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Making Nigeria climate resilient (8): Mitigation, adaptation best practices

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Making Nigeria climate resilient (8): Mitigation, adaptation best practices

The main challenge, in general, is to keep climate change from becoming a catastrophe. To this end, two sets of measures have often been advocated for confronting climate change. These are mitigation measures (such as reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases and black soot) to prevent the degree of climate change from becoming unmanageable; and adaptation measures (such as building irrigation systems and adjusting agricultural practices) to reduce the harm from climate change that proves unavoidable. While mitigation seeks to limit climate change by reducing climate change by reducing the emissions of GHG and by enhancing ‘sink’ opportunities, adaptation aims to alleviate the adverse impacts through a wide-range of system-specific actions.

Prof. Emmanuel Olukayode Oladipo
Prof. Emmanuel Olukayode Oladipo

Overcoming the development challenge of climate change requires that more extensive adaptation and mitigation measures than is currently being applied are necessary to reduce vulnerability to future climate change. Future vulnerability will depend not only on the degree of climate change but also on the development “pathway” taken, as well as capacity put in place to cope with the climate change stress. Mitigating GHG emissions and enhancing the adaptive capacity to increase resilience can accelerate the pace of progress towards sustainable development. Adapting to climate change involves reducing exposure and sensitivity and increasing adaptive capacity to build a climate-resilient society. This will be a society that is able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions caused by the adverse effects of climate change, including climate-related hazards and disasters.

 

Mitigation

Agriculture is a significant contributor to GHGs, particularly in a developing country like Nigeria. It is estimated that about 10 to 12 per cent of total anthropogenic emissions of GHGs are directly generated in agriculture (mostly nitrous oxide from fertilized soils and methane from livestock). If indirect emissions from the fertilizer industry and emissions from deforestation and land conversion are added, the total contribution of the agriculture sector is increased to about 26-35 per cent.

A variety of options for mitigation (reduction of GHGs) exist in agriculture. They fall into three broad categories:

  • Reducing emissions of methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide through efficient management of the flows of these gases in agricultural ecosystems for example, through managing livestock to make more efficient use of feed;
  • Enhancing removals of carbon dioxide through improved management of forestry and agro ecosystems for enhanced carbon recovery and carbon storage.  Afforestation and reforestation are measures that can be taken to enhance biological carbon sequestration. The IPCC calculated that a global programme to 2050 involving reduced deforestation, enhanced neutral generation of tropical forests and worldwide re-afforestation could sequester 6.0 – 8.7 trillion metric tonnes of atmosphere carbon, equivalent to some 12 – 15% of projected CO2 emissions from fossil fuel burning for that period. Agro-forestry systems in particular contribute simultaneously to buffering farmers against climate variability and changing climates, and to reducing atmospheric loads of GHGs. With the current advance made in the Greenwall Project, Nigeria can focus on the potential to use forests as one of the strategies towards becoming carbon neutral.
  • Avoiding (or displacing) emissions using crops and residues from agricultural lands as a source of fuel, either directly or after conversion to fuels such as ethanol or diesel. GHG emissions, notably carbon dioxide, can also be avoided by agricultural management practices that forestall the cultivations of new lands now under forest, grassland or other non-agricultural vegetation.

 

Other mitigation measures that have proven effective include:

  • promotion of increased use of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal etc.;
  • development of energy efficient buildings; and
  • promotion of energy-saving transportation systems.

In these key parts of the economy (renewables, building efficiency, and transportation), win-win (i.e. mutually beneficial outcomes) and double dividend (i.e. simultaneous benefits, e.g. monetary and social) employment scenarios are encouragingly evident (see UNEP/ILO/ITUC Report on “Green Jobs: Towards Sustainable Work in a Low Carbon World”)

 

Adaptation

This can be both autonomous and planned. Autonomous adaptation is the ongoing implementation of existing knowledge and technology in response to the changes in climate experienced. Planned adaptation is the increase in adaptive capacity by mobilising institutions and policies to establish or strengthen conditions that are favourable to effective adaptation and investment in new technologies and infrastructure. Various sectors will have their adaption measures. They are extensively covered in HBS (2009).

Focusing on agriculture, examples of autonomous adaptations for smallholder farmers that are characteristic of Nigeria may include:

  • changing inputs such as crop varieties and/or species and using inputs with increased resistance to heat shock and drought; altering fertilizer rates to maintain grain or fruit quality consistent with the climate; and altering amounts and timing of irrigation and other water management practices;
  • making wider use of technologies to ‘harvest’ water, to conserve soil moisture (e.g. crop residue retention) and to use water more effectively in areas where there is a decrease in  rainfall;
  • utilising water management to prevent water-logging, erosion and nutrient leaching in areas where there is an increase in rainfall;
  • altering the timing or location of cropping activities;
  • diversifying income by integrating into farming activities additional activities such as livestock raising; and
  • using seasonal climate forecasting to reduce production risk.

While many of these measures are effective against a degree of climatic variability, they may become insufficient in the face of accelerating climate change. Planned approach for adaptation is therefore needed to secure sustainable livelihoods. This will have to incorporate additional information, technologies and investments, infrastructures and institutions and integrate them with the decision-making environment. Others are insurances, safety nets and cash transfers to reduce vulnerability to climate change-induced shocks. In agricultural terms, technical options may include many forms of land use and land use change, new cultivation practices, new seed varieties, etc. It must include an appropriate incentive structure, such as targeted payment for environmental services, which can expand the options that poor communities and indigenous peoples can have for both adaptation and mitigation. All these are now captured in what is termed “climate smart agriculture”.

Adaptation strategies should be properly targeted to avoid negative impacts, such as increasing competition for existing resources – for example, improving plant productivity may increase water demand for irrigation systems in dryland areas, which decreases the availability of water for those who have no access to irrigation schemes.

 

Good Practice Principles

Whatever mitigation and adaptation measures are being considered for adoption or implementation, they must be guided by good practice principles. Good practices are actions that are effective in meeting established goals and deemed to be appropriate and acceptable by a broad range of stakeholders. In climate change response, these may include:

  • Integrated programme approach: Climate change is a complex multi-sectoral environmental and development challenge. Fragmentation of issues across multiple policy platforms and narrowly bounded institutional mandates encourages unilateral, single-sector responses, discourages innovative leadership and inhibits development of policy actions informed by the full complexity of climate change challenges. Thus, sectoral and small-scale uncoordinated interventions will not adequately address the challenge of climate change in the State for impact. A multi-sectoral national programme, financed and implemented in a coherent and integrated manner over a period of time is imperative for an effective state response to the challenge of climate change, within a national framework. What is required is a state programme of action (minimum 10 years timeframe), developed through stakeholders’ consultations, properly financed and implemented in an integrated manner through various institutions, but led by the Ministry of Environment, particularly the Climate Change Unit (if existing).
  • Knowledge building: The complex and dynamic nature of climate change makes it imperative for the need to undertake research into its physical and socio-economic basis for improved national understanding of the global dimensions of climate change and to be able to communicate the issues to the general populace through a coordinated advocacy and awareness creation strategy. Empowering the populace through improved knowledge about the climate change challenge will put them in a better position to identify, plan and implement adaptive measures that will enhance their resilience. In this regard, the designing of climate change projects must be built upon or applied the findings of specific research projects and/or vulnerability studies. Also, there is need to ensure that the projects actively contribute to national and international understanding on a specific topic or area of research.
  • Community participation and inclusiveness: Climate change management in Nigeria requires a shift to an integrated approach that advances change responses which are closely intertwined with development choices and driven by multi-stakeholder identification (up to community level) and implementation of priority mitigation and adaptation measures. In this regard, the State Ministry of Environment, particularly the Climate Change Unit, will have to lead a process of collaborating with relevant MDAs to formulate and mobilize resources for the implementation of sectoral programmes and projects, particularly in climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, water, health, energy, infrastructure etc. In other words, projects designed to mitigate or adapt to climate change in the State must result from consultation with local communities in the formulation, implementation and decision making process, with the incorporation of gender issues.
  • Political ownership, collaboration and approval: Projects designed to mitigate or adapt to climate change need to secure high-level political support for their activities and be aligned with wider development agendas to ensure success. Thus, the Ministry of Environment will need the support of the high-level governance in the State for the establishment of an enabling policy, legal and regulatory framework for the state’s response to climate change in order to be able to develop and implement a comprehensive mitigation and adaptation programme measures.
  • Financial sustainability: Financing for climate change mitigation and adaptation activities will be costly if the State is to fully address the challenge of climate change. Annual budget allocations will be extremely inadequate to enable Ondo State implement an integrated response to the challenge of climate change. What is required is a pool of resources into which state and external funds can be made available on a sustainable basis to upscale state response for effectiveness. This will ensure that projects designed to mitigate or adapt to climate change in the state secure financing for sustaining and/or expanding the project’s impacts beyond the initial project lifetime.
  • Achieving co-benefits and balancing trade-off: Projects designed to mitigate or adapt to climate change must take into consideration the costs and benefits external to the project such as employment, environment, health, poverty levels and food security. Projects must aim to maximise external co-benefits from project activities and avoid/minimise external costs and damages.
  • Building local capacity: The most important variable that determines whether the State is able to address the challenge of climate change and achieve sustainable development is human and institutional capacity, and appropriate regulatory and legal framework. Projects designed to mitigate or adapt to climate change in the State should, therefore, ensure that local capacity is built during their implementation. In this regard, mitigation and adaptation projects must integrate training programmes into core project activities and measures taken to assure that built human capacity is maintained and replicated beyond the project’s lifetime.
  • Transferable: Projects designed to mitigate or adapt to climate change must ensure that their activities can be transferred beyond the specific contexts in which they were implemented. Particular project measures, activities or concepts should be easily applied in another context or regions.
  • Monitoring and evaluation: Projects designed to mitigate or adapt to climate change in the State must demonstrate their impacts in terms of achieving the project objectives, outcomes, and outputs, as well developing indicators to measure success and effectiveness. In other words, good mitigation and adaptation projects must have explicit logical framework with appropriate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

 

Possible policy options for an effective state response

Minimising the impact of climate change and increasing resilience for sustainable development, whether through mitigation or adaptation option requires a strategic approach, that will enable the movement towards a greener and sustainable development. To this end, a two-pronged strategy proposed by ESCAP can be adopted. The first strategy is to take advantage of the investment opportunities created in mitigation measures to reduce GHG emissions. As this should be complemented by a behavioural change, the second strategy focuses on how to promote a shift in the attitude towards climate change.

 

Strategy 1: Taking advantage of the current investment opportunities in green technologies for mitigation and adaptation:

The imperative to reduce GHG emissions is encouraging Governments to redirect investment away from energy-intensive economic activity based on fossil fuels and towards low-carbon, greener technology and industrial activity that could also to improve access to services that meet the basic needs of the poor. Nigeria needs to adopt its own green growth approach in order to maintain its competitiveness in goods and services, which can lead to greener, more sustainable development within the national framework. Such a strategy will prepare the ground for the country to pursue a path of sustainable development. The state may consider appropriate policies towards mitigation for green development that may include:

  • Improving energy efficiency, including the use of efficient production technologies and a behavioural change in energy use.
  • Reducing vehicle emissions through a number of policies that encourage cleaner fuel use and promotion of mass transit schemes, including bus rapid transit (BRT) coupled with the integration of non-motorized transport in urban areas while shifting freight from road to rail and water transport.
  • Reducing GHG emissions in agriculture through the use of improved technologies, including (i) applying modern irrigation and water management practices; (ii) applying fertilizers tailored to the condition of the soil; (iii) strengthening the management of animal waste, the treatment of solid and liquid waste, and using methane emissions to produce renewable energy.
  • Managing waste to reduce methane emission, including conversion of solid waste into compost and organic fertilizer; recovering methane from landfills, recovering energy during waste incinerations and controlling wastewater treatment.

 

Strategy 2: Promoting a shift in the attitude towards climate change

Policies towards mitigation will not be effective without a major shift in the way goods and services are produced and consumed, including activities that promote environmental sustainability and enhance adaptive capacity. This can be done in number of ways, including:

  • Seeing response to climate change as a shared responsibility. This means that every individual, firm and Government has a responsibility to protect the environment to make it more climate-friendly.
  • Promoting carbon-neutral lifestyles among individuals (e.g. car pooling to work) and promoting carbon-neutral products or services for government support.
  • Reversing deforestation. Deforestation accounts for between 20 and 25% of global CO2 Agro-forestry systems in particular contribute simultaneously to buffering farmers against climate variability and changing climates, and to reducing atmospheric loads of GHGs. Thus, reversing deforestation, through appropriate policies and programmes, is critical for climate change mitigation; it is also a relatively low-cost strategy.

Five critical elements that could significantly strengthen the ability of the Government at all levels to make effective adaptation decisions include:

  • Consistent public engagement on climate change issues, to ensure that people appreciate the risks, understand policy decisions, and have a voice in how they are implemented and monitored.
  • Enhanced public accessibility to relevant information (e.g. weather data) that can be used effectively to make informed decisions for varying time-scales.
  • Strengthened institutions that will allow governments to coordinate among agencies and stakeholders at all levels and to prioritize climate risks in planning and policymaking processes.
  • Sustained financial, human, ecological, and social resources at every level and over time.
  • R&D and tools (e.g. hazard/vulnerability mapping) to assess climate risks and vulnerabilities, improve on adaptation planning and facilitate decision making.

In the long-term, we must realise that addressing climate change is no simple task. To protect ourselves, our economy, and our land from its adverse we must ultimately dramatically reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. In addition, we must be ready to adapt our socio-economic activities to increasing changes in climatic conditions. In general, therefore, any comprehensive strategy for addressing climate change must include both mitigation and adaptation.

Tackling climate change to galvanize its opportunities for sustainable development in the country requires an improved level of political will and commitment; demonstrably in terms of improved funding and strengthened capacity, as well as improved understanding of issues through in-depth research and analysis. Nigeria needs to put in place a well-formulated, and legally binding strategic approach to guide a coherent national response to climate change to reduce its vulnerability and increase its resilience to this enigma.

In the final analysis, stopping climate change is up to us. Our actions today will determine the climate of tomorrow. By choosing to take action now we limit the future damage. The alternative is an environmental, economic and humanitarian catastrophe of our own making. With the commitment reflected in the inaugural speech of President Mohammadu Buhari, Nigeria may be more than ready to make relevant contributions for the common goods of the humankind and the protection of the climate system to which we owe our existence in general. Government, of course needs the active support of individuals, non-governmental organizations and the private sector operators to enhance the state institutional and financial capacities imperative to effectively address the challenge of climate change in the State. Together the battle against climate change impact can be won.

By Prof. Emmanuel Oladipo (Climate Change Specialist and Adjunct Professor, Department of Geography, University of Lagos, Nigeria. Email: olukayode_oladipo@yahoo.co.uk)

Youth groups confront Muhammadu Buhari on climate change

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Youth groups confront Muhammadu Buhari on climate change

As Muhammadu Buhari takes over as President, Nigerians may have been given a new opportunity for change and transformational leadership in the fight against climate change.

President Muhammadu Buhari. Photo credit: informationng.com
President Muhammadu Buhari. Photo credit: informationng.com

“Climate change remains one of the biggest challenge facing the world today, from storms in America to heat waves in India and recalling the 2012 floods in Nigeria that eroded the small gains in development and democracy. We are reminded of need for leadership and the required but urgent and rigorous action on climate change,” said Esther Agbarakwe, co-founder, Nigeria Youth Coalition (AYICC).

“When it comes to climate change, people generally look towards experts for solutions forgetting to engage us, young people. As young Nigerians we are more disproportionately affected by the impact of climate change more than any generation and we will not watch as our future is risked by the inactions of our past leaders,” said Hamzat Lawal, communications officer, Africa Youth Initiative.

He added: “We commend President Muhammadu Buhari for making climate change one of his top policy actions and we express hope that the leadership we lacked in the years past will be demonstrated especially now as we transits from Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals and the new Climate Change Agreement to be decided in Paris during the Conference of parties (COP 21) later this year.

“We call on the President to focus on investing more in renewable energy which can create millions of job for young people and support local efforts in bridging the intergenerational gap in climate leadership. We also ask the President to give young people a voice in climate decision making at all levels.”

“As young people are working under the umbrella of the Nigeria Youth Climate Coalition (NYCC) and the African Youth Initiative on Climate change (AYICC) to empower each other through peer education, policy advocacy and social media awareness campaign such as #ClimateWednesday,” Esther confirmed. “We are hopeful that Nigeria will take her leadership place in the regional and international agenda in the fight against climate change and we are ready to support and hold the government accountable.”

Africa’s pledge to end open defecation by 2030 lauded

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Africa’s pledge to end open defecation by 2030 lauded

WaterAid has welcomed the pledges of African leaders to eliminate inequalities and end open defecation in their countries by 2030, and to work towards giving every person access to safe sanitation and good hygiene.

The AfricaSan 4 conference. Photo credit: Javier Acebal/WSSC
The AfricaSan 4 conference. Photo credit: Javier Acebal/WSSC

Recognising that poor sanitation in Africa undermines the continent’s social and economic development and has serious health impacts on the population, including diarrhoea, African ministers responsible for sanitation and hygiene have committed to universal access by signing the Ngor Declaration on sanitation and hygiene.

The declaration closes AfricaSan 4, a conference of African governments, civil society and development partners from 25-27 May in Dakar. The event was inaugurated by the president of Senegal.

Ngor – meaning ‘dignity’ in Wolof, the Senegalese national language – is an ambitious declaration highlighting the commitment of African countries to put the elimination of open defecation among their top priorities, and advance towards the aspirations of the Sustainable Development Goals to reach everyone, everywhere with clean water and basic sanitation by 2030.

The Ngor declaration also emphasises the importance of eliminating inequalities, which will require redoubled efforts to reach the poorest, those living in slums or remote rural areas and other marginalised groups. Sanitation is to be understood as a service, rather than simply infrastructure – including work to change behaviours as well as the safe management of faecal sludge, a pressing issue especially in informal urban settlements.

These commitments, if followed up and monitored, will ensure the protection of dignity and health of everyone in Africa.

Mariame Dem, Head of West Africa for WaterAid, said: “We are glad to see this commitment from African leaders to re-evaluate priorities and fast-track progress on sanitation, to eliminate open defecation and bring better health and dignity to their citizens. These are ambitious commitments; with political will and financing, they are achievable.

“Every man, woman and child in the world deserves the dignity of a safe, hygienic toilet. Yet nearly 650 million sub-Saharan Africans are still without access to basic sanitation. We know that ambitious commitments alone are not enough. Leaders need to deliver on their promises.”

The timing of the Ngor declaration is critical. Poor sanitation in Africa undermines the continent’s social and economic development. It also carries serious health impacts. Diarrhoea kills 400,000 children in sub-Saharan Africa each year and causes the loss of an estimated 1-2.5% of GDP annually from medical costs and reduced productivity.

While the proportion of people practising open defecation in sub-Saharan Africa decreased by 11% between 1990 and 2012, the actual number of people forced to relieve themselves at roadsides and in fields has actually grown by 33 million, because of the continent’s rapid population growth. WaterAid analysis suggests at current rates of progress, sub-Saharan Africa will not meet even the original Millennium Development Goal on sanitation – to halve the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation – for 150 years.

Dr. Michael Ojo, WaterAid Nigeria’s Country Representative, said: “In Nigeria, the proportion of people practising open defecation between 1990 and 2012 has only decreased by 1%. This figure needs to change and progress must be accelerated if the country is to experience real development.

“Universal access means ensuring everyone everywhere has access to a safe, hygienic toilet at home, at school, in health centres and in other public places. This is the only way we can have a fighting chance of eliminating open defecation.

“The Ngor declaration is another promise we must hold our leaders accountable for but it is also one we all must take responsibility for making a happen.”

Less than four months remain before United Nations member states finalise new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to end extreme poverty and will guide the path of development for the next 15 years. WaterAid is campaigning for a dedicated SDG on water and sanitation, and inclusion of water, sanitation and hygiene into goals, targets and indicators.

WaterAid has unveiled a redesigned WASHWatch reporting system to track African nations’ commitments to bringing water and sanitation to their citizens. It shows that 53.3 million Africans must be reached each year for the next 15 years if we are to reach everyone with basic sanitation by 2030. The map also shows that although 0.5 million people are currently gaining access to basic sanitation in Nigeria every year, this will need to increase by an extra 12 million people to reach everyone by 2030.

Amid deadly India heat waves, group charges Bonn climate talks

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Amid deadly India heat waves, group charges Bonn climate talks

Governments meeting in Bonn, Germany, for the next two weeks to search for a  sustainable solution to the global problem of climate change, will do so against the backdrop of the latest devastating climate phenomenon with India experiencing unprecedented heat waves that have killed more than 1,000 people already.

Men sleeping on concrete road dividers during a heat wave in Delhi, India. Photo credit: cnn.com
Men sleeping on concrete road dividers during a heat wave in Delhi, India. Photo credit: cnn.com

Global humanitarian and advocacy network ACT Alliance said that India’s heat wave alongside the increase in climate related disasters across the world in the last few years shows the urgent need for governments to agree to a global climate agreement that will support people already impacted today.

The UN climate talks, which are underway from 1-11 June, will see parties revising the draft climate agreement text, to move the negotiations forward for a final agreement to be signed in December this year when ministers meet in Paris.

ACT Alliance said that while the draft text is long and full of varying proposals from different governments, it includes many good proposals, such as commitments to scale up new and additional climate finance and to address the effects of loss and damage.

“If the best parts are picked out, we will get an agreement that can promote a global transformation towards green, low carbon and resilient future,” said Mattias Söderberg, head of the ACT Alliance delegation in Bonn. “Such an agreement would save lives, decrease the risk for conflicts, and support sustainable development and growth.”

While governments agree that there is need for climate action, conflict remains as to how to move forward, with a real risk of some of the most critical elements being lost from the agreement, Söderberg said.

“The key questions include who will contribute with the necessary climate finance? How will efforts and responsibilities be shared? And, which challenges should be addressed through the Paris agreement? Parties are far apart, with different priorities.”

ACT Alliance Global Climate Ambassador Archbishop Thabo Cecil Makgoba, Head of Anglican Church in South Africa, agreed: “There is a great risk that the text will be watered down. Many of the good proposals are also controversial, and they may be cut out to enable agreement based on consensus. For people who are already being affected by climate change, it is crucial that the ambition isn’t cut out. We need climate action, and we call on governments to consider how their decisions affect those who are most vulnerable to climate change. We desperately hope that governments will do the needful by agreeing to elements that will enhance climate action.”

In the months to come governments are expected to present their national climate targets, with a few countries such as the EU, USA, Russia and Mexico having already made their pledges, which Söderberg said were far from what is needed.

“In light of the recent pledges the need for a global agreement becomes clear. National commitments are far from enough, compared to the recommendations by science. Thus there is a need for global initiatives to pull the ambit i on up.”

Government tasked on illicit tobacco trade

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Government tasked on illicit tobacco trade

For tobacco control measures to be effective , the Federal Government must take pro-active measures to tackle the inflow of illicit tobacco products into the country, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), has said.

ERA/FoEN Director of Corporate Accountability Campaigns, Akinbode Oluwafemi
ERA/FoEN Director of Corporate Accountability Campaigns, Akinbode Oluwafemi

In a statement released to mark this year’s World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), the group stated that the Tobacco Control  Law recently signed by former president, Goodluck Jonathan, can only be effective if high taxes are imposed on tobacco products and effective actions  taken to  end the availability of cheap products through smuggling.

With this year’s theme of  “Stop Illicit Trade In Tobacco”,  the World Health Organisation (WHO) submitted, “Eliminating the illicit trade in tobacco would generate an annual tax windfall of US$ 31 billion for governments, improve public health, help cut crime and curb an important revenue source for the tobacco industry.

The ERA/FoEN Director of Corporate Accountability Campaigns, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said, “Now that Nigeria has a tobacco control law, government must plug every hole that could undermine its effectiveness. A very big hole is the
smuggling of tobacco products through our very porous borders.

“A worrying trend that government however, needs to know is that the big tobacco companies use smuggling as market penetration tool. They are therefore never to be treated as ally in the fight to end smuggling. They have at several times used smuggling arguments  to scare government from imposing appropriate taxes on cigarette products. We do expect the new government not to succumb to  their cheap blackmail. This government will do public health and the economy a lot of good  by raising taxes on tobacco products and prosecuting whoever engages in tobacco smuggling.

ERA/FoEN lamented that more and more unregulated tobacco products like Shisha now flood the Nigerian market and called on government to immediately begging nationwide implementation of the National Tobacco Control Law. The group emphasised that, as the Federal Government begins to “take steps to implement proven measures to reduce tobacco use, it  can further increase the impact of  the law by taking action to crack down on illicit trade and neutralise the tobacco industry’s ability to use illicit trade as an argument to stop progress.”

“We must take every step necessary to ensure that our populace is prevented from the harms caused by tobacco which is estimated at six million lives every year. Government must ensure that all arteries to cheap tobacco products
are blocked.

“We are also using the occasion to call on the Fedreal Government to ratify the World Health Organisation- Framwork Convention on Tobacco Products (FCTC) Protocol for the to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products,”
Akinbode added.

Menstrual hygiene and safe water access challenges

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Menstrual hygiene and safe water access challenges

Menstrual Hygiene Day, 28 May, is a day to celebrate women, a day to talk about periods, and a day to think about the billions of women in the world without a toilet and the millions without access to safe water, as well as the impact this has on menstrual hygiene.

menstrual-hygieneThe widespread lack of access to toilets and water in the world has a devastating impact on girls and women. One in three women do not have access to a toilet during their periods; having to find a safe place to go to the toilet in the open is undignified and risky.

Stigma about menstruation means women do not seek the help and information they need, while the lack of hygiene facilities in schools isa major reason for young girls dropping out of education when they reach puberty. UNESCO estimates one in 10 African girls miss school during their periods, leading to a higher dropout rate.

In developing countries like Nigeria, many women do not have access to sanitary products to manage their menstrual hygiene and have to use items like rags, newspaper or leaves instead.

Barbara Frost, WaterAid’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Every day, 800 million women have their period, and yet most of us consider it an embarrassing and taboo subject. There are even elaborate euphemisms to avoid saying the word ‘period’.

“Menstruation is an important women’s issue. One in three women around the world do not have access to a toilet during their periods and millions more suffer discrimination because of beliefs that they are ‘contaminated’ or ‘impure’.

“More needs to be done so that every woman and girl has access to water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030.”

Nearly every culture in the world has its own set of myths about periods.

In Nigeria, it is believed that a touch from a menstruating woman will cause milk to curdle, plants to die and a mirror to lose its brightness. In Nepal, the belief that menstrual bleeding makes women ‘impure’ has led many to be banned from entering their own houses or interacting with family members while menstruating. And in the UK, many still believe that swimming during menstruation makes women more prone to attacks by sharks.

Clarisse Baghnyan, Coordinator of WaterAid’s Regional Learning Centre for Sanitation, said: “We continue to call for a drastic shift in our thinking and attitude so that we can bring an end to the stigma that still surrounds menstruation. We must ensure that our girls have decent and separate toilet facilities in schools along with hand-washing facilities otherwise their health is put at risk and they are likely to miss or drop out of school rather than face humiliation because of a lack of privacy.

“It’s time to start talking about this issue. By talking about periods, we can help normalise this natural process and help girls and women live healthier and more dignified lives.”

Last year, WaterAid joined a coalition of organisations including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Save the Children, to declare the first-ever Menstrual Hygiene Day. This year marks the second commemoration of the day.

This year, the UN will finalise the Sustainable Development Goals, guiding the path of development for the next generation with the aim of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030. WaterAid is lobbying for a dedicated goal on water and sanitation and inclusion of water, sanitation and hygiene into goals, targets and indicators on health, education and gender rights. No woman should have to deal with her period without the security and dignity of a safe, private toilet.

WaterAid is part of action/2015, a global movement of 1,200 organisations in 125 countries working to ensure a better future for people and our planet in this transformative year for tackling poverty, inequality and climate change.

Activists laud Jonathan for endorsing tobacco bill

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Activists laud Jonathan for endorsing tobacco bill

The National Tobacco Control Bill Coalition has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for Signing the National Tobacco Control Bill, calling it an extraordinary public health legacy.

DAVOS/SWITZERLAND, 23JAN13 - Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, President of Nigeria speaks during the televised session 'De-risking Africa - Achieving Inclusive Prosperity' at the Annual Meeting 2013 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 23, 2013. Copyright by World Economic Forum swiss-image.ch/Photo Remy Steinegger

In a statement issued Wednesday, May 27 2015, the coalition comprising the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Environmental Rights Action /Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and Nigeria Tobacco Control Coalition (NTCA) also commended members of the 7th National Assembly for fast-tracking the bill process so that it was ready for the President’s assent.

CISLAC Executive Director,  Auwal  Musa Rafsanjani, described the bill’s presidential accent as a remarkable step in efforts to protect the Nigerian people from the dangerous effects of smoking.

“We salute the courage of President Jonathan in signing this bill to law, ignoring overtures by the tobacco industry to frustrate every effort to enact a comprehensive tobacco control legislation in Nigeria.”

Director Corporate Accountability Campaigns, ERA/FoEN, Akinbode Oluwafemi, noted: “Though there is no perfect bill, more work needs to be done in ensuring that every Nigerian is protected from the harmful effects of tobacco. This bill is however providing Nigeria the necessary framework for action both at the local, state and national levels.

“Tobacco is major public health challenge and it is a welcome relief that Nigeria has finally join the league of nations that have taken proactive steps to protect their citizens.”

Project Manager at NTCA, Gbenga Adejuwon, urged government to immediately ignite processes and mechanisms that will ensure effective implementation of the law.

“We want to thank Mr. President for signing the bill into law. The immediate action should be on implementation. We want to see the Ministry of Health rising up to the occasion by leading all stakeholders for effective implementation of the law.”

The National Tobacco Control Law is aimed at regulating the production, sale, marketing and consumption of tobacco products in Nigeria.

The highlights of the law include: ban of smoking in public places, ban of tobacco advertising sponsorship and promotion, ban of sale of cigarette in single sticks, ban of sale of  tobacco products to minors, mandatory warning messages on cigarette packs among others.

The tobacco bill was initially passed in 2011 but was not accented to by President Jonathan.

The bill has all these years received tremendous support from public health advocates and public health professionals.

ActionAid demands action on protection of child’s rights

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ActionAid demands action on protection of child’s rights

ActionAid Nigeria, an anti-poverty agency, has called on the Nigerian government to prioritise protection of every Nigerian child and more concerted efforts at rescuing the Chibok girls.

Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Ojobo Ode Atuluku
Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Ojobo Ode Atuluku

The group, which made this call on the occasion of 2015 Children’s Day  called on the Federal, State and Local Governments in the country to make more commitments towards the protection and guaranteeing the rights of the Nigerian child.

In a statement, the Country Director, Ojobo Ode Atuluku, said, “In the past two years, over 100 students have been killed in different attacks on schools in the North-East, with over 1,000 kidnapped or abducted. 10.5 million Nigerian children of school going age are currently out of school, the highest number in the world. About 60 per cent of those children are girls and most of them live in the north of the country.”

Explaining further the magnitude of the out of school children in Nigeria, Atuluku added that “implication of this is that one out of every three primary school age children is out of school, and roughly one out of four junior secondary school age children is out of school”. This situation is likely to get worse as she explained due to security challenges, which has resulted in numerous children currently having no access to schools in parts of the north, and particularly in the northeast.

The ActionAid Country Director also raised concern that the current quality of education in the country now poses a threat to quality adult life for the Nigerian child, especially those from poor background. “The quality of education has continued on a free fall, and this is evidenced in the performance of students in external exams such as NECO, WAEC and JAMB. Of the 1,692,435 students who sat for the May/June 2014 WAEC examinations only 46.7% passed with five credits.”

School children in Borno State, Nigeria. Photo credit: premiumtimesng.com
School children in Borno State, Nigeria. Photo credit: premiumtimesng.com

Atuluku also expressed concern on the lack of adequate learning infrastructure for the Nigerian child. “As established in recent studies, the country has neglected to invest in relevant infrastructure that would facilitate learning for the Nigerian child. At 4.1% allocation to education in the 2015 federal government budget Nigeria is still lagging far behind the 26% UNESCO minimum budget recommendation for education.

“Providing reliable and comfortable learning environment for children is a rights issue, which is also tied to securing a future for the children”, stated Atuluku who also expressed concern that the schools in the country as at now are understaffed with the ratio of pupils to qualified teachers in primary schools currently standing at 150:1.

Bemoaning the situation in which Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds every day, making the country the second largest contributor to the under–five mortality rate in the world, Atuluku said that “it is an unnegotiable duty of governments from the federal down to local government levels to invest more in maternal and child health care as well as put in place relevant infrastructure at the community levels to guarantee primary health care which would protect children’s right to life and good health. “The Nigerian government needs to ensure the justiciability of the rights of Nigerian child, where government officials who fail to provide and guarantee these rights could be tried and sentenced, if found guilty”, Atuluku stated.

The ActionAid Nigeria boss who called all tiers of government to uphold their obligation to protecting the rights of the child, as Nigerian is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, said that “it is time to move away from rhetorics and governments become more accountable on the protection of the rights of every single Nigerian child.” 

How graft stalled distribution of N9.3b clean cookstoves

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How graft stalled distribution of N9.3b clean cookstoves

The controversy trailing the N9.3 billion contract awarded by the Federal Executive Council for the purchase of clean cookstoves and wonder bags is far from being over as efforts to procure and distribute the stoves are allegedly being frustrated by officials of the Ministry of Environment.

Sample clean cookstoves
Sample clean cookstoves

The contract was awarded to Messrs Integra Renewable Energy Services Limited late last year for the procurement of 750,000 clean cookstoves of various models and 18,000 wonder bags for free distribution to women in the rural areas.

The ministry started with the inauguration of an implementation committee made up of members drawn from development partners, civil societies, media, auditors and procurement officers from the ministry but the committee was disbanded on the order of the minister after three sittings.

Suspecting foul play, a non-governmental organisation, Connected Development (CODE), wrote to the Minister of Environment, Laurentia Mallam, on the strength of the Freedom of Information Act demanding a detailed breakdown of how the N9.3 billion was used and how the stoves and wonder bags would be distributed.

CODE also conducted a stakeholders meeting recently on the clean cook stoves and participants at the meeting were told how efforts to get the ministry to explain to Nigerians when the stoves would be distributed failed to yield result.

The group was able to trace the contract file between the ministry and Messrs Integra Renewable Energy Services Limited and it showed that 15 per cent of the contract sum had been paid to the contractor as mobilisation.

Investigations however revealed that while only 15 per cent of the contract sum was paid to the contractor, records at the ministry showed that about 40 per cent of the contract sum had been paid out.

Following the mobilisation, our checks revealed that the contractor had procured and brought into the Velodrome at the National Stadium over 200,000 pieces of the clean cookstoves including mini LPGs, Stove 80, Envirofit, among others.

The ministry was to follow up on the issuance of waiver to the company for the procurement but this was also terminated and as a result over 500,000 pieces of the stoves are currently being held at one of the ports in Lagos.

The ministry, in its bid to thwart the contract, also wrote to the bank that granted an Advance Payment Guarantee to the company to stop further transaction with the company as it had failed to carry out the contract.

A staff of the bank who pleaded anonymity said: “We were shocked when we saw the letter from the ministry but the contractor was able to bring evidence to the bank of work done so far and certified by officials of the ministry.”

A directorate staff at the accounts department in the ministry who also didn’t want to be mention disclosed that the going on in the ministry regarding the stoves showed clearly that the stoves would never get to the rural women.

“The contractor is subjected to all sorts of abuses and ridicule because he has refused to ‘cooperate’ and if things continue this way, I’m sure they will never be paid,” the source said, “The contractor was asked to bring in a little less number of the stoves than what was contained in the contract but his refusal has pitched him against the minister who has only few days left in the ministry and the permanent secretary who has taken charge of the whole affair.”

Several attempts were made to carry out a national launch of the scheme but none came to pass as a lot of interests ensured that it did not happen, chief among which was that if the scheme was launched in the middle of campaigns the overall meaning or purpose for which it was meant will be defeated.

Various stakeholders have kicked against the scheme saying that free distribution of the stoves would kill the emerging clean cookstove market which painstaking efforts had gone into building over the years.

Effort to reach the contractor was not successful as he was said to have relocated from his office in the Central Business District in Abuja.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Bem Gong, said the minister cannot honour a request for an interview on the issue as she was busy with handover activities.

Gong however said that all inquires, issues or questions regarding the clean cook stoves would be addressed by the ministry in a press release that will be sent out on June 5 to commemorate the World Environment Day.

By Alex Abutu (Daily Trust Newspaper)

Climate change: More resilient agriculture required

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Climate change: More resilient agriculture required

Food Tank and The Lexicon for Sustainability feature farming and resilience through The Food List, a cross-media messaging campaign that provides the vital tools needed for fixing the food system

Agriculture in Africa is rain fed and thus vulnerable to climate change. Photo credit: osundefender.org
Agriculture in Africa is rain fed and thus vulnerable to climate change. Photo credit: osundefender.org

Farmers depend on just a handful of crop varieties, which can be more easily wiped out by pests, diseases, or climate change. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), approximately half of farmland in the United States is planted with corn or soy, accounting for about 150 million acres. This lack of diversity limits farmers’ ability to adapt to changing weather patterns and climate change.

“The question is not whether systems this brittle will break down, but when and how, and whether when they do, we’ll be prepared to treat the whole idea of sustainability as something more than a nice word,” wrote Michael Pollan.

A more resilient agricultural system is needed, especially in the face of climate change

“With 80 million more mouths to feed each year and with increasing demand for grain-intensive livestock products, the rise in temperature only adds to the stress. If we continue with business as usual on the climate front, it is only a matter of time before what we (saw) in Russia becomes commonplace,” said Lester Brown, U.S. environmental analyst, founder of the Worldwatch Institute, and founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute.

Dr. Bianca Moebius-CluneFamily farmers and food revolutionaries are working to create this paradigm shift by restoring ecological resilience in their local communities. Farmers are diversifying their cropping systems and working together on projects to preserve biodiversity in fields and on plates.

According to Dr. Bianca Moebius-Clune, Soil Health Division Director for the U.S. National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), farmers are improving soil’s “ability to take in and hold ‘water in the bank.’ They’re even creating wildlife and pollinator habitat—all while decreasing risks from extreme weather and harvesting better profits and often better yields.”

Here’s how family farmers, food heroes, and organisations around the world are working to create resilient local food systems that are immune to the shocks of climate change and ecological disturbance.

Adapt-N is an interactive tool developed by researchers at Cornell University, designed to help corn growers reduce nitrogen applications based on site-specific recommendations. The website is part of a suite of decision-support tools from Cornell that aim to help farmers mitigate and adapt to climate change in the United States.

DivSeek, an international partnership launched in January of 2015, is working to use big data in order to catalog the physical and genetic information held within international gene banks, and to make it available online. The initiative, involving 69 organizations from 30 countries, enhances the productivity and resilience of global crops by giving breeders and researchers access to information through an online portal.

In the Philippines, Dr. Wilson Cerbito, Assistant Regional Director of the Department of Agriculture, addressed the First Agriculture Summit on May 7, 2015, noting the Philippines is the third most vulnerable country in the world to climate change. The event aimed to outline strategies for improving productivity of rice and root crops through technologies and practices that promote ecological resilience.

Full Belly Farm in California received the California Leopold Conservation Award for its land stewardship and conservation efforts. Judith Redmond, a manager of the farm, demonstrated resilience in the face of extreme drought by changing her crop choices, implementing drip irrigation, and reducing her reliance on groundwater. The creek that usually irrigates her crops ran completely dry last year, but Redmond was still able to irrigate her crops using micro-irrigation.

La Red de Guardianes de Semillas (The Network of Seed Guardians) is preserving rare plant varieties and culturally important seeds in Tumbaco, Ecuador. The community model for seed-saving fosters exchange of cultural knowledge between small farmers, trains growers on permaculture techniques, and works to preserve biodiversity throughout Ecuador. The coupling of cultural heritage and biological heredity in something so small as a seed gets at the heart of the resilience concept; the more biologically and culturally varied a system, the more buffered it is against disturbance.

The Lexicon of Sustainability is spreading the word about agricultural resilience through information artworks and inventive media campaigns. Douglas Gayeton, multimedia artist and founder of the Lexicon of Sustainability, emphasizes, “there are farmers who believe in biodiversity instead of monoculture. Farmers who build soil fertility without depending on chemicals. Farmers who go beyond organic.” By defining terms such as True Cost Accounting, The Lexicon of Sustainability seeks to describe a vision for resilience through engaging stories.

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