The Green Climate Fund and the Government of Barbados have announced that a groundbreaking project that leverages an innovative financing model to scale up climate action and simultaneously avoid increasing the burden of public debt is all set to begin implementation.
Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, delivering a speech to the World Leaders Summit at COP26 in Glasgow
The pioneering project, with huge positive implications for climate resilience in the region, was on Friday, March 14, 2025, greenlighted for its first injection of GCF finance.
This investment will reduce water loss, improve sewage management, reduce marine and groundwater pollution, protect the quality of marine ecosystems, nearshore reefs, and groundwater resources and safeguard public health.
Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, said: “In the face of the climate crisis, this groundbreaking transaction serves as a model for vulnerable states, delivering rapid adaptation benefits for Barbados. With upfront funding from the Green Climate Fund and Inter-American Development Bank, together with support from other valuable partners, we are building a state-of-the-art facility to boost water management, food security, and resilience – showcasing how innovation and cooperation drive environmental and fiscal gains.”
GCF Executive Director, Mafalda Duarte, said: “Today is a milestone moment that clearly signals Barbados’ regional and global leadership in innovative and effective climate action. This first-of-its-kind project will strengthen food, energy and water security for vulnerable communities without adding further public debt.”
Under the leadership of the Government of Barbados, the south coast sewage treatment plant will be upgraded into a crucial water reclamation facility for the region. The facility will produce water suitable for agricultural irrigation and groundwater recharge.
The pressing need for more climate-resilient infrastructure was painfully highlighted during last year’s 2024 hurricane season, one of the costliest ever. Hurricane Beryl devastated communities, particularly along the country’s south and southwest coasts. By 2050, climate-related disasters are projected to cost the Caribbean region $22 billion per year- roughly 10% of current GDP.
The Conservator of Park at Okomu National Park in Edo State, Lawrence Osaze, says the partnership with the Africa Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation has helped in reducing illegal activities at the park.
Okomu National Park
Osaze made the assertion on Saturday, March 15, 2025, while speaking with journalists after a tour of facilities at the park situated in Okomu, Ovia South-West Local Government Area of Edo.
According to him, the collaboration has significantly curtailed illegal logging, poaching, and other harmful practices, thereby making the park more secure.
“The park is relatively peaceful, and logging activities are at the barest minimum.”
The Osaze noted that when he took over as conservator in Nov. 2022, illegal logging was a major challenge, adding that ANI’s intervention, including ranger training and recruitment, had improved security.
He said that the foundation had played a vital role in hiring volunteer rangers to support the National Park Service.
“We joined forces together, and the story today is entirely different,” Osaze told journalists.
Beyond security, he said the focus was now on community education, enlightenment, and empowerment.
“ANI Foundation is driving initiatives to provide alternative livelihoods for communities surrounding the park.
“We have had series of engagements with communities to gain their support. We are working to ensure they do not rely solely on forest resources for survival,” he explained.
He said that the foundation was invited to the partnership due to its success in the Gashaka Gumti National Park in Taraba and Adamawa states.
Peter Abanyam, ANI Foundation’s Project Manager for Okomu, highlighted the park’s biodiversity, calling it a “hotspot” for species like the endangered African Forest Elephant and White-Throated Monkey.
“Okomu is the primary home of the White-Throated Monkey.
“Aside from a small population in southwestern Nigeria, this park is where you find them in the world,” Abanyam disclosed.
According to him, the foundation’s goal is to make Africa’s wildlife a source of pride, proving that conservation can be sustainable and beneficial to local communities through private sector investment.
He said the foundation supported park protection, community engagement, and youth recruitment into the National Park Service.
He added that it also connected donors to development initiatives for communities near conservation areas.
Earlier at the palace of the Iyase of Udo, Patrick Igbinidu, the traditional chief, pledged the continued support of the host community to the foundation and the national park.
He lauded the commitment of the partners to develop the area and empower the people through savings and loan initiatives.
In honour of women in conservation, the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI) Foundation friend of the month is Greta Francesca Iori, a trailblazing Ethiopian-Italian international adviser, conservation expert, and accredited conflict mediator. With a career dedicated to protecting Africa’s wildlife and strengthening global conservation efforts, she has worked at the highest levels alongside African governments and international organisations.
As Director of Programmes for the Elephant Protection Initiative from 2014 to 2024, she playeda pivotal role in expanding its membership from just five to 26 nations. In this feature, EPI explores Greta’s remarkable journey, her tireless advocacy for women in the environmental sector, and the impact of her work on conservation worldwide
Greta F. Iori speaking at the EarthRanger User Conference in South Africa in 2023
Please share with our audience a brief introduction of the work you currently do.
At my core, I am a conservation social scientist and strategist, systems and conflict dialogue facilitator, and advocate for socio-environmental justice. As a mixed-race African, my work is deeply rooted in the complex and interwoven stories of coexistence with nature, stories of belonging, sovereignty, ancestry, wildlife, land, and water. My work spans wildlife conservation advisory, policy influence and reform, storytelling, and bridging solutions at the intersection of organised crime, gender equity, human-wildlife coexistence, sustainable development, and climate resilience.
I am passionately committed to dismantling outdated conservation models and challenging traditional power structures, particularly across Africa. I advocate for locally led solutions that honour and restore the balance between people, nature, and spirit. Above all, I believe that meaningful change requires us to embrace the complexity, duality, and nuances of our time to successfully find tangible, sustainable solutions to the environmental and social crises we face today.
Are there some experiences in your upbringing that inspired your passion and dedication to the protection of elephants and the communities that live close to them?
By birth, I am a walking paradox. Italy’s failed attempt to colonise Ethiopia is a defining chapter of history, and yet here I stand, born of love between two nations that are rich, complex, and deeply different. This duality shaped me from an early age, giving me an intimate understanding of privilege, how power is distributed, who is heard, and who is left at the margins. It taught me to embrace contradiction, to sit in the grey areas, and to see beyond simplistic narratives.
Recognising privilege when it comes to elephants and wildlife means understanding that these aren’t just conservation challenges, they are human ones, too, deeply rooted in history, inequity, and the ongoing struggle for dignity and basic rights. My work has always been about listening, seeing the unseen, and ensuring that both people and wildlife are part of the same story, not competing narratives crafted to serve the interests of a select few.
I often say I didn’t choose elephants; elephants chose me. I never set out to focus on a single species, but I quickly realised that these powerful, charismatic beings could command the attention of those in power. In doing so, they became an entry point, an undeniable force that allowed us to highlight the broader systems, species, and communities whose survival is intrinsically tied to theirs. It made perfect sense: protecting elephants was never just about elephants. It was about shifting mindsets, challenging power structures, recognising the importance of what’s beneath the surface, and advocating for coexistence for all beings in the truest sense.
Tell us more about your passion for women empowerment and development, segueing into the formation of Women for Environment Africa.
My passion for women’s empowerment is deeply personal, rooted in my own upbringing. I was raised by an incredibly strong, inspiring mother and a lineage of women who shaped my understanding of integrity, resilience, leadership, and the quiet power of collective care and respect. Growing up across cultures, I saw firsthand how women are the backbone of families, communities, and environmental stewardship, yet too often, their roles are overlooked, their leadership dismissed, ideas stolen, or they are forced into structures never designed to empower them.
Becoming a WE Africa fellow was a turning point; it was where I found my environmental community backbone. WE is more than a network; it’s a movement of sisters redefining leadership on our own terms. We co-create a space where African women conservation leaders uplift one another, expand rooms we are told we don’t belong in, and challenge the status quo rather than upholding dysfunctional systems. We lead with love and authenticity, with well-being at our core, and strive for the equilibrium we see all around us in Mother Nature, rather than exploitation that has been normalised for so long. When women are empowered, we don’t just thrive, we heal everything around us. And that is exactly what we are doing.
You are an influential thought leader in the conservation sector, engaging in international policy formulation. Is there a time when you have been the only woman in the room? If so, what are the mindset shifts women need to make in these rooms to get their agendas implemented?
Like so many women, I have often been the only woman in the room—sometimes the youngest, the only African, or the only one willing to challenge uncomfortable truths. And in those moments, I’ve learnt that our greatest power isn’t in fitting in but in showing up fully as ourselves. In the urgency of our times, silence is not an option. The crises we face demand bold, unwavering values, and that means stepping into these spaces with the conviction that we do not need permission to make the world more just—we demand it. As the saying goes, “Speak up, even if your voice shakes.”
And as my dear friend, mentor, and former Nigerian Minister of Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, once said, we are not fighting with men – we are catching up as women and stepping into the spaces we rightfully deserve. So, we must continue to take up space unapologetically, dismantle broken systems, and refuse to see a seat at the table as the final goal, because we are here to transform the entire room.
Are there women who vividly remember supporting you as you rose in the conservation space? These could be peers, mentors, colleagues, etc.
So many incredible environmental champions have shaped my journey; Prof. Wangari Maathai, Dr. Winnie Kiiru, Dr. Leela Hazzah, Dr. Coleen Begg, Dr. Cynthia Moss, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Nemonte Nenquimo, Berta Cáceres; and countless other colleagues and peers. Their wisdom, leadership, and unwavering dedication to conservation have profoundly influenced me, teaching me what it means to lead with purpose, courage, and in true community. They have fought, and continue to fight, not just for nature, but for justice, equality, and the right to protect what is sacred.
But in my early days, the women who shaped me most weren’t household names, nor were they the stereotypical “conservationists.” They were the women of Addis and rural Ethiopia, the ones who made me feel safe, who welcomed me into offices that didn’t want me there, who nourished and fed me in the field, who helped me find water when I needed it, and who took me in when I needed a quiet place to rest instead of camping along dangerously loud and remote roads. Their boundless kindness, generosity, and care, offered without hesitation, are why I am the woman I am today.
With growing human populations and an increased strain on natural resources, are you optimistic that we can find lasting solutions to mitigate or even reduce conflict between elephants and people in Africa?
Absolutely. I believe in the solutions we already have, we just need the courage, governance, and accountability to implement them at scale. People and elephants have coexisted for centuries; conflict arises when systems and leadership fail both. If we move beyond short-term fixes and commit to long-term, justice-driven solutions that respect both human and elephant needs, coexistence is not only possible, it’s inevitable. The key lies in addressing poverty, inequity, and land-use conflicts, fostering true balance, and rethinking conservation so that it serves communities as much as it protects wildlife.
But we cannot talk about conservation without addressing the root causes of environmental destruction. We need to rein in boundless consumerism, our planet’s resources are finite, yet far too much is being consumed by a very small group of people. Extractivism, unchecked greed, and overconsumption are driving biodiversity loss and deepening global inequality. True change means confronting these realities and shifting towards systems that prioritise regeneration, fairness, and sustainability. We are not separate from nature; we are a part of it.
And those who feel distant from these issues must recognise that their choices, where they put their money, the leaders they support or fail to challenge, and how they use their voice, have real consequences. I remain hopeful because everywhere I go, I see resilience, innovation, and a deep, growing commitment to change. The shift is happening, we just need to keep pushing it forward.
Inspired by your remarkable journey, what would you tell a young woman looking to work in conservation?
To anyone looking to work in conservation, remember, you already belong. For far too long, conservation has been treated as an exclusive space, but the truth is, we are all part of nature, and protecting it is not a privilege, it is our birthright and responsibility. There are so many ways to contribute; it’s just about finding the way that expands your heart the most. You don’t need a title or permission to make a difference. Every action, every voice, every act of care for the earth matters in whichever way you see fit. Find your community, stand firm in your values, believe in your voice, and never let anyone make you feel like you don’t belong in the fight to protect the very foundation of all life. Because you do. We all do.
The Norwegian Church Aid and Dan Church Aid joint programme in Malawi has announced that it will incorporate climate and environmental stewardship into its new five-year strategy.
Jensen (second left) with the new strategy with other officials
The initiative expands upon the organisation’s work in humanitarian response, inequality reduction, and gender-based violence prevention.
“The new thematic area we have launched today, which we will be building upon over the next five years, is climate and environmental stewardship,” said Stephan Jensen, country director for NCA-DCA Malawi, on Friday, March 14, 2025.
Jensen identified environmental degradation as a critical gap in their previous strategic approach, both globally and specifically within Malawi.
The programme will collaborate with faith-based leaders and civil society organisations to promote sustainable environmental practices, including tree planting and new concepts around greening and climate change mitigation.
“It will be an exciting journey for us as we expand our work in this new thematic area,” Jensen said.
Deputy Minister of Gender and Social Welfare, Halima Daudi, welcomed the strategy, noting the government’s satisfaction with previous NCA-DCA initiatives.
“In the previous strategy, as a country, we benefitted a lot because it was targeting the vulnerable people in our rural areas, especially in times of shocks like Cyclone Freddy,” Daudi said.
“With the coming of the new strategy, we know that we are also going to benefit a lot.”
The new focus aims to integrate environmental concerns into the organisation’s broader mission of social transformation throughout Malawi.
I write this from a point of pain and gratitude. Pain because of the death of a hardworking and honest man, Rotimi Olaleye, who is both a great father, as attested to by his children who he has been taking care of single handedly since his wife died about five years ago, and an honest and diligent auto mechanic, as confirmed by his clients, including yours truly. We met less than a week before his death, but he left an unforgettable impression on me, even in death.
Dotun Oladipo (left) and late Rotimi Olaleye
Gratitude? I was less than 10 seconds away from where Mr. Olaleye was when the fire that took his life occurred with my wife and first child.
Let me start from the beginning. I met Mr. Olaleye on March 8, 2025, following a need to change my mechanic. I was introduced to him by the best car air conditioning technician I had ever met, Mr. Akinola Ayeni. We drove the car together on that day. He spotted some issues, including the fact that the former handler was as careless as not putting the knots that should be holding the connecting ABS wire to the wheel of the driver’s side, by just driving the car. That was quickly fixed. And he told me, very honestly, that other things had to wait until Monday. That he needed to finish some other jobs. I left happily.
On Monday, I took the car to him. He appeared meticulous. Despite the fact that I told him that on completing the work on the Highlander, which my wife uses, I was going to send in my own car for servicing, he was not in a hurry to declare the vehicle fit.
On Tuesday morning, the first accident occurred on Otedola Bridge. My wife had to return home. By the way, we live in one of the most organised estates around OPIC in Ogun State. Before she returned, Mr. Olaleye had told me to stay in coming to meet him as he had already spent three hours from Mowe in Ogun State and was yet to get to Berger in Lagos State, a journey of less than 30 minutes. From that time on, he kept briefing me on developments until 6pm when he told me he was now satisfied with the car.
I immediately asked him if I could head in his direction. The answer was a no. He wanted to get the car washed. I told him I would take it to the car wash the following day. He said even if I do, it should still be washed. I gave up arguing.
Then at 7pm, Mr. Olaleye told me the washing had been completed by his apprentices. I called my wife, Mrs. Taiwo Oladipo, that it was time to go home. By the way, we have our offices in the same building. By the time she came downstairs to meet me, I discovered that my first daughter, Ewaoluwa, a 500 Level student of Chemical Engineering, who had requested to follow us home, was yet to leave her friend’s house. So we waited for her. For a few minutes.
When we eventually set out, we discovered we needed to buy drinking water for the house. Mrs. Oladipo and Miss Oladipo said we should buy it close to the office in Ogba area of Lagos State because each bottle was N400 cheaper than what we would get close to the house. That would save us some cool N2,000. I said no, Mr. Olaleye was waiting for us. As I zoomed past the supermarket on the way, my wife said let’s buy the water. I stopped. Reversed. We spent about 10 minutes doing that.
Then we meandered our way through the New Afrika Shrine area onto the Opay building, less than two minutes to where Mr. Olaleye was waiting for us. He said he was already by the gate of the mechanic village, which was to the right of Otedola Bridge, underneath. So I told him emphatically in Yoruba: “E maa ri wa ni iseju kan (You will see us in one minute).”
As we descended the bridge and approached the divider that separated those heading towards the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and those going to CMD Road, just about 10 seconds to where Mr. Olaleye had already parked both his car and my wife’s, Mrs. Oladipo was the first to notice a truck that had obviously lost control.
Instinct immediately set in and I changed course towards CMD Road. And in split seconds, the truck crashed, the seal of the tanker burst open and the sky became blue, an indication that the truck was bearing gas. Between the seconds when we saw the truck and when the seal opened, I had dialled the last number on the dashboard of the car, which was that of Mr. Akin. It was ringing when the explosion occurred. And then followed the massive fire.
I was annoyingly slow for some people behind me. One woman came out of her car and started banging ours: “Move, move.” She did it a second time and I wound down the back glass, addressing her and my wife who had also become agitated: “We have a man down there. Let’s see if there is still something we can do before we go too far.” And then his line stopped ringing.
My head immediately told me to call Mr. Ayeni. As soon as he picked it up, he asked me: “Have you collected your car? Rotimi has parked by the gate and is waiting for you.” He did not even hear me saying there was trouble at the workshop until I shouted at the top of my voice. Mr. Ayeni, who was at Agidingbi, immediately turned back. He, alongside others, discovered the remains of Mr. Olaleye, lying face down. His apprentices who were with him said as the truck crashed, he told them to flee that he needed to “save his customer’s car”. Meanwhile, his own car was just behind mine. He succeeded in turning the car around to face the workshop. But that was as far as he made it. I cried that night. Something I have not done in several years. I wept bitterly.
In the short period I knew Mr. Olaleye, I learnt a lot of lessons. He left an impact I would never forget. But it was a pity he didn’t pick my last call, which was to tell him to abandon the car and flee to safety. His meticulousness on the job was second to none from what I saw in the three days of being with him. He also knew his job. Adieu Mr. Olaleye.
I was informed as I was ending this piece that a staff of Zenith Bank Plc and his wife died in the accident. The husband was said to have just resumed from his annual vacation that day. He had just picked his wife and they were heading home when they were caught in the explosion. May their souls and those of others I do not know involved in the accident rest in peace.
To the Lagos State Government, bravo. The response by the emergency responders was swift. However, it was not enough. Only one fire truck arrived after 15 or 20 minutes of the fire. After it exhausted its water, it took another 15 or 20 minutes for another to arrive. By the time Mr. Ayeni and others reached where Mr. Olaleye was, he was still breathing. But help did not reach him on time. But beyond that, the team did well. Despite the damages and the danger of dealing with a gas explosion, the scene was cleared well under 18 hours.
To the company that owns the truck that lost its brake and ended up ending no fewer than five lives and consuming properties that included cars and buildings, Second Coming Gas Company, I am torn between knocking them and giving them kudos. This was because of their response to the victims who were admitted in the hospital. The following day, the management staff had reached out to those in the hospital and met with the executives of the technicians association affected. They were making plans, like some of us are doing, to reach out to the children of Mr. Olaleye. I was told their mum died about five years ago. And the company is in discussion with the technicians on how to alleviate their losses.
But they could have done better. That truck was faulty as those who passed by it on CMD Road before it crashed noticed. The driver was, obviously, trying to manage it into the station on CMD Road. I imagine if it was into the station, which had drinking bars and other joints around it, the truck crashed.
I also pity Lagosians who have to pay N15,000 for third party insurance but get no benefit when the accident involves fire as a representative of Nicon Insurance Limited said. It amounts to gifting the company money for rendering limited services.
To the Federal Road Safety Corps and Lagos State Traffic Emergency Management Agency, you still have a long way to go. It appears the traffic laws in Lagos are meant more for private vehicle owners. Whereas we know that most infractions are committed by commercial vehicle owners, including the trucks that bear inflammable and heavy materials. When these agencies exercise their mandates fully, it is then those with warped minds will come to the realisation it is drivers who have no regard for lives and properties that are the cause of accidents on the Otedola and Kara bridges.
Dotun Oladipo is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Premium Eagle Media Limited, publishers of Eagle Online
According to an analysis by WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 127,350 measles cases were reported in the European Region for 2024, double the number of cases reported for 2023 and the highest number since 1997.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organisation (WHO)
Children under 5 accounted for more than 40% of reported cases in the Region – comprising 53 countries in Europe and central Asia. More than half of the reported cases required hospitalisation. A total of 38 deaths have been reported, based on preliminary data received as of March 6, 2025.
Measles cases in the Region have generally been declining since 1997, when some 216,000 were reported, reaching a low of 4,440 cases in 2016. However, a resurgence was seen in 2018 and 2019 – with 89,000 and 106,000 cases reported for the two years respectively. Following a backsliding in immunisation coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases rose significantly again in 2023 and 2024. Vaccination rates in many countries are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, increasing the risk of outbreaks.
“Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call. Without high vaccination rates, there is no health security. As we shape our new regional health strategy for Europe and central Asia, we cannot afford to lose ground. Every country must step up efforts to reach under-vaccinated communities,” warned Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “The measles virus never rests – and neither can we.”
The European Region accounted for a third of all measles cases globally in 2024. In 2023 alone, 500,000 children across the Region missed the first dose of the measles vaccine (MCV1) that should be given through routine immunisation services.
“Measles cases across Europe and central Asia have soared over the past two years – pointing to gaps in immunisation coverage,” said Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. “To protect children from this deadly and debilitating disease, we need urgent government action including sustained investment in health-care workers.”
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses affecting people. As well as hospitalisation and death caused by complications including pneumonia, encephalitis, diarrhoea and dehydration, measles can cause long-term, debilitating health complications such as blindness. It can also damage the immune system by “erasing” its memory of how to fight infections, leaving measles survivors vulnerable to other diseases. Vaccination is the best line of defence against the virus.
Less than 80% of eligible children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Romania were vaccinated with MCV1 in 2023 – far below the 95% coverage rate required to retain herd immunity. In both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro the coverage rate for MCV1 has remained below 70% and 50% respectively for the past five or more years.
Romania reported the highest number of cases in the Region for 2024, with 30,692 cases, followed by Kazakhstan with 28,147 cases.
Measles remains a significant global threat. In 2024, 359,521 cases of measles were reported worldwide. Transmission of the virus across borders and continents occurs regularly, and outbreaks of this highly infectious disease will occur wherever the virus finds pockets of un- or under-vaccinated people, particularly children.
UNICEF and WHO are working together with governments, and with the support of partners including the European Union and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to prevent and respond to measles outbreaks – by engaging with communities, training health-care workers, strengthening immunisation programmes and disease surveillance systems, and initiating measles immunisation catch-up campaigns.
UNICEF and WHO are calling for governments with active outbreaks to urgently intensify case finding and contact tracing and conduct emergency vaccination campaigns. It is imperative that countries analyse the root causes of outbreaks, address weaknesses in their health systems, and strategically utilise epidemiological data to identify and close coverage gaps. Reaching hesitant parents and marginalised communities and tackling inequitable access to vaccines must be central to all efforts.
Countries that do not have current measles outbreaks should be prepared, including through identifying and addressing gaps in immunity, building and sustaining public trust in vaccines and maintaining strong health systems.
Troops of Operation Delta Safe have continued to sustain the fight against activities of crude oil thieves in the Niger Delta, destroying 56 illegal refining sites in one week.
Illegal refining activities in the Niger Delta
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, disclosed this in the weekly report of the ongoing military operations across the area, in Abuja on Friday, March 14, 2025.
Kangye said the troops also recovered 675,266 litres of stolen crude oil, 312,593 litres of illegally refined AGO and 4,500 litres of DPK within one week.
He added that the troops also discovered and destroyed 51 crude oil cooking ovens, 49 dugout pits, 43 boats, 28 storage tanks and 131 drums.
According to him, other items recovered include four pumping machines, four tricycles, three motorcycles, seven mobile phones and eight vehicles.
“Additionally, 31 oil thieves and other criminals were arrested, 103 assorted arms and ammunition as well as three extra magazines were also recovered among others,” he said.
Kangye said the troops had between March 5 and March 10, apprehended 11 suspected criminals and rescued four kidnapped victims in Bakassi and Onelga Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Cross River and Rivers States, as well as Warri South, Sapele Uvwie and Ughelli areas of Delta.
He added that the Air Component conducted patrols and air reconnaissance missions over Imo River, Owaza, Ohaji/Egbema and Abacheke general areas, as well as Nembe, Okpokiri, Tomkiri, Brass and Belema axis.
These missions, according to Kangye, aided successes in destruction of illegal refining sites, boats, vehicles and tricycles among other equipment.
An Irish charity organisation, Self Help Africa (SHA) Nigeria, has called for urgent action to increase women’s participation in leadership and decision-making roles within the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector.
Self Help Africa wants women’s voices to be heard in WASH
Joy Aderele, Country Director of the organisation, made this call in a statement to mark the International Women’s Month in Abuja on Friday, March 14, 2025.
According to her, in spite of being primarily responsible for household water collection, sanitation, and hygiene management, women remain underrepresented in leadership and technical roles.
Citing a 2021 UN Water report, Aderele noted that women account for less than 20 per cent of employees in the global water sector, with even lower representation in WASH-related engineering and management positions.
“In Nigeria, where women constitute nearly half of the population, only a small fraction are involved in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and leadership roles.
“This disparity is even more pronounced in WASH-related decision-making, where men largely dominate, despite women being the primary users and managers of WASH services at the household level.”
Aderele pointed to several barriers that limit women’s participation in the sector, including weak gender mainstreaming in national and state WASH policies, economic constraints, and deeply rooted cultural perceptions.
“There are gaps in the mainstreaming of gender in national and state WASH policies, with weak implementation and insufficient enforcement mechanisms.
“Economic constraints, wage gaps, and limited funding opportunities also make it difficult for women to pursue STEM education or the technical training required for leadership roles in WASH.”
The country director noted that beyond policy and financial limitations, societal norms continue to shape perceptions of leadership and technical expertise.
Aderele stated that WASH-related engineering and policymaking are still widely regarded as male-dominated fields, discouraging women from pursuing careers in the sector.
According to her, safety concerns and mobility restrictions further hinder women’s participation in field-based roles.
Aderele, however, stressed that increasing gender diversity in WASH is not just a matter of fairness but an important factor in improving the effectiveness and sustainability of WASH programmes.
“Research shows that when women are involved in decision-making, development initiatives are more inclusive, better maintained, and more responsive to community needs,” she said.
She cited a World Bank report which found that water projects with women in leadership positions were six to seven times more effective than those without.
To close the gender gap in WASH, she called for deliberate and institutionalised action, saying the government must go beyond simply encouraging women’s inclusion in WASH to making it a formal requirement.
“Setting clear targets for women’s representation in decision-making and allocating dedicated funding to support female leadership in the sector are critical steps.”
She also advocated for increased investment in gender-responsive funding mechanisms, including scholarships and grants for women-led WASH initiatives.
She emphasised the need for safe workplaces, mentorship, and advocacy to challenge stereotypes and boost women’s leadership in WASH.
Aderele said SHA Nigeria is actively working to address these challenges through the £5 million WASH Systems for Health (WS4H) programme, funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
“We are actively strengthening women’s leadership in community WASH governance, ensuring their voices are heard in decision-making processes.
“We are strengthening partnerships with organisations like the Network of Female Professionals in WASH (FeminWASH) to amplify women’s voices in the sector.
“In Cross River State, gender inclusion is being prioritised in the review of the Water Supply Policy, and in both Cross River and Kano, we are institutionalising gender-inclusive WASH governance through State and Local Task Groups.”
She emphasised that achieving gender equality in WASH requires collective action from both men and women.
“This Women’s Month serves as a powerful reminder that we must take decisive steps to dismantle systemic barriers and biases. Only then can we create a more equitable world for all.”
Electricity consumers in Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states have decried the hike in tariff amidst epileptic power supply in the country.
Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu
In a survey conducted in the states, some electricity consumers described the hike as exploitative.
They said that improving power supply should be the government’s priority and not tariff hike.
Mr. Sadiq Adewale, a former Vice-President of National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) for South-West, said that the epileptic power situation in the country could be attributed to obsolete power generation and distribution equipment of gencos and discos respectively.
Adewale said that most of the equipment being used by discos needed to be replaced with modern ones to meet the increasing electricity demands by Nigerians
According to him, except those equipment were replaced with modern ones, it would be difficult to guarantee regular power supply across the country.
Adewale also said that the current electricity generating capacity was very low when compared with what was required.
Also, Mr. Abiodun Ogunyomi, a resident of Ile-Ife, said that the poor electricity supply currently being experienced across the country had crippled many businesses.
Ogunyomi said that the hike in electricity tariff amidst poor power was a proof of government’s insensitivity to the plights of the masses.
According to him, the power supply situation in Nigeria is frustrating.
Mr. Dara Olagoke, who resides in Osogbo, said electricity supply in his area, Agunbelewo, was not regular.
Olagoke said that with the current power supply situation in the country, increase in electricity tariff was unjust and uncalled for.
“How do they want the masses to cope?
There isn’t regular electricity supply and yet you increase the tariff. This is unacceptable,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Kikelomo Owoeye, the Senior Communication Officer, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Osun Region, said that many factors were responsible for poor power generation and distribution in the country.
Owoeye said that one of the major factors was the low energy allocation from energy generation companies (gencos).
“We cannot distribute what we do not generate. If there is insufficient power generation, supply to customers will also be limited.
Other challenges, according to her, include grid disturbances, energy theft, illegal connections, meter tampering, vandalism, non-payment of bills (for post-paid customers), and lack of regular vending (for pre-paid customers).
“Maintaining and upgrading electricity infrastructure require adequate funding, which depends on timely payments from customers,” she said.
Owoeye, however, said that IBEDC had been supplying energy to customers on power distribution based on customer band.
“We ensure that power distribution aligns with the assigned customer bands, like Band A: 20 hours, Band B: 16 hours, Band C: 12 hours, Band D: 8 hours, Band E: 4 hours.
“Additionally, we engage in vegetation management and proactive maintenance to enhance reliability of electrical infrastructure,” she said.
A landlord in Ado-Ekiti, Mr. Sunday Ajibade, condemned what he called outrageous monthly bills of N25,000 or more issued to many residents in his area.
Ajibade said that while monthly bills were on the high side, electricity supply had not been of commensurate level.
He said that the Federal Government should no longer condone discos’ requests for increase in tariff without improvement in electricity supply.
Another resident, Mrs. Iyabo Ogundele, a frozen foods seller, said poor power supply had continued to threaten the survival of her business.
Similarly, Mr. Joel Ilesanmi, a barbing salon operator, said the fuel he buys to keep his generator working has posed a serious threat to his business.
According to him, a large percentage of the money made on a daily basis goes into fuel purchase.
He urged government to compel distribution companies to give prepaid meters to all those who applied for them so as to end issues relating to what he called systemic cheating.
Also commenting, a hospitality entrepreneur, Mr. Kehinde Owolabi, said that the current transmission and distribution networks in Nigeria appeared outdated and inefficient, often leading to frequent power outages and voltage fluctuations.
He said that investment in renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, which had become affordable and efficient in foreign countries, should be explored in Nigeria.
“If government can invest in these sources of energy, it will help to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and improve its energy security,” Owolabi said.
He said that the government could also encourage private investments by creating a more favourable regulatory environment and providing financial incentives.
The hospitality expert also blamed consumers for the problem, saying many of them had habits of not conserving energy and failing to turn off lights and appliances, when they were not in use.
Also, Mrs. Abiodun Ibiwoye, who is a trader, said that crazy bills from BEDC had forced her to adopt an alternative energy source, that is, solar, for her soft drink business.
Ibiwoye said that a long-term solution capable of addressing the root problem of affordability and reliable energy access must be applied by government.
A business centre operator, Mr. Solomon Ogunlola, said he had explored energy-efficient appliances to reduce electricity consumption in the face of price hike without regular power supply.
He said that the intention behind the tariff hike might be to ensure the financial viability of the electricity sector, saying its impact on ordinary Nigerians had been overwhelmingly negative.
Ogunlola stressed the urgent need for a more balanced and sustainable approach to energy pricing in the country.
In his contributions, Mr. James Anifowose, a welder, called for revocation of licences of non-performing power distribution companies.
Anifowose said that many times, he often relied on generator to power his machines because the electricity supplied to his street had been consistently poor.
In Akure, Mrs. Kehinde Aruleba, an electricity consumer, said that the proposed strike by Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) would receive great support because Nigerians could no longer cope with persistent increase in electricity tariff, especially when the supply was not guaranteed.
Aruleba, who teaches in Hapa College, Oba-Ile, said that the most affected Nigerians were those living in houses that were not metered.
She said that most residential apartments received electricity bills of between N35,000 and N40,000 in a month for post-paid meters without any evidence of such consumption.
“How will an apartment of two to three bedrooms with five occupants consume power that will amount to N35,000 to N40,000 when sometimes, there will be no power supply for several days?
“Even those with meters are grumbling because of the high speed at which the units are consumed. And they still have gut to increase the tariff. It’s so unfair to Nigerians.
“I think the proposed strike by NLC will receive great support,” she said.
Mr Daniel Akeju, a resident of Akure, described the service provided by BEDC as average, with power supply of 10 hours per day or lower.
Akeju said that the increase in electricity tariff in the face of epileptic power supply should be questioned by the country’s authorities.
Also, Dr Foluso Taiwo, Secretary of NLC in Ekiti, said that obsolete equipment contributed immensely to electricity load shedding and poor power supply.
“Most of these transformers are old. Also at installation, the capacity could be 200 KV to 500KV and serve the people in the area then, but now the demographic capacity of the area has increased.
“More buildings are now available and funny enough, the same transformer is still there to serve such a densely populated area.
“So, the load that a transformer can carry becomes a challenge at different intervals when everybody is around and they try to use electricity.
“Some of them will burn the feeder pillar unit of the transformer. We are not talking about stealing where people will come to vandalise it in order to steal its parts.
“So, what the disco staff do is to ensure that they supply the power to people in different areas at different times in a community because of the capacity of the transformer now, unlike what it was at installation stage,” he stated.
Taiwo, who gave kudos to military governments in the country for building different dams for power generation, said that no successive civilian government had been able to complete a power generation dam in the country.
He said power generation in the country was very low, adding that despite the excess of liquified gas, the country had not been able to channel it to power generation.
“The other problem is corruption in the power sector.
“We just must address these problems totally to tackle the issue of adequate and uninterrupted power supply in the country,” Taiwo said.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Friday, March 14, 2025, hosted critical stakeholders in the petroleum and gas sector to address incessant incidences of tanker explosion in Taraba State.
Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State
Alhaji Abdullahi Bature, Coordinator of the NMDPRA in the state, while addressing stakeholders at its first quarter stakeholders meeting in Jalingo, the state capital, said that Taraba has recorded three tanker explosion incidences so far in 2025.
Bature said that the collaboration became necessary for the identification of workable solutions to the challenge.
He stated that such incidences had caused a lot of downturn on the economy and loss of lives.
He said that the safety of drivers was a matter of concern to the agency, encouraging stakeholders to suggest measures that could stem the tide of tanker explosion.
The coordinator also said that the agency was considering the use of various media platforms for the sensitisation of drivers on safety measures.
Malam Muazu Muhammed, Head of Gas, while making presentation on Tanker explosion incidents and truck-in-transit accidents, emphasised that the safety of operators was paramount to the organisation.
He said that the collaboration with all stakeholders in the state was intended to identify measures that could address the ugly trend.
Muhammed urged participants to identify workable resolutions that would be enforced to achieve the goal.
Alhaji Ahmed Isa of the National Association of Transport Owners (NATO) commended NMDPRA for bringing partners together with a view to charting a common cause.
He said that NATO members had lost several vehicles and products through accidents, adding that the menace had a direct economic effect on their businesses.
In his remarks, Mr. Adi Mikyin, a Superintendent of Fire Service, advised stakeholders to prioritise training and re-training of drivers.
Mikyin observed that lack of professionalism was a major cause of accidents by the trucks and tanker drivers.
Critical stakeholders, such as Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, representatives of the federal and state fire services, among others, attended the meeting.
