Mining has been a massive driver for development, as seen in developed countries. Now that Nigeria is diversifying from her mono economy of petroleum, mining amongst other sectors should be looked at. Therefore, plans to manage the sector throughout its life cycle should also be put in place. Old mine practice that brought about adverse environmental degradation, without attention to managing social impacts of mining, should be avoided. Mining impacts must be managed judiciously “from cradle to grave” to accomplish sustainable development outcomes. Thus, mining will be all encompassing viable economically, environmentally and socially.
Participants at the forum
This message was passed by Mrs. Maryam Olayeni, the Executive Director of Conservative Environmental Growth and Development Centre (CEGDEC), at a knowledge-sharing workshop held recently at Igun-Ijesha gold mining community in Atakumosa West Local Government in Osun State. The workshop was based on experience gained from the Australian African Awards on Managing Social and Environmental Impacts of mining, a seven weeks intensive training which basically incorporated social issues in environmental development.
Examples were drawn from good practices around the world, especially from Australia and Madagascar. Artisanal mining should equally adopt; as seen in the large scale mining sector, the practice of mine planning to reduce impact, environmental and risk management systems, environmental protection, water use management and impact; and mined land rehabilitation. To socially manage mining impacts on the other hand, social responsibility in mining, community engagement, stakeholders’ agreement processes, gender and mining; and mining related health issues should be addressed.
CEGDEC in its plight of mitigating the adverse effects of mining advised the community to be proactive in developing their local capacity. The community should be prepared to sustain livelihood after the life of a mine, as mining operation is terminal. Emphasis was laid on being self-reliant, by facilitating the promotion of agriculture, culture and local livelihoods. The community largely represented by farmers and miners were also admonished to incorporate community involvement and participation, respect for cultural heritage, consideration for gender inclusion in mining, and corporate social performance as means of gaining social license.
In his speech, the DG/CEO of National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) duly represented by its Osun State Field Officer, Mr. Maike Shukwunweizu Ahmad, admonished the miners to always be law abiding.
His words: “Illegal mining is totally unacceptable as it gives no cognisance to the environment and the people. Sustainable mining begins with following regulations and standards strictly. The issue of health and safety on mines cannot be underestimated. NESREA is within reach should there be need to contact on issues of non-compliance.”
The Atakumosa West Local Government was equally applauded for the development in terms of newly constructed tarred road to the community, though mining is for the purpose of development, said Olayeni, adding that more emphasis on a positive economic environment in the mining region should be laid.
In his response, the Onigun of Igun I, Oba Sunday Oladipupo Ajilore thanked the CEGDEC and NESREA teams for enlightening Igun-Ijesha Township.
“We are welcoming investors in our rich gold town,” he stated.
Established on the basis of reducing the human footprints on the environment, CEGDEC contributes to building community values and practices and promotes sustainable development in campaigning for a give-back to the environment through research, advocacy, education/awareness creation, capacity building, economic empowerment and environmental management.
The UN energy forum is expected to advance innovative, on-the-ground solutions to fight both energy poverty and climate change in lead-up to 2015 UN Summit and Climate Conference
R&B artist, philanthropist and founder of Akon Lighting Africa, Akon, will join other dignitaries to grace the event. Photo credit: waploaded.com
At the second annual United Nations Sustainable Energy For All Forum scheduled for 18th to 21st May 2015, leaders from government, business and civil society will announce new commitments and drive action to end energy poverty and fight climate change.
They will present ways to catalyse finance and investment at the scale required to meet the targets of the UN Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative on energy access, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Over 1,000 practitioners will share and advance innovative energy solutions. The Forum will build momentum on energy issues ahead of both the September UN Summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda, and the December Climate Conference in Paris, and contribute to shaping the direction of energy policy for the crucial decades to come.
The event will be graced by dignitaries like: Heads of State and over 40 ministers of energy and finance; New York City Mayor, Bill De Blasio; R&B artist and philanthropist Akon, founder of Akon Lighting Africa; over 50 global leaders, including private sector CEOs, heads of UN agencies, development banks and other international organisations; leaders from broader civil society, including the research and investment communities; and, over 1,000 energy innovators and practitioners from both the developing and the developed world, including women’s and youth groups active on energy issues.
The first day will feature multi-stakeholder sessions along with dozens of sessions organised by energy innovators to share and advance sustainable energy solutions, including for financing, renewable energy – both on and off grid, access to modern cooking fuels, cookstoves and lighting, energy efficiency initiatives, climate action and reducing gas flaring. Also on policy innovations, energy for women’s and children’s health, and growing the sustainable energy movement.
Highlight of the next day’s event holds at the NASDAQ Times Square, where the SE4All Advisory Board will ring the opening bell at NASDAQ. The following day on the 20th will feature the Global Energy Ministerial: Policy Dialogue with opening statements by President of the UN General Assembly Sam Kutesa, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson and Heads of State attending.
Similarly, events such as high-level panels on catalysing a trillion dollar investment, ending energy poverty, doubling energy efficiency and renewable energy, by 2030 will follow. The will also be special panels on energy for women’s and children’s health; BRICS panel on investing in clean energy and expanding energy access; strengthening global cooperation and governance on energy.
The fourth and closing day (21st May) holds the Global Energy Ministerial: Actions and Commitments with opening statement by Helen Clark, Chair, UN Development Group and Administrator, UNDP.
This will be followed by announcements of actions and commitments towards sustainable energy for all, including on finance, energy access, energy efficiency and renewables; as well as special panel on monitoring and tracking for results. Kandeh Yumkella, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and CEO of Sustainable Energy for All, will give the closing statement.
Launched by the UN Secretary-General in 2011, the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, a multi-stakeholder partnership, aims to achieve three inter-linked global targets: to ensure universal access to modern energy services, to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency and to double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix, all by 2030. At the UN, governments have already identified sustainable energy as one of the new generation of sustainable development goals that are expected to be adopted in September.
According to the UN, one out of five people lives without access to electricity, and nearly 40 per cent of the world’s population rely on wood, coal, charcoal or animal waste to cook and heat their homes, leading to over four million deaths each year, mostly women and children, from the effects of indoor smoke. The international organisation believes that how to address this energy poverty while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling climate change is a crucial global challenge.
Dr Leke Pitan is the keynote speaker at the 3rd annual public health management lecture by the Chartered Institute of Environmental and Public Health Management of Nigeria.
The Special Advisor for Africa International Hospital Federation spoke on ‘Investing in Reduced Maternal and Child Mortality for sustainable Development: What are the issues, challenges and Options.
He stressed that an important but often neglected aspect of Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system is the role of traditional medical practitioners: ‘The hallmark of any successful policy is the incorporation and integration of the people’s cultural values into its implementation in order to get their buy-in, and ensure their participation.’
The Lagos State government has been asked to continue to showcase the benefits of its tree planting initiative, as a climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, to other parts of the country. Under the initiative, the state has within the past seven years planted over five million trees.
Governor Babatunde Fashola (left) with Environment Commissioner, Tunji Bello, planting a tree to flag-off the 2012 Tree Planting Campaign. Photo credit: strategicindexblogspot.com
This formed one of the numerous resolutions at the 7th Lagos State Summit on Climate Change held last week. It had “Seven Years of Climate Change Governance in Lagos State, Celebrating Success Stories, Reviewing Challenges and Setting Future Agenda” as its theme.
Participants at the three-day conference described tree planting is an effective mitigation measure for reducing the impact of climate change, pointing out that urban reforestation, in particular, is a laudable approach to improving carbon sequestration of urban areas and mitigating climate change-induced urban heat island.
While observing that climate proofing agriculture and its resilience to variations in climate is critical for sustainable food security in the state, delegates submitted in a communique released at the close of the summit that the state should likewise look into the feasibility of enriching its remaining forest areas in the context of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) to create financial value for carbon stored in forest, address the drivers of deforestation, enhance its carbon sequestration for climate change mitigation, and provide additional means of livelihoods for the concerned communities.
Some other recommendations in the communique are listed to include:
developing a climate change information management system in which all research outputs are catalogued and widely disseminated on a regular basis;
putting technology in place to reduce GHG emissions from waste;
encouraging youths and getting them involved in the development of climate change mitigation technology;
pursuing a strategic alignment with the private corporate organisations in the fight against climate change and promote research, development, demonstration and deployment (RDD&D), particularly in the development of technological response to the challenge.
putting into place a positive innovative, policy environment and strengthen existing regulatory framework, including tax incentives and governance mechanisms which will promote public and private investment in climate change mitigation projects;
creating a Lagos State Green Fund (inspired by the Lekki Free Trade Zone) to leverage funding from all sources – state, federal, bilateral and multilateral financial institutions – to promote green employment generation, investment, and innovation;
establishing a Lagos Green Eco-Innovation Forum that will be mandated to spearhead efforts to promote and intensify Nigeria’s (and African) efforts to meet climate change targets and goals through entrepreneurship and philanthropy.
creating a capacity building and mentorship training programme to assist associations to have access to funding opportunities, and to intensify links and networks with institutions that have expertise in climate change mitigation;
explore the feasibility of facilitating a national summit on climate change, in collaboration with the Federal Government, to share its best mitigation and adaptation practices and encourage other states to join the national fight against climate change;
continue to work closely with civil society organisations in the fight against climate change;
continue to support the African Coastal Cities Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Planning Project towards making Lagos more resilient;
involving relevant stakeholders on a continuous basis in the execution of the Eko Atlantic City Project to ensure sustainability;
ensure continuity in the implementation of the model city plan within the existing legal framework to further climate proof Lagos; and,
explore the possibilities of developing a framework for the construction of energy efficient houses for both low and middle income earning residents of the state.
While declaring the summit open, Governor Babatunde Fashola noted that since 2009 the climate change summit has been a principal vehicle for attracting required attention to environmental challenges. He stressed the need for mankind to reflect on the threat posed by the continuous exponential growth of the world population to the sustainable exploitation and use of natural resources.
Fashola highlighted achievements made by government in the past seven years in mitigating the effects of climate change, adding that most of government’s actions emerged from the outcomes of the summits.
Besides the planting of five million trees, he listed the outcomes as:
the Eko Atlantic City Project as an adaptation measures against climate change-induced sea level rise;
improved Waste Management and Transportation;
the Lagos, Akute and Alausa Independent Power Projects which are gas fired and which lead to the decommissioning of over four hundred diesel fuelled electricity generators;
creation of over one hundred Parks and Gardens across the State; and,
establishment of the Lagos State Parks and Garden Agency (LASPARK).
As stated previously, the climate goes through different cycles of variable duration, alternating between cold and hot periods. Historical evidences of long-term changes in the climate of Nigeria are scanty. However, we can use proxy data from regional sources for Africa in general and the Lake Chad in particular to provide some evidence of long-term past changes in the climate of the country. It may be difficult for many to believe, but evidences point to the fact that Africa has gone through different climate periods in the past.
Prof. Emmanuel Olukayode Oladipo
About 20,000 years ago, the continent was almost a desert, but a rainy period ensued between 7,000 and 14,000 years ago. It lead to the eradication of most arid areas and enabled the development of agriculture and cattle breeding in the present day Western Sahara. The existence of a gigantic Lake Chad, which covered over 340,000 km2 (the size of Côte d’Ivoire today) and with a maximum depth of 160m, about 6,000 years ago attests to these historical fluctuations. This implies that much of the current dry region of the northeastern part of Nigeria was very wet about 6000 years ago.
The climate in Africa today is almost the same as 2,000 years ago, with more arid or more humid phases. The era between the 10th and 15th centuries was a rainy period during which living conditions were far more favourable than they are today. However, since the early 19th century, the continent has been struck by an arid period that lasted a few decades, which continued till the 20th century. Today, most of the African continent is tropical, except for the Mediterranean region and South Africa.
The history of the Lake Chad variability can be used to provide useful information of past climate changes in Nigeria, at least for the northern part of the country. There are evidences to indicate that the Lake completely disappeared several times in the past. The Lake Chad actually dried out around year 1450, 1550, 1750, 1850 and 1900, all of which will indicate extremely dry conditions for the northern part of Nigeria in these periods. Hence, recent concerns about the Lake Chad Region must be put in its historical perspectives.
Concerning recent trends, instrumental records show evidences of marked variability in the recent mean temperature and rainfall conditions in Nigeria. Over the last six decades, there has been a general increase in temperature throughout the country, particularly since the 1980s. The warming revealed a change of 1.01°C in the mean conditions for the period 1951 to 2005. There has also been a steadily increasing trend in maximum temperature in the country with values ranging from 31 to 33OC, with marked regional variations between the north and the south. In the north, maximum temperature values lie between 32 to 35°C while in the south, values lie between 30 to 33OC. Minimum temperature has generally increased slightly faster than the maximum temperature resulting into smaller temperature range.
The mean annual variability and trend of rainfall over Nigeria in the last six decades depicts the existence of a number of inter-annual fluctuations that have been responsible for dry and wet years or extreme climate events such as droughts and floods in many parts of the country and at different times. The period 1970 to 1990 was dry except between 1978 to 1980 and coincided with the Sahelian droughts of early 1970s and 1980s. From 1990s to present, rainfall has been above normal. However, despite this general recovery in rainfall since 1993, the general trends show slight decrease in rainfall especially since 2001 and particularly in the extreme northern part, even though some locations have been experiencing some extreme rainfall events in the very recent years.
Using climate models, many researchers have simulated future climate projections for Nigeria. Their scenarios suggest that there will be an increase in temperature of approximately 0.02OC to 0.04OC per year from 2000 until 2100 over the entire country. Higher temperature increase is expected over the inland regions compared with the coastal regions, with the level of the change increasing with latitude. Heat waves (when the maximum temperature is greater than 35OC for three days or more consecutively) are projected to occur more frequently over the entire country in the future. The future projections predict a wetter climate in the south (at least 0.2 mm/day south of 8°N) and a drier climate in the north.
Based on the above analysis and projections, we can say that climate change will magnify natural disasters’ severity in terms of intensity and frequency in Nigeria, but the nature and severity of the changes must be properly diagnosed. Increasing frequency of extreme weather events evident in terms of floods and drought in Nigeria is attributed to observed changes in the climate of the country. Major floods (e.g. 2012), with return period of 100 years, now takes place every 10 or 20 years. As more intense rainstorms are projected to hit many parts of Nigeria because of climate change, there will simply be more water and catastrophic floods will become regular events. On the other hand, extreme droughts, linked to climate change, have become regular features in the northern part of the country. How vulnerable Nigeria is or will be to these changes will be highlighted in the next article.
(People who are interested in additional technical details can read (1) Abiodun, B. J., Salami, A. T. & Tadross, M. (2011). Developing Climate Change Scenarios: Biophysical Impacts and Adaptation Strategies in Nigeria. Ibadan, Nigeria: Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST); (2) Afiesimama, E. A., O. F. Ati, J. O. Olokor, M. A. Ijioma, M. A. C. Chendo and A. Ayansina (2010): National Climate Change Scenarios Development. Draft Technical Report for Nigeria’s Second National Communication; (3) Cervigni, R., Riccardo, V., and Monia, S, eds. 2013. Toward Climate-Resilient Development in Nigeria. Directions in Development. Washington, DC: World Bank; (4) Karmalkar, A., McSweeney, C., New, M and Lizcano, G., 2010: The UNDP Climate Change Country Profiles: Nigeria. Available at http://country-profiles.geog.ox.ac.uk; and (5) OECD (2007): Atlas on Regional Integration in West Africa: Climate and Climate Change)
By Prof. Emmanuel Oladipo (Climate Change Specialist and Adjunct Professor, Department of Geography, University of Lagos, Nigeria. Email: olukayode_oladipo@yahoo.co.uk)
The French government has in the last three years worked vigorously to put in place a strategy for action towards emission reduction, clean energy and efficient energy. ln Poland in 2013, France got the right to host COP 21 in Paris in 2015. In August 2014 the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laurent Fabius, outlined his country’s expectations for the 21st Session of the Conference of Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC and 11th Session of the Conference of Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol from 30th November to 11th December, 2015.
Prince Lekan Fadina
The COP 21 will be focussing on the adoption of a legally binding agreement. The Parties are expected to have pledged their commitment as it involves reduction in greenhouse gases, developing countries’ carbon pricing, among other issues, The French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, Segolene Royal, stressed the importance of the energy transition law.
The French President, Francois Hollande, in his foreign policy speech indicated plans to announce his country’s strategy for action ahead of the Paris Climate Conference in September 2014 at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit in New York. He announced the intention of his country to move towards the path of low carbon and emission reduction.
France, in following this path, has contributed $1 billion to the Green Climate Fund and is supporting the World Bank initiative on carbon pricing, saying that “pollution must have a cost if we want investment to move towards clean and efficient energy”. The French are putting so much into it because of the prestige, the high class and the excellence associated with the French. For the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations, the COP 21 aims to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate change with the aim of keeping global warming below 2 degrees C.
France will play a leading role in hosting this conference. COP 21 will be one of the largest international conferences ever held in France. The conference is expected to attract close to 50,000 participants including 25,000 official delegates from government, business, international organisations, UN agencies, civil society and media.
France will be playing a leading role to ensure agreement and to facilitate the search for consensus by the United Nations as well as within the European Union which has a major role in the climate negotiations.
Paris as the venue of the conference is expected to provide the right atmosphere and conditions. Paris-Le Bourget is said to be the best logistically the most suitable in terms of hosting facilities and accessibility which are crucial to the success of the conference.
The French appears to agree with the Report of the IPCC 5th Assessment that “Human influence on the climate system is clear and continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system. Limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.”
France like her counterparts in the EU mission is set to fulfil the emission reduction target as a collective responsibility. It also set out to ensure market mechanism and advancing the cause of businesses toclimate resilient projects and investments.
The French recently announced the intention to spend over 200 million euros to support African countries in climate-related projects and investments. This is part of the commitment to the road towards low carbon economy and culture of green investments.
Development issues towards the Paris conference The Adaptation Fund Board of the UNFCCC recently met and some of the issues at
the meeting was the election of Nigeria’s Peter Tarfa, Deputy Director, Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, as Vice Chairman of the Board’s Project and Programme Review Committee. This is an important position at UNFCCC system, and it comes at a time that the world is focusing its attention on the COP 21 and the follow-up action on adaptation projects and other sustainable activities. We congratulate Nigeria for this honour and our dear Peter whose deep knowledge and disposition to matters are commendable.
There is also the issue of the relationship between the Adaptation Board and Fund and the Green Climate Fund, among others.
The United States has submitted its contributions to COP 21. The French government in a statement by Laurent Fabius on 31st March 2015 said: “This contribution confirms the objective of reducing American greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28per cent compared to 2005 levels by 2025 announced at the US-China Summit on November 12, 2014. This objective confirms the commitment of the United States under Barrack Obama’s presidency to fight against climate disruption. Itis consistent with the more ambitious long-term objective of reducing emissions by 80 percent or more by 2050.
The United States contributions as the world’s second largest emitter represents a further step forward in the process of preparing for COP 21.”
The need for early submission of countries was also stressed by Laurent Fabius when he said that “all countries to make public their national contributions as soon as possible in accordance with the decision taken at COP 19 in Warsaw and confirmed in Lima.
It is evident that there is a paradigm shift in financing and management of development programmes. In this regard we must put in place mechanisms that will enable us to develop capacity to manage emerging environmental and social risks associated with investment and projects that countries like France put in place for countries like Nigeria.
We continue to follow up on the activities of the Committee for COP 21 and we wish the members every success. We all as shareholders look forward to their effort to ensure that Nigeria plays a critical role, be at the COP early, and maximise all opportunities in the interest of our people.
The road to Paris continues to show that there is a lot to be done and everyone involved in this process needs to add value to the process. Nigeria has a lot to do to ensure that we provide the leadership especially for Africa and we appeal to the in-coming administration to give support in all areas to ensure that Nigeria is at the centre of activities and in turn can assist other African countries. Nigeria deserves to be the barometer for the other developing countries and, with the contributions of all of us and the natural flair of Nigerians turning things around for the better, the sky is the limit.
By Prince Lekan Fadina (Executive Director, Centre for Investment, Sustainable Development, Management and Environment (CISME). (He is a member of the Nigeria Negotiation Team, Africa Group of Negotiators and member, AGN Finance Co-ordination Committee). Website: www.cismenigeria.com. Email: cismevision@gmail.com. Twitter: @cismevision
The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights says that: “Human beings are inviolable. Every human being shall be entitled to respect for his life and the integrity of his person. No one may be arbitrarily deprived of this right.” This is being violated in South Africa through the xenophobic attacks on Africans.
Xenophobic violence in South Africa. Photo credit: publicnewshub.com
Solidarity has been one of the strongest values and strength for Africans. In this moment of pain and dismay representative of several African civil society organisations want to show their deepest solidarity to their brothers and sisters directly and indirectly affected.
“We empathise with families of those who died and we appalled by the lack of clear leadership in this dark moment from most of our African governments. We extend our sincere solidarity to all our people that are forced to be in unsafe and vulnerable conditions in the region and across the continent,” says a representative from Mozambique.
African civil society organisations gathered in a conference in Maputo, from April 21-23 to build solidarity for climate justice and provide peoples solutions for the climate crisis. The conference, “Seeding Climate Justice”, brought together more than 135 people from movements such as La Via Campesina, Friends of the Earth Africa, the Rural Women’s Assembly, World March of Women, WoMining as well as people from local organisations from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, Botswana, Nigeria and Kenya.
As movements of Southern Africa and Africa they have a history of working together, organising common campaigns and building solidarity. “We have a common history of defeating and condemning apartheid. Together we have to defeat and condemn this scourge of xenophobia,” said a representative from South Africa.
As Southern Africans, people live and share common territory, share the water, the oceans, the mountains and the bio-diversity – they are interdependent. But also share common cultures, histories and languages.
“It is our belief that the borders across the continent of Africa are nothing more than colonial constructs that have sadly been carried over and perfected by African governments. We want to reiterate that nobody is illegal and certainly no African is illegal on this continent,” said a representative from Kenya. She further urge the governments of Africa and the people to support free movement and equal rights for all and unity between all.
“What we have witnessed with the deaths of African immigrants in South Africa and those crossing the seas heading to Europe is that African lives are disposable and we reject this fate. Open the borders and keep them open,” she added.
Governments across Africa have a responsibility to assure citizens of their safety irrespective of where they choose to reside or to do business. In the same vein the African Union and the regional blocks such as the Southern African Development Community, the East African Community and the Economic Community of West African States have a duty to ensure the enjoyment of the right to life, freedom from discrimination and all rights enshrined in the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Anything to the contrary is an unacceptable abnegation of responsibility and a betrayal of our peoples, they argue.
The xenophobic violence in South Africa has, in the last six years, cruelly stolen the lives of hundreds of Africans and dislocated many thousands more. This violence towards other black Africans is deeply rooted in the colonial history of the SADC region, which created false boundaries between African peoples, and carved up our land and natural resources for the benefit of the colonists.
South Africa’s apartheid history must also be blamed for fomenting tensions between different ethnic groups and tribes in South Africa and the region, and for the migration of African men into the deeply exploitative South African mining industry, a pattern which remains largely unchanged in post-Apartheid South Africa. The oppressive poverty and inequalities created in South Africa’s past remain substantially unchanged for the majority of black South Africans now, and lie at the heart of this scourge of xenophobic violence.
The problem of xenophobia is not only a South African or African problem. It is a global problem linked to an economic and political system that keeps Africa and the majority of its people poor.
“As our land and minerals and natural resources are exploited and privatised, as climate change bites deeply and destroys our livelihoods, Africans migrate across these false borders in search of work and a better life, an elusive quest for the majority on this continent,” said a representative from Botswana.
In furtherance of its bid to ensure home owners in the state regularised their landed property at a discounted rate, the Ogun State Government has distributed another round of 1,000 certificates of occupancy (C-of-Os), and approved building plans to landlords in the state.
Mrs. Mahmoud Afusat Ajibola (left), one of the beneficiaries of Certificate of Occupancy and Approved Building Plan of the Ogun Homeowners’ Charter Scheme, with Mrs. Abimbola Akeredolu, Ogun State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, during the presentation of Certificates of Occupancy and Approved Building Plans to the beneficiaries at Arcade Ground, Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, recently
Distributing the C-of-Os at the Arcade Ground in Oke-Mosan, the governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, expressed his satisfaction with the programme, adding that the Homeowners’ Charter programme has come to stay in the state. Amosun was represented by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of the State, Mrs. Abimbola Akeredolu.
She said the programme has made the issuance of C-of-Os and approved building plans very easy, putting into consideration the previous cumbersome and bottlenecks of the processes being experienced before the inception of the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
The commissioner called on other states of the federation to emulate Ogun State by embarking on programmes that will add value to the lives of the citizenry, saying that the 1,000 C-of-Os and approved building plans distributed was in fulfilment of Senator Ibikunle Amosun’s administration during his re-election campaign bid.
Special Adviser/Director General, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Adewale Oshinowo, said the 6thEdition of the presentation of C-of-Os is in appreciation of the governor to the people for re-electing him to serve them for a second term in office, saying that the distribution of 500 C-of-Os per week would continue.
The DG enumerated the benefits to home owners, saying it paves way to accessing mortgage loans, it is transferrable to children and great grandchildren, can be used as a collateral to access loan in the banks, and that it does not need to be registered in IRS as it contains stamp duty.
According to Oshinowo “the programme which was flagged-off in December 2013 has issued about 8,000 C-of-Os, which amounts to 25 percent of registered applicants in the state, and the Bureau would continue to roll out 500 units of C-of-Os on a weekly basis to home owners in the state.”
Ayodele Oshokoya, a beneficiary from Ijebu-Ode, expressed appreciation to the state government for the initiative and urged the governor to give the people of the state another chance to introduce the second phase of the homeowner’s charter programme, as he has been given the second chance to rule the state.
Oshokoya said that most of homeowners in the state doubted the programme when it was first introduced, adding that he has never dreamt of having C-of-O in his entire life talk less of getting it directly from the state government. He predicted that many more people will key into the programme and benefit from it.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has stressed the need for stakeholders in Nigeria’s energy sector to prioritise sustainable energy in a policy document being evolved because of the strategic importance of energy for sustainable human development and in a post-oil economy such as Nigeria.
Director General, Energy Commission of Nigeria, Professor Eli Jidere Bala (left); UNDP Deputy Country Director- Programmes, Mandisa Mashologu; and Dr. Jibril, representative of the Minister for Science and Technology, at the national stakeholders validation workshop on the review of the national energy master plan, in Abuja…recently
The Federal Government is in the process of evolving a contemporary energy master plan in the face of recent global oil fluctuations. This reality has brought to the fore a need for the nation to urgently consider other sustainable sources of energy. “Renewable energy and energy efficiency represents the cheapest and the fastest way we can make clean energy available and accessible to rural communities, most of who are not connected to the national grid.”
The Country Director, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Pa Lamin Beyai stated this at a National Energy Master Plan (NEMP) National Stakeholders Validation Workshop held recently in Abuja. Beyai, whose speech was delivered by the Deputy Country Director (Programme), UNDP Nigeria, Mandisa Mashologu, described as very important the task of finalising the NEMP.
In the discharge of its responsibility for the strategic planning and coordination of the nation’s policies in the field of energy in all its ramifications, the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), in 1990, constituted a committee comprising some members of the Commission’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to draft a National Energy Policy (NEP). The draft was approved by Government in April 2003 after several reviews by inter-ministerial committees. In order to provide a framework for the implementation of the National Energy Policy, the NEMP was drafted in 2007.
The ECN, in recognition of the recent developments in the national and international energy scenes, 10 years after the approval of the NEP, carried out a review of the 2003 NEP document in 2013. Consequently, this made a review of the 2007 draft NEMP imperative.
In December 2014, therefore, an Experts’ Peer Review/Work Group Meeting was held in Abuja to review the 2007 draft NEMP in line with the revised NEP.
The revised draft NEMP seeks to achieve the goals of the revised NEP by converting its strategies to actionable programmes and activities with timelines in the short, medium and long terms. Each chapter of the National Energy Master Plan contains policy statements, policy objectives and actionable programmes, activities and timelines.
The NEMP document answers many questions about government’s Energy Policy direction and planned activities on all energy types and cross-cutting issues without necessarily referring to the several operational and sub-sectoral policy documents. This, according to the UNDP, is the type of document investors often sought for.
Beyai congratulated the leadership of ECN for the initiative and assured them of the continuous support of the UNDP.
He reaffirmed “our continued commitment to working with you on the outcomes and finalising the National Energy Master Plan for a greater energy future for Nigeria.”
“We are especially delighted because the document to be reviewed is one of the success stories of the UNDP’s long standing partnership with the ECN. The Master Plan which was first developed in 2003 is indeed long overdue for a review and for this process to be successful, we all agree on the importance of the efficient coordination of activities in the energy sector and hence this validation workshop.
“The master plan review is very timely in ensuring scaling up actions aimed at promoting increased access to energy.”
He said there exists a policy gap that the NEMP will not only bridge but also that it would provide the much needed strategic framework for the coordination of the energy sector within the country.
“Energy is the bedrock of any economy, and a key requirement for both social and economic development of any country. It is one of the major catalysts for industrial development of small and medium scale enterprises, a sector that has provided employment for the majority of Nigerians,” he said.
The foregoing, he said, “Provides a strong impetus for the implementation of some of our on-going programmes, notably the Global Environment Facility (GEF)/Energy Efficiency Programme.”
According to him, the Programme has, to date, supported the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to develop minimum energy performance standards for lighting appliances; equipped SON and the National Centre for Energy Efficiency and Conservation (NCEEC), with two state-of-the-art sets of fully functioning international testing laboratories for carrying out compliance tests on imported refrigeration and lighting; retrofitted the ECN building with efficient lighting to save millions of naira in electricity bills; and provided extensive training provided for 2,000 public, private and CSOs stakeholders. Additionally, in partnership with the ECN, UNDP has also set up an eco-village in Nasarawa State where a 4Kw PV system is currently powering 63 beneficiaries including households, businesses and a community water borehole.
Addressing the participants, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Abdu Bulama, lauded the ECN for the initiative to review the draft NEMP and make it more sensitive to current realities within and outside Nigeria.
Bulama, represented by Dr Jibril, said, “Energy plays a significant dual role as an indispensable driver of growth in the economy, and as generator of income for development in the country.”
He said the ECN was established by law in 1979 and that it is charged with the responsibility for the strategic planning and coordination of the nation’s policies in the field of energy in all its ramifications. “In doing so, the Commission also inter alia is to make recommendations for the exploitation of new energy sources to government.”
The policy, he said, encourages the optimum development of all energy resources in the country, including renewable energy sources in an environmentally friendly manner with the active participation of private sector.
He added that, in order to provide a framework for the implementation of the NEP, in 2007, the NEMP was drafted. The translation of the provisions of the NEP into a long-term NEMP, for its implementation is in line with Article 5(d) of Decree No. 62 of 1979 of the ECN’s mandate, which empowers the ECN to “prepare, after consultation with such agencies of government whose functions relate to the field of energy development or supply as the Commission considers appropriate, periodic master plans for the balanced and coordinated development of energy in Nigeria.”
The NEMP document, he said, answers many questions about government’s Energy Policy direction and planned activities on all energy types and cross-cutting issues without necessarily referring to the several operational and sub-sectoral policy documents.
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ademola Isaac Olorunfemi, who chaired the workshop, said, “The need for an up-to-date NEMP that reflects the current energy realities in the country cannot be over-emphasised.”
Olorunfemi recalled that the first draft of the NEMP was produced in 2007 by a National Committee chaired by the then President of the NSE, Emeka Eze, and commended the ECN for this initiative.
He described energy as the centre of sustainable development, where economy and environment are in harmony. In a nation like Nigeria with abundant energy resources and various sub-sectoral energy policies, achieving the overall objective of adequate energy supply for sustainable development, requires harmonisation of policies and actions, which the NEP and the NEMP strive to achieve.
Welcoming the stakeholders, Director-General of the ECN, Prof Eli Jidere Bala, said, “The Commission commenced operation in 1989 after the decision of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, taken at Cotonou in 1982, that every member state should establish by law a body within the machinery of government to be charged with the responsibility for coordination and supervising all energy functions and activities within the member state, and that the body be called the Energy Commission of each member state. So far, Ghana and Nigeria have complied.”
Bala said it became evident to the ECN on commencement of its operations in 1989 that a NEP document was required in order to meet its mandate, which requires it to prepare, after consultation with such agencies of government whose functions relate to the field of energy development or supply as the Commission considers appropriate, periodic master plans for the balanced and coordinated development of energy in Nigeria.
He said although sub-sectorial policies of petroleum, coal, electricity, among others, existed then, but that an integrated NEP was, however, absent. The Commission therefore embarked on the production of a NEP in collaboration with stakeholders. A draft was submitted to government in 1993. It however got approved 10 years later after several inter-ministerial reviews. This provided the National Policy from which a NEMP was drafted therefrom in 2007 by stakeholders.
“You may also recall that in 2013, the ECN with active participation of relevant agencies reviewed the NEP to reflect recent developments in the national and international energy scenes. Consequently, this made a review of the 2007 draft NEMP very imperative. In the last quarter of 2014, relevant agencies of government were again brought together to carry out a preliminary review of the 2007 draft NEMP in line with the revised NEP,” he said.
The objective of the NEMP is: to ensure the development of the nation’s energy resources, with diversified energy resources option, for the achievement of national energy security and an efficient energy delivery system with an optimal energy resource mix; to guarantee increased contribution of energy productive activities to national income; guarantee adequate, reliable and sustainable supply of energy at appropriate costs and in an environmentally friendly manner, to the various sectors of the economy, for national development; to guarantee an efficient and cost effective consumption pattern of energy resources; to accelerate the process of acquisition and diffusion of technology and managerial expertise in the energy sector and indigenous participation in energy sector industries, for stability and self-reliance; to promote increased investments and development of the energy sector industries with substantial private sector participation; to ensure a comprehensive, integrated and well informed energy sector plans and programmes for effective development; to foster international cooperation in energy trade and projects development in both the African region and the world at large; and to successfully use the nation’s abundant energy resources to promote international cooperation.
This revised draft NEMP, he said, seeks to achieve the goals of the revised NEP by converting its strategies to actionable programmes and activities with timelines in the short, medium and long terms.
His words: “The draft NEMP before you for validation consists of 13 chapters, covering all energy resources and cross-cutting issues. Each chapter, except the introduction and that on energy demand and supply projections, presents the national policies and the objectives of each energy sub-sector and issues that need to be addressed for the balanced development of the energy sector. The set of activities required for accomplishing the objectives under each strategy, including the implementing and funding agencies as well as in the short, medium and long terms timelines for each activity are tabulated in every chapter.
“You may all be reminded that the nation’s vision is to be amongst the 20 largest economies in the world by 2020. Nigeria was number 39 in 2012. However, with the rebasing in 2013, we jumped to number 26 and became the largest in Africa. This upward movement requires adequate, reliable and cost effective supply of electricity, fuels and process heat in the economy. Hence, the need to have a ‘roadmap’ for exploiting our energy resources to meet the energy demand required to attain our vision and aspiration.”
According to him, a study conducted by ECN on Nigeria’s long term energy demand and supply using IAEA energy planning tools of MAED and MESSAGE predicted huge amount of energy requirements in the economy under various economic scenarios. For example, the study indicates that, under the reference scenario, Nigeria would require about 45,000MW installed capacity of electricity by 2020 and about 120,000MW by 2030. If, however, the economy is to grow by double the current rate, the supply for electricity would have to reach about 90,000MW by 2020 and over 300,000MW by 2030. On the other hand, PMS demand may grow from about 40 million litres/day in 2015, to about 77 million litres/day in 2020 and 155 million litres/day by 2030 in the referenced scenario. Whereas for the optimistic scenario, demand could reach 97 million litres/day by 2020 and 242 million litres/day in 2030.
“It is therefore our belief that a strategic NEMP, like the one you are to consider, is imperative for a balanced and coordinated development of energy in Nigeria to meet National Transformational Agenda to enable her be within the 20 largest economies by 2020 and thereafter.”
Bala said the draft revised NEMP would capture activities from Petroleum Policy, Coal and Tar Sands/Bitumen Policy; Nuclear Energy Policy; Renewable Energy Policy; Bio-energy Policy; Electricity Policy; Policy on Energy Utilisation; Environment and Climate Change Policy; Policy on Other Energy Issues; Policy on Energy Financing; and on Planning and Policy implementation that will enable the energy demand targets predicted to be met.
The objective of the current exercise, he said, is therefore to bring the review in line with the current happenings in the energy sector as well as in line with international best practices under active private sector participation as dictated by the revised NEP. Specifically, participants were to: identify any obsolete activities in the NEMP document and make appropriate recommendations; make recommendations on new activities vis-à-vis the strategies in revised NEP; update data and information in the NEMP document; ensure a more realistic natural gas flare-out date; ensure that the NEMP is gender sensitive; and make any comments and/or suggestions that will general enrich the review
Two years after it was agreed on, Nigeria may this year eventually ratify the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global treaty aimed at protecting human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. It was agreed at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) in Geneva, Switzerland on Saturday, 19 January 2013.
President, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, Charles Brown (left); with executive director, SRADev Nigeria, Leslie Adogame, during the NGO Strategy Meeting in Lagos
Nigeria is one of the 128 signatories to the global treaty, which has already been ratified by 10 nations, which include: Djibouti (ratified 23-09-2104), Gabon (24-09-2014), Guinea (21-10-2014), Guyana (24-09-2014), Lesotho (12-11-2014), Monaco (24-09-2014), Nicaragua (29-10-2014), Seychelles (13-01-2015), USA (16-11-2013) and Uruguay (24-09-2014). Ratification by Nigeria automatically makes her a Party to the Convention with the duty to domesticate its content.
A minimum of 50 nations are required to ratify the Minamata Convention to make it legally binding.
Underlining the need for Nigeria to ratify the Convention, Charles Brown, president of the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry (WAMFD), said recently in Lagos that the treaty’s emergence entailed a four-year process of international meetings or INCs that held in 2010 – Stockholm, Sweden; 2011 – Chiba, Japan; 2011 – Nairobi, Kenya; 2012 – Punta del Este, Uruguay; 2013 – Geneva, Switzerland; and 2014 – Bangkok, Thailand. In 2013, a Diplomatic Conference held in Kumamoto, Japan. This year’s INC is expected to hold in Jordan.
While acknowledging the role of the Africa region towards making the Convention a reality, Brown opined that ratifying the treaty is a “great” opportunity for Nigeria to lead, even though four other African nations (Gabon, Guinea, Djibouti and Seychelles) are already Parties to the Convention.
“We want to leapfrog past the amalgam stage to mercury-free dentistry. There are really no opposing views to the Convention in Nigeria, we are simply experiencing institutional delay, and I’m positive that that will be resolved shortly and it will be ratified,” said Brown at the “Nigerian NGO Strategy Meeting on Phasing Down Dental Amalgam Use” held on Saturday, April 18, 2015 in Lagos. Organised by WAMFD in conjunction with SRADev Nigeria, the day-long forum had “Towards a concerted and proactive effort to phase down dental amalgam use in Nigeria” as its theme.
According to him, the WAMFD is a US-based coalition of consumer, dental and environmental organisations working together to phase out amalgam use, while serving as a resource for nations working to implement the Minamata Convention’s amalgam phase-down measures.
Dental amalgam is a tooth filling material that is approximately 50% mercury, which is believed to be a highly polluting neurotoxin. Nations around the world are working to phase-down – and ultimately phase-out – amalgam use chiefly because dental mercury pollution is significant, mercury-free dental restorations are available, and the Minamata Convention on Mercury requires the phase-down of dental amalgam use.
Leslie Adogame, executive director of SRADev Nigeria, said: “Nigeria has signed the treaty. But, by signing, it merely shows that you are part of the process and you stand by it. Ratification however means that you are now a Party and ready to domesticate it by, for example, making local legislations.”
According to him, Nigeria became a signatory to the Convention on 10 October, 2013. “The Convention highlights actions to reduce mercury emissions to the air from identified sources, reduce the use of mercury in products and industrial processes, and to address mercury supply and trade. In addition, it contains provisions to address the severe and growing problem of mercury use in artisanal gold mining,” he added.
Adogame pointed out that the signing of the Convention would enable Nigeria to:
Develop a National Implementation Strategy (NIS)/Action Plan to holistically address challenges relating to the reduction and elimination of Mercury;
Undertake a comprehensive inventory as a basis to develop and implement a more robust Mercury preventive programme which will include the identification and location, contaminated sites and extent of contamination, storage, handling and disposal to ensure that mercury related activities do not result in further damage to health and the environment;
Enhance national capacities with respect to human resources development and institutional strengthening, towards addressing concerns about the long-term effects of Mercury on both human health and the environment and also to ensure the effective domestication of the instrument that will be implementable at national level;
Sensitise the populace and policy makers on the hazards of mercury;
Develop and implement Mercury Release Minimisation Projects; and,
