model for all of them to build resilience.
Windstorm destroys a home in a Lagos neighbourhood
According to her, it also involved an analysis of powers given to local governments compared to state government level in land use regulations and policies, using AOLG as a case study. The plan, she adds, was developed through a series of focus group multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary discussions, with contributions from legal practitioners, local and state government officials, local government legislators, NGOs and a diverse range of community representatives. The areas under focus were: Wetland Conservation and Restoration; Flood Shelters and Evacuation Routes; Environmental Impact Assessments; Waste Management; and Public Spaces.
She states: “Local governments need to ensure that the challenges and peculiarities of communities are addressed and locally based waste management initiatives are stepped up. Environmental Impact Assessments should be carried out on all proposed public and private projects to ensure environmental protection to communities and better standards of development, and in some cases no development at all. Proper definition must be given to the status of open spaces within local governments and constructive dialogue over responsibilities for them is required with the relevant state and federal agencies, as they are vital for health and well being as well as disaster risk reduction plans.
“Local governments must identify existing natural wetlands and engage with state and federal government over the protection of these areas, as their natural properties to absorb rainfall are threatened by poor land use planning and rapid urbanisation. As first responders in emergencies local governments must identify the required number of shelters and places of safety and assess suitability of locations and buildings for temporary conversion to emergency shelters. Road networks and their accessibility in cases of emergency must be examined. Local governments should ensure that by-laws, which can support climate change adaptation polices, are gazetted, otherwise it means that they are therefore not judiciable, which means they are not accepted in a court of law and cannot be enforced. The delays from Lagos State government in getting them gazetted are having a negative impact on the abilities of local governments to protect the environment.
“Especially with regard to waste management, wetland restoration and open spaces there appears to be inconsistencies with the powers given to local government and state government over scope for taking action. Local government officers need more knowledge of how to use the rights and powers given to local government in land use and environmental regulation matters.
Elected representatives of communities should utilise their powers and influence at state government level to ensure that local governments can carry out functions that will protect their communities from climate change threats. Improved institutional coherence between federal, state and local levels of government on environmental matters is critical if communities are to successfully adapt to safeguard their populations and assets from climate change.”
