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Spain asked to pass law to protect great apes

Michael Simire
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Spain asked to pass law to protect great apes

Spanish organisation, Proyecto Gran Simio, has called on the government to urgently pass a law to protect great apes.

Great apes
A young orangutan behind bars. Photo credit: Jay Ullal)

In collaboration with Rainforest Rescue, the group is calling for signatories to a petition addressed to the Directorate-General for Animal Rights in the Spanish Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda.

The Spanish government had pledged to pass a law to protect bonobos, orangutans, chimpanzees and gorillas as part of its Animal Welfare Act, but it has not yet done so, and the groups believe that time is running out for man’s endangered close relatives in the animal kingdom.

In early 2023, the Spanish Congress and Senate passed the Animal Welfare Act, a landmark law recognising animals as sentient beings. The Act explicitly requires the government to present a draft law to protect great apes – bonobos, orangutans, chimpanzees, and gorillas – within three months of its enactment.

But those protections for great apes now appear to be two years overdue, according to Proyecto Gran Simioand and Rainforest Rescue.

The Jane Goodall Institute estimates that about 140 great apes live in captivity in Spain, often under poor conditions.

“Great apes suffer from illegal wildlife trafficking, deforestation and the impacts of human activities such as mining, oil exploration and intensive agriculture. Unless we protect them, we will also lose the biodiversity that ensures ecosystem balance.

“A law is vital for the survival of endangered great apes. Enacting it will strengthen Spain’s commitment to international conservation and protection programmes and send a clear message to the world: Great apes belong in the wild because they are indispensable for preserving rainforests. For those who cannot live in freedom, a law is urgently needed,” said John Hayduska of Rainforest Rescue.

The Letter:

To: The Spanish Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda; Directorate-General for Animal Rights

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In Spain, Animal Protection Law 7/2023 of March 28 stipulates that “three months after the law comes into force, i.e. from December 29, 2023, the government must present a draft law for the protection of great apes” (according to the 4th additional provision). It is now more than a year overdue.

As stated in the explanatory memorandum to the public hearing prior to the drafting of the bill on great apes, “special protection for this group of primates is necessary … to eliminate practices that threaten the life, physical integrity, dignity and survival of great apes.” https://www.dsca.gob.es/sites/default/files/consultapub/CPP-Ley-Grandes-Simios.pdf

The Great Ape Law should set minimum standards for the welfare of great apes that have been exploited in zoos and other facilities for decades. It will be an important tool to ensure that they are never again treated as objects of entertainment or mere economic resources for humans. The law should cover the following points:

  • An end to captive ape programs, as there is no independent scientific support for them and they only serve to increase populations and replace those that die.
  • An end to transfers between zoos that disrupt the family units of great apes.
  • Prohibition of their use in circus performances, advertising, television, film etc.
  • Prohibition of experiments of any kind.
  • An end to captive breeding.
  • Strict flood and fire protocols.
  • If animals must live in captivity, strict conditions should apply. They must live in an environment that is optimal for their development.
  • Entry to Spain should only be permitted for great apes if their destination is a rescue center.
  • Spain must incorporate the commitments it has agreed upon with global organizations such as UNEP, GRAPS and others into its own legal system and continue its commitment to protecting great apes in international forums.

We must stop the unrestricted exploitation of those who share our evolutionary path. This law harms no one but benefits everyone. Every day that goes by without this law being passed is another day these extraordinary beings suffer needlessly and remain unprotected and vulnerable – hastening their demise.

Great apes deserve to live with dignity. A law to protect great apes is not just a regulation but a statement of principle that is urgently needed. Thank you for putting it into effect as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

World Oceans Day: Protect the ocean to sustain the planet – HOMEF, FishNet Alliance, HOME Alliance

Michael Simire
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World Oceans Day: Protect the ocean to sustain the planet – HOMEF, FishNet Alliance, HOME Alliance

The ocean is one vast body of water with various faces. It accounts for approximately 71% of the Earth and plays significant roles in environmental and climate systems, and more broadly, in life on Earth.

Oceans
The ocean. Photo credit: Dimitris Vetsikas / Pixabay

Beyond its diverse faces – Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern – the ocean is connected to and interacts with other comparatively smaller surface water bodies, such as seas, gulfs, bays, lagoons, estuaries, and groundwater systems.

Ocean ecosystems supply a substantial amount of oxygen to the atmosphere and offer various services that ensure the survival of all species on Earth. As the world observes World Ocean Day with the theme “Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us,” it is time for humans to reflect on our exploitative, violent, and destructive relationship with the ocean and embrace a new beginning.

The Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, highlighted the importance of World Ocean Day, which is celebrated annually on June 8 to underscore the immeasurable importance of the world’s ocean and garner support for their protection. He stated that the ocean and other water bodies are continuously subjected to a barrage of assaults at local, national, and international levels.

“The concept that the ocean cycles itself and acts as a greenhouse gas sink has been misconstrued to mean that the ocean can filter and clean itself no matter what is dumped in it. The ocean and other waterbodies have become dumpsites of all sorts, polluting and extreme exploitation. There are a lot of unusual activities going on in our waters that must not be allowed to continue if we want a healthy ocean and planet.”

Bassey further stated that “corporate interests have been substituted for national and people-centred interests, as communities that live along the coasts, bear the brunt of such abnormalities. Now is the time for all to rise to the occasion to protect the ocean. The continued burning of the Ororo Oil well over a period of five years is a sad commentary on ecocide on our waters.”

Also, Stephen Oduware, a Programme Manager with HOMEF and Coordinator of the Fishnet Alliance, a network of fishers across Africa, emphatically noted that the world’s fisheries depend on the ocean.

“The two major sides of the ocean bordering Africa – the Atlantic and Indian, along with their associated gulfs, are experiencing shortfalls in fishing due to vested and powerful interests. Industrial fishing, including the use of bottom trawlers, is partly responsible for unsustainable fishing and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the region.

 “These practices not only harm fisheries but also harm the ocean and create imbalances in the ecosystems the ocean supports. These unchecked activities in the territorial waters of Africa must stop. Fishers of the world unite.”

Climate change, primarily caused by human activities, is impacting the ocean. Dead zones are proliferating, pollution from minerals and fossil fuel extraction and production processes is occurring, unsustainable industrial fishing practices are occurring, intentional waste dumping is occurring, and disturbances of the ocean floor and seabeds are among a long list of destructive activities.

As ocean surface temperatures increase, global warming will also rise. Therefore, protecting the ocean from these forms of degradation would ultimately safeguard the Earth. Let’s protect the ocean and force others to respect it because we are the ocean; we are part of the ocean family.

Health of Mother Earth Foundation is an ecological think tank advocating for socio-ecological justice and food sovereignty in Nigeria and Africa.

The FishNet Alliance secretariat sits with HOMEF at its international headquarters in Nigeria.

On UN Oceans Day, ahead of the upcoming United Nations Oceans Conference the Hands Off Mother Earth! (HOME) Alliance is calling on governments to take decisive action to safeguard ocean ecosystems from the growing threat of marine geoengineering.  Civil society, including climate justice groups, Indigenous Peoples Organisations, human rights and grassroots groups are urging governments to take action to halt any ongoing current or planned marine geoengineering experiments.

In a statement signed by 126 organisations (including 20 new signatories this year), the HOME Alliance is calling on governments to recognise that oceans face growing threats not only from overexploitation and the climate crisis, but also from dangerous geoengineering experiments that attempt to manipulate Earth’s systems in response to climate change.

Coraina de la Plaza, Coordinator, Hands Off Mother Earth! (HOME) Alliance, said: “Marine geoengineering is not a solution to the climate crisis – it’s a dangerous distraction. Our oceans are not testing grounds for risky, unproven technologies. These large-scale manipulations of marine ecosystems pose serious threats to climate and biodiversity, and the livelihoods of coastal and Indigenous communities. We need real climate solutions rooted in justice, and respect for nature – not technofixes that gamble with the planet’s most vital systems.”

Between 2019 and 2023, proposed marine carbon dioxide removal field experiments have quadrupled compared to the period from 2014 to 2018. However, there has been sustained and strong public opposition to marine geoengineering, with key grassroots-led victories showing growing resistance to marine geoengineering.

These include the shutdown of an ocean alkalinity enhancement trial in Cornwall, UK, by Planetary Technologies, after pushback from local communities, scientists, and environmental organizations, and the shutdown of the Arctic Ice Project due to growing concerns over its ecological impacts this year. Similarly, a marine cloud brightening project was also shut down in Alameda, California last year.

Late last year at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, governments came together and reaffirmed the de facto moratorium on geoengineering, highlighting their commitment to a precautionary approach to geoengineering. The London Convention/London Protocol also calls for precaution on various marine geoengineering technologies including effectively prohibiting Ocean Fertilisation technofix among others.

Despite public opposition and existing restrictive governance in place, marine geoengineering proposals continue to surface globally and mainly driven by the private sector with commercial purposes.

“Governments attending the oceans conference have a responsibility to uphold the Convention on Biological Diversity moratorium on geoengineering, including marine geoengineering, and other existing restrictive frameworks and regulations like London Convention/London Protocol, to ban outdoor marine geoengineering experiments from taking place, and to ensure that any decision taken prioritize human rights and the protection of marine ecosystems,” added Coraina de la Plaza.   

Marie-Luise Abshagen, Head of Sustainability at the German NGO Forum on Environment and Development, shared: “At the last UN Oceans Conference in 2022 in Lisbon, we saw a growing commitment of governments and parliamentarians to a deep-sea mining moratorium. Three years later, 33 countries are behind this call. Be it deep sea mining or geoengineering, it is all the same trends – exploiting our oceans resources, ignoring Indigenous opposition, all for the continuation of an industrial model that is destroying our planet. Let’s make the 3rd UN Oceans Conference a marine conference of resistance!” 

African Tribunal to challenge IMF, World Bank policies

Michael Simire
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African Tribunal to challenge IMF, World Bank policies

More than 200 people will gather from June 18 to 19, 2025, for an African International People’s Tribunal challenging International Monetary Fund and World Bank policies.

Ajay Banga
Ajay Banga, World Bank President

The tribunal will examine four key areas of concern regarding international financial institutions’ operations in Africa.

Organisers plan to address debt-dependent development models that prioritise creditor repayment over people-centred growth, said Fidélité Nshimiyimana, campaigns and communication manager at the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development.

The event will also scrutinise austerity measures that organisers say undermine public services and social protection systems across the continent.

Participants will examine what they describe as non-democratic policy designs that silence African voices while prioritising market-first solutions.

The tribunal will address global financial systems that organisers characterise as rooted in colonial legacies, systemic extraction and inequality.

Lawyers, including Lyla Latif, Diana Gichengo of Tisa Kenya, and Farheen Kassim, will participate in the proceedings.

Witnesses will include civil society directors, members of parliament, women’s groups and youth representatives.

The African Forum and Network on Debt and Development, MEJN ORG, SEATINI Uganda, and ESCR-Net are among the leading organisations supporting the event.

The Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development initiated the tribunal concept.

By Winston Mwale, AfricaBrief

Earth’s CO2 hits highest recorded level in human history

Michael Simire
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Earth’s CO2 hits highest recorded level in human history

There’s now more carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere than ever before in human history, scientists have revealed.

CO2
Atmospheric CO2 is one of major causes of climate change and has been driven in large part by the burning of fossil fuels worldwide

For the first time on record, monthly average CO2 levels exceeded 430 parts per million (ppm), according to experts at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, USA.

The monthly average for May 2025 reached 430.2ppm – the highest level since accurate measurements began 67 years ago.

The more CO2 in the atmosphere, the higher the rate of global warming, which could one day could make Earth’s surface too hot for humans.

At much higher concentrations, CO2 can also cause a variety of health issues.

Worryingly, this includes cognitive impairment, drowsiness, nausea and even death in the most extreme cases.

“Another year, another record,” said Ralph Keeling, director of the Scripps CO2 Programme.

He added: “It’s sad.”

Like other greenhouse gases, CO2 acts like a blanket, trapping heat and warming the lower atmosphere.

This changes weather patterns and fuels extreme events, such as heat waves, droughts, wildfires, heavy rain and flooding.

Rising CO2 levels also contribute to ocean acidification, which makes it more difficult for marine organisms like crustaceans and coral to grow hard skeletons or shells.

The experts’ new measurements come from Mauna Loa Observatory, a research station situated high on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii.

At 11,141 feet above sea level, Mauna Loa Observatory measures different gases in the air by shining different kinds of light and radiation through air samples.

According to the experts, the observatory’s monthly average for May 2025 of 430.2 ppm is an increase of 3.5 ppm over May 2024’s measurement of 426.7 ppm.

Meanwhile, NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado has separately reported an average of 430.5 ppm – an increase of 3.6 ppm over last year.

In a post on X, Jeff Berardelli, meteorologist and climate specialist for WFLA Tampa Bay, called the new record ‘concerning’.

How is atmospheric CO2 measured?

CO2 is routinely measured in parts-per-million (ppm), which is simply the ratio of one gas or another molecule to another.

For example, 430 ppm of CO2 means that there are 430 molecules of CO2 and 999,570 molecules of other gases or water vapour.

At much higher concentrations – such as 1,000 ppm – CO2 can have a adverse health effect on human functioning, including cognitive impairment, drowsiness and nausea.

A concentration of 40,000 ppm is considered ‘immediately dangerous to life or health’, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.

CO2 is by far the most abundant human-caused greenhouse gas and it can persist in the atmosphere and oceans for thousands of years.

According to scientists, the amount of carbon present now in the Earth’s atmosphere is equal to that which would have been seen some 4.1 to 4.5 million years ago, during a time which scientists refer to as the ‘Pliocene Climatic Optimum’.

At this time, the sea level was a whopping 78 feet (24 meters) higher than in the present day, while the average global temperature stood at 7°F (3.9°C) higher than it was before the Industrial Revolution.

In fact, the temperature was so warm during this period of time that large forests occupied areas of the Arctic which today are barren, chilly tundra.

Although humanity is constantly pumping out CO2 all-year-round, atmospheric CO2 is at its highest in the Northern Hemisphere in the spring – specifically May.

Between autumn and spring, much of the hemisphere’s plant matter decomposes, releasing CO2 into the atmosphere as it does so.

May tends to represent the highest extend of atmospheric CO2 before plants come to life and draw in CO2 to fuel their growth.

This begins the process of lowering the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere until the autumn when the plants start to die – and the cycle continues.

Researchers say Mauna Loa Observatory’s new measurements represent the average state of CO2 in the atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere.

However, CO2 concentrations have not yet passed the 430 ppm mark in the Southern Hemisphere, which has a reversed cycle.

It was Scripps scientist Charles David Keeling, father of Ralph Keeling, who was the first to recognise that CO2 levels in the Northern Hemisphere peaked in May.

In 1958, he began monitoring CO2 concentrations at Mauna Loa Observatory and documented a long-term increase, known as the Keeling Curve.

NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory, meanwhile, begun daily CO2 measurements in 1974 and has maintained a complementary, independent measurement record ever since.

The Keeling Curve Explained

Regular atmospheric CO₂ recordings were begun on Mauna Loa back in 1958 by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientist Charles David Keeling.

It was these measurements that confirmed the prediction of the Swedish physical chemist Svante Arrhenius that humanity was contributing to increasing global temperatures by means of the greenhouse effect.

Specifically, Dr Keeling’s data showed that, overall, atmospheric CO₂ levels were rising each year — a dynamic shown in the so-called keeling curve (pictured bottom left).

The Keeling Curve was also the first data set to reveal the existence of seasonal fluctuations in carbon dioxide levels.

The highest monthly average carbon dioxide value in the northern hemisphere occurs in the May of each year, before plants act to remove large amounts of CO₂ from the atmosphere in the growing season.

The peak in May is caused by plants and soils giving off carbon dioxide  between the northern hemisphere’s autumn and early spring.

By Jonathan Chadwick, Mailonline

New GEF financing propels progress to 2030 goals

Michael Simire
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New GEF financing propels progress to 2030 goals

The Global Environment Facility’s governing body has agreed to provide $261 million across its family of funds for efforts to propel international environmental goals, including projects targeting mercury and hydrofluorocarbons, building more resilient and healthier seascapes and landscapes, and expanding biodiversity conservation efforts in partnership with Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Carlos Manuel Rodriguez
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, GEF CEO and Chairperson

Council members representing 186 participant countries approved the allocation of $195 million from the GEF Trust Fund, $40 million from the Least Developed Countries Fund, and $26 million from the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund. The support is set to mobilise more than $3 billion in co-financing from other sources.

The latest allocation will advance the goals of the six conventions the GEF is mandated to support – the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, Convention on Biological Diversity, Minamata Convention on Mercury, Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, UN Convention to Combat Desertification, and UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

GEF CEO and Chairperson, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, stressed during the meeting that growing pressures on ecosystems and economies worldwide required concerted and coordinated action in the final push to 2030 environmental goals and targets.

“The very real strains on nature and natural systems – showing up as fires, droughts, floods, contamination, species loss, and illness – have raised the stakes for our work,” Rodríguez said. “The GEF’s ninth replenishment is going to be vital to the achievement of international commitments on biodiversity, climate, and pollution, and the funding allocated this week is keeping us moving in an innovative, impactful direction.”

Three-quarters of the record $5.3 billion GEF-8 replenishment has now been programmed, with one year left in the four-year cycle. The latest Trust Fund work program spans 35 countries and will benefit 16 million people – more than half of them women. It includes support for a new GEF Small Grants Programme Global Microfinance Initiative that will offer tailored funding solutions for locally-led work to address strains on nature and community resilience.

Meeting as the LDCF/SCCF Council, representatives approved $40 million in funding from the Least Developed Countries Fund for climate adaptation projects in the Solomon Islands and Uganda, and for a regional program in the Sahel focused on Mali and Chad. Council members also provided additional finance for ecosystem and community resilience in Madagascar, including support for the “Lemur Bond.” The latest approvals bring LDCF investments to over $618 million in the current four-year funding cycle.

The GBFF Council agreed to provide $26 million for projects supporting biodiversity and community well-being in Peru, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the Sangha Trinational – a forest connecting Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Congo-Brazzaville. All three projects will mobilise substantial support to Indigenous Peoples and local communities. To date, the GBFF has provided $202 million from its $211 in available funds, financing 40 projects including initiatives underway in Brazil, Gabon, and Mexico.

The Council meetings followed last month’s start of the GEF-9 replenishment process, when donor countries and partners gathered in Paris to discuss priorities and ambitions for the family of funds’ next four-year funding cycle, including a strong focus on efficiency, equity, versatility, and accessibility. The next formal replenishment meeting is scheduled to be held in Botswana from October 8-10, 2025. A final decision about the size and ambition of the GEF-9 funding envelope is expected to be taken in 2026.

Uzbekistan will host the 8th GEF Assembly meeting next year, scheduled for the week commencing May 31. Aziz Abdukhakimov, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Environment, expressed his country’s “full commitment and readiness” to host the once-every-four-year event that brings together representatives from all GEF member countries as well as stakeholders from around the world.

“Hosting the GEF Assembly in Samarkand reflects Uzbekistan’s strong commitment to global sustainability. We see this as a catalyst for innovative partnerships especially in Central Asia – where transboundary challenges require shared solutions,” Abdukhakimov told the Council. “With GEF-9 support, we will deepen regional cooperation to combat biodiversity loss, adapt to climate impacts and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Local content: Senate Committee commends NCDMB, pledges support

Michael Simire
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Local content: Senate Committee commends NCDMB, pledges support

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, got the thumbs-up from the Senate Committee on Local Content and a firm assurance that the Senate would provide adequate legislative support to drive the local content development initiatives of the Board.

NCDMB
L-R: Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Joel Onowakpo Thomas, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Baord, Engr Felix Omatsola Ogbe and Senator Osita Izunaso, at an oversight visit to the NCDMB facilities and projects sites in Yenagoa, Bayelsa on Thursday.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Joel Onowakpo Thomas, who spoke after an oversight visit on the Board facilities and projects sities within Bayelsa State, commended the Board for how it has implemented its enabling statute, the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010.

He said NCDMB has demonstrated the requisite capacity for actualisation of the objectives of the Act, and that the enabling environment for oil and gas industry operations, growth of indigenous businesses, job creation and development of industry-related skills, would be vigorously pursued by the Committee at the National Assembly.

The Chairman reafirmmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to growing local capacity in the oil and gas and other sectors as a sure way of creating employment.

He sadi: “Let me say that the benefits of local content cannot be over emphasised. It will lead to the creation of jobs for our people, development of critical assets and skills, growth of local businesses, improve balance of payments and reduction of dependence on foreign goods services.

“To achieve these benefits, collaborations between the Senate committee and board of the NCDMB is essential as we would work closely with the NCDMB to ensure that the provisions of the Act are implemented effectively.”

“The committee will not only ensure oversight but will also support the board’ in efforts to develop and implement policies that promote local content development, in addition to our collaboration with the board, we will be engaged with other stakeholders and create the enabling environment that foster growth for local businesses and promote job creation.” Onowakpo concluded.

Earlier in his presentation on NCDMB Activities, the Executive Secretary, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, provided critically important facts on the NOGICD Act, Nigerian Content Implementation Framework, NCDMB Organisation Structure, NCDMB Office Locations, Expenditure and Revenue Analysis, Business Enabler Footprint, Summary of Investments, Success Stories, Look Ahead – Retooling for Stability and Growth, and Support Required.

Speaking on the Nigerian Content Implementation Framework, he highlighted Guidelines and Regulations, drawing attention to policies and tools, which included Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualifications System (NOGIC JQS), Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF), industry collaboration, as well as gap analysis, among other things.

The Executive Secretary, who was represented by the Director of Corporate Affairs, Alhaji Abdulmalik Halilu, disclosed the Board has recorded success in the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCIF) managed by the Bank of Industry (BOI) with over ninety percent repayment.

Halilu highlighted some recent striking accomplishments of the Board as facilitating of 10,000 metric tonnes (MT) capacity galvanising plant, commissioned at Daewoo Yard, Port Harcourt, which has ramped up local galvanising capacity to over 180,000MT; NEDO 300MMscfd Kwale Gas Gathering Plant, Delta State; NCDMB Nigerian Oil and Gas Parks Scheme (NOGaPS) at Emeyal 1, Bayelsa State, and Odukpani, Cross River State, which are at 90 per cent completion level;10 mega-watt Power Plant, and EGINA floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) integration facility, the first and largest in Africa.

Speaking on the next phase, Halilu highlighted the Board’s ongoing construction of the NCDMB Gas Hub for gas-based industries and the work on its eight industrial parks across the country as well as the human capacity development programme christened Back-to-the-Creeks Initiative.

He asked the lawmakers to support the Board by excluding the Nigerian Content Development Fund from revenue deductions in line with Section 104 of the NOGICD Act. The Board would also want the challenge of infrastructure to be addressed as well as a strengthening of local content laws by ensuring that legislations for the growth of other sectors are properly aligned with local content philosophy.

In his remarks, the Committee Vice Chairman, Senator Ede Dafinone, assured that the National Assembly would collaborate with the NCDMB to enthrone a resilient and Nigerian-driven oil and gas industry.

According to him, “They have shared with us areas where the Senate can help expand and strengthen their programmes. We are ready to engage further and support the Board in building a more robust and Nigerianised oil and gas industry.”

Other members of the Senate Committee on the oversight visit were Senators Osita Izunaso, Ipalibo Gogo Banigo, Ireti Heebah Kingibe, Aniekan Bassey, Eze Kenneth Emeka, Ezra Okechukwu, Isa Shu’aibu Lau, Tony Nwoye, John Williams Eno, Amos Yohana, and Ezra Okehukwu. The engagements ended on Thursday.

World Food Safety Day: Take junk off our plates, govt, states told

Michael Simire
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World Food Safety Day: Take junk off our plates, govt, states told

On World Food Safety Day 2025, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on governments at all levels to implement policies that promote healthy, indigenous diets and discourage the widespread availability and consumption of ultra-processed foods (UFPs), which are linked to Nigeria’s rising non-communicable diseases (NCDs) burden.

Sugar-sweetened beverages
Sugar-sweetened beverages

CAPPA, in a statement, warned that UPFs – often excessively high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, and low in essential nutrients – and other junk foods including sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), are gradually replacing nutritious traditional diets at a great cost to food safety, security and public health.

The non-governmental organisation (NGO) canvassed the adoption of policies such as Front-of-Pack Warning Labelling (FOPWL), regulations for enforcing sodium targets in processed and packaged foods, an effective SSB tax, and the development of a Nutrient Profile Model (NPM), among others, to combat the rising burden of diet-related NCDs.

“Ultra-processed foods are a threat to Nigeria’s food safety, security and sovereignty,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA’s Executive Director. “Policies that restrict their consumption, especially their availability on children’s diets, are a proactive approach to promoting better health and well-being.”

The statement lamented that UFPs, including noodles and sugary drinks, had not only become the most widely available products to millions of Nigeria’s internally displaced persons (IDPs) or others facing humanitarian crises, but also the food of choice in many homes and schools nationwide.

“This gradual normalising of junk food comes at a great price: before our eyes, some of our nutritious indigenous foods that kept us healthy and shielded us from what used to be considered ‘foreign diseases’ like cancer, are dropping off our menus because many of the food crops used to prepare them are at risk of extinction or decline due to factors including our preference for exotic junk foods and drinks,” said Oluwafemi.

Last year, a report published by Biodiversity Education and Resource Centre in collaboration with Heinrich Boll Stiftung Nigeria cited traditional fruits like tropical almond and black velvet tamarind, vegetables like oha leaf, and legumes like African yam bean and bambara groundnut, among others on the endangered list.

Worse yet, CAPPA’s recent report from an investigation in seven states, titled Junk on Our Plates, found that food and beverage companies are aggressively marketing unhealthy foods mostly to children and young adults, often falsely labelling them as “nutritious” or “natural.”

Oluwafemi warned that this dangerous, greed-fuelled practice, coupled with poor regulations, the lack of FOPWL, and an ineffective SSB tax, take away Nigerians’ right and ability to make informed food choices, thereby worsening their susceptibility to preventable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular conditions.

“Front-of-Pack Warning Labels provide clear, easily understandable information about the nutritional content of packaged foods,” he said. “In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) has long endorsed it as one of the most cost-effective tools for preventing diet-related NCDs.

“Furthermore, there is clear evidence that an SSB tax of at least N130 per litre, rather than the current N10 per litre, is an effective tool for tackling rising levels of obesity and SSB-related NCDs, while also providing funds for strengthening public health.

CAPPA argued that combining these with other similar measures is critical to food safety and Nigerians’ well-being.

“The World Food Safety Day 2025 with its theme ‘Food Safety: Science in Action’, reminds us that food not only plays a vital role in reducing disease and saving lives but is also a question of equity and social justice.

“Being so closely linked to our lives and livelihoods, it must not remain at the periphery of the country’s public health and developmental strategies,” Oluwafemi added.

Group urges Awujale to declare Ojude-Oba smoke-free

Michael Simire
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Group urges Awujale to declare Ojude-Oba smoke-free

Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged His Royal Majesty, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona Ogbagba II, Awujale of Ijebuland, to declare the Ojude Oba festival a No-Smoking or Smoke-Free Event, in the interest of public health.

Ojude Oba Festival
Ojude Oba Festival

CAPPA, in a statement issued on Friday, June 6, 2025, appealed to the Awujale and the Organising Committee of the 2025 Ojude Oba festival to prohibit smoking, glamourisation of tobacco products and tobacco advertisements across all festival grounds, and establish designated health stations where volunteers can educate participants on the risks of smoking and vaping.

This year’s Ojude Oba festival, themed “Ojude Oba: Celebrating Our Roots, Preserving Our Future,” will be held on Sunday, June 8, at the Dipo Dina International Stadium in Ijebu Ode.

Each year, the festival attracts hundreds of thousands of participants and tourists, as well as global attention and media.

CAPPA tasked the revered monarch and the Ojude Oba organising committee to prevent the tobacco industry from using the event to target individuals and vulnerable groups “with its products of death and disease”.

It said: “With this spotlight comes responsibility. Your Majesty and the Committee may recall that during last year’s Ojude Oba festival which featured many colourful appearances, a notable occurrence involved cancer survivor, Mr. Farooq Oreagba, smoking on horseback. This image, which circulated widely, was also seized by the tobacco industry to frame and promote smoking as fashionable, and a cultural norm.

“Unfortunately, such portrayals of ‘smoking as a cool indulgence’ risk overshadowing the cultural significance of Ojude Oba and inadvertently endorsing harmful behaviours. This is true because medical evidence and the experiences of addicted victims make it clear that there is nothing good about smoking. Even secondhand inhalation kills. Tobacco consumption is a leading cause of preventable cancers, respiratory disorders, and cardiovascular illnesses, and it places families and young people at grave risk.

“Across Nigeria, local media continues to document young smokers struggling with anxiety, psychological distress, and antisocial behaviours.”

According to the NGO, it is in recognition of these harms that Nigeria enacted the National Tobacco Control Act in 2015, which bans any form of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS), prohibits the sale of cigarettes to minors, and forbids smoking in public places, amongst other measures to safeguard public health. Additionally, the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) issued regulations in 2024 requiring that no film or video content exhibited or distributed in Nigeria may portray tobacco use without an accompanying health warning—ensuring that our cultural productions also uphold public health standards.

“Thankfully, this year’s Ojude Oba festival fortuitously follows just days after World No Tobacco Day, a global event that underscores the dangers of smoking, draws back the curtain on tobacco industry tactics, and promotes healthier living.

“Given the festival’s penetrating influence, declaring it Smoke-Free will not only align powerfully with our cultural values but also protect our youth from negative influences and unhealthy lifestyles,” CAPPA said.

The statement also noted that the sentiments of Chief Fassy A. Yusuf (Ph.D), Coordinator of the Ojude Oba festival, reinforce CAPPA’s concerns.

In a recent meeting with CAPPA’s tobacco control advocacy team, the respected Chief affirmed that smoking poses serious health risks and reiterated that Ijebu land does not endorse tobacco use, particularly during the festival.

Whilst commending Chief Fassy for his leadership and describing his remarks as timely and consistent with broader national and global efforts to de-normalise smoking in public and cultural spaces, the NGO appealed to the monarch and the Ojude Oba 2025 Organising Committee to uphold this public health-sensitive commitment by:

“Prohibiting smoking and tobacco advertisement across all festival grounds, including parade routes and communal gathering areas.

“Allowing and establishing designated health stations at main entrances where trained volunteers can distribute advocacy materials, offer education and evidence-based guidance on the risks of smoking.”

CAPPA also encouraged the Organising Committee to mobilise group leaders to reinforce smoke-free guidelines and ensure that every age group understands the stakes.

It reasoned that these measures would reaffirm Ojude Oba’s cultural integrity, “demonstrating that our heritage cannot be hijacked to normalise habits that undermine communal strength. Other states and cultural festivals will also on this account, look to Ijebu land for leadership because a smoke-free Ojude Oba will inspire a ripple effect across Nigeria, as well as underscore Your Majesty’s legacy of care.”

Africa loses $40bn annually to illicit financial flows in extractive sector – ECA

Michael Simire
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Africa loses $40bn annually to illicit financial flows in extractive sector – ECA

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) says Africa is losing an estimated 40 billion dollars annually to illicit financial flows (IFFs) in the extractive sector.

Antonio Pedro
Acting Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Mr Antonio Pedro

Mr. Antonio Pedro, ECA’s Deputy Executive Secretary, in a statement said the trend undermines development and deepens economic inequality on the continent

Pedro spoke at a High-Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) in New York, marking close of the 2025 African Dialogue Series (ADS), themed “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.”

He said the massive financial losses due to IFFs deprived African populations of essential services and economic opportunities, emphasising that tackling these outflows must be central to the continent’s development agenda.

“IFFs in the extractive sector are a symptom of a deeper structural problem; Africa’s overdependence on raw material exports, a colonial-era model that continues to limit the continent’s growth,” Pedro said.

The deputy executive secretary said that the practice of exporting raw minerals by Africa without value addition amounted to exporting jobs.

According to him, Africa can no longer afford this situation as it needs to create at least 20 million jobs yearly to absorb its growing youth population.

Pedro argued that sustainable development and reparatory justice must go hand in hand, and emphasised the link between IFFs and the broader call for justice for Africa and its diaspora.

He commended the African Dialogue Series for fostering meaningful engagement on these issues, noting that platforms like ADS was vital for shaping unified African positions and promoting them at global forums.

Pedro said Africa had developed key instruments like the African Mining Vision and the African Green Minerals Strategy to drive value addition, industrialisation and community benefits from its mineral resources.

“What is needed now is to operationalise these frameworks and turn political commitments into action,” he said.

He empharsised the importance of promoting local content, reforming global financial systems, and building stronger international partnerships to address illicit flows and advance African development goals.

“Africa must speak with one voice to push its priorities on the global stage, thus the need for policy coherence across the mineral, industrial, trade, energy and infrastructure sectors,” he said.

Pedro also underscored the shared responsibility of governments, mining companies, local communities, financial institutions, and other stakeholders to work together in closing perception gaps and ensuring sustainable gains from extractive resources.

“As we move forward, prioritising sustainable development and tackling the systems that sustain IFFs alongside reparatory measures is critical to achieving justice for Africa,” he said.

The ADS is an annual platform hosted by the UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, the African Union Permanent Observer Mission to the UN, and other UN agencies to highlight pressing issues facing the continent and its diaspora.

By Lucy Ogalue

Bayelsa, Renaissance Energy plant trees to remediate Taylor Creek Forest Reserves 

Michael Simire
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Bayelsa, Renaissance Energy plant trees to remediate Taylor Creek Forest Reserves 

Renaissance Africa Energy and the Bayelsa State Government on Thursday, June 5, 2025, commenced planting of 15,000 additional trees to remediate the Taylor Creek Forest Reserves in the state.

Douye Diri
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State

The 15,000 trees will be planted between June 5, 2025, and June 14, 2026, before the 2026 World Environment Day.

The effort is in addition to earlier 10,000 planted by the oil firm and the Bayelsa government.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Yenagoa, Dr Igo Weli, General Manager, Relations and Sustainable Development at Renaissance Africa, noted that the company remained committed to preservation of the rich biodiversity of the Niger Delta region where it operates.

Renaissance Africa in March acquired the onshore and shallow water assets previously operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).

Weli, who was represented by Mr. Hope Nuka, Corporate Relations Manager, said the tree planting project was part of the energy firm’s Gbarain Biodiversity Action Plan as part of activities to commemorate the 2025 World Environment Day.

“At Renaissance Africa Energy Company, we have a committment towards the improvement of the Bayelsa State environment and forestry because the state is an important stakeholder in our business operation.

“Our commitment remains to integrate biodiversity conservations into our business. So we have a cognate track record in the committment,” he said.

He recalled that the company had facilitated the training of 46 forest guards as well as the empowerment of more than 150 community members who hitherto depended on the forest reserves with alternative income opportunities.

He explained that the conservation projects are being implemented by two non-novernmental organisations, SHEDA and Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF).

Speaking at the event, Mr. Ebi Ben-Ololo, Bayelsa Commissioner of Environment, who alongside representatives of Renaissance Africa Energy planted trees at the Taylor Creek Forest Reserves, commended the company for prioritising environmental conservation.

He noted that tree planting was fundamental to tackling the adverse impact of climate change and global warming.

Also speaking, Dr Usman Shitu, Climate Change Lead at the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, commended Renaissance for embarking on the remediation project with the NCF.

He observed that oil exploration location and production activities are known to adversely affect the environment and said the project showed that Renaissance Africa Energy Company operates in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Students from Community Secondary School Yenagoa participated in the activities to celebrate the 2025 edition of World Environment Day.

By Nathan Nwakamma

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