Environment
Environmental Body Cautions On Natural Resources’ Exploitation
As the nation transits to a New government, the Global Environmental Facility Small Grant Programme (GEF SGP), has urged Nigerian leaders to intensify efforts to pay attention to the exploitation of the nation’s natural resources.
GEF SGP National Coordinator, Mrs Ibironke Olubamise, gave the advice in an interview with the Newsmen in Abuja.
Olubamise said that it is necessary for the leadership to look critically to the issues of environment and natural resource exploitation and change current paradigm of wasteful and unconcerned exploitation.
“Nigeria is blessed with vast natural resources. There is the varied rich natural vegetation which traverse the west and east of the nation in a beautiful artistic pattern that will make any gifted arts to find great treasure of work to produce from.
“The vegetation is distributed from the freshwater swamp forest to the mangrove forest and coastal vegetation and lowland forest in the southern part of the country to the derived savannah, guinea savannah, sudan/sahel savannah, and montane ecosystems in the north.
“Also deep in our soils are earthen treasures that can make Nigeria to be envied amongst the comity of nations,” she said.
According to her, these resources play vital and diverse roles in our economy, ecology and social lives.
“There is no aspect of live that does not require these resources in varied form and quantity. Unfortunately, these resources have been unsustainably exploited to the point that they have become a curse rather than a blessing.
“Increasing population and unsustainable exploitation of these resources have put so much pressure and the carrying capacity of the resources have been stretched beyond remedy.
“Thus, if we are to continue to aspire for greater development as a nation, there is need to pay serious attention to the manner of exploitation of these resources.
“Not only are the resources becoming scarce, the environmental degradation that results from these unsustainable practices are also causing serious havoc to live and living,” Olubamise said.
The National coordinator said that Nigeria should ensure that it continues to meet its development aspiration and that generations unborn are not deprived of their own rights to meet their development needs.
“It is to this end that it is necessary for the leadership to look critically to the issues of environment and natural resource exploitation and change our current paradigm of wasteful and unconcerned exploitation.
“We are not without solutions to these challenges. Only the political will to do something worthwhile is necessary,” she said.
Olubamise recalled that Nigeria was a signatory to many of the international treaties to address the challenges of environmental degradation, scarcity and equitable distribution of resources.
According to her, efforts must be made by the government to understand the real situation and make definite efforts to make the necessary change.
“Review of negative policies and practices, which contribute to environmental degradation and development of new ones that will work from the remote communities to urban cities is urgently necessary.
“Government needs an inclusive policy to involve all stakeholders. The culprit and the victims alike.The solution may seem daunting but not insurmountable.
“The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and other related documents should not be made to sit on the shelves but to be review, harmonized and put to practical use if the country is to achieve her environmental goals,” she said.
According to her, the risks associated with environment degradation, natural resource depletion and natural disasters are getting more attention and better appreciated by some groups, especially the insurance and financial institutions.
“Yet one of the most important group of stakeholders which have not been adequately incorporated into the discussions on environment and natural resources is the organized private sector.
“Efforts must be made by the government to ensure the incorporation of environmental accounting and biodiversity finance into the traditional accounting system.
“The National Planning Commission must be adequately informed in order to initiate policies that will enhance sustainable development,” the National coordinator said.
She added that the he youth needed all the information and support to develop their dexterity to address environmental issues beyond the current noise on social media without any depth of the issues at stake.
“Much effort for qualitative technical education to address environmental problems is needed and must be officially introduced into the national school curriculum.
“As a new government is sworn in, our paradigm must change from that which assumes that resources are infinite to reflect on the scarcity that has hit us and to adjust policies accordingly.
“I can imagine what happens if the entire nation starts to think reduce, reuse, recycle for every resource we exploit to meet our needs,” Olubamise said.
Some residents of Port Harcourt and its environs have reacted to the impending flooding in parts of the country, including Rivers state.
It would be recalled that the federal government last week predicted flooding in some states in the country, including Rivers State.
A cross session of residents who spoke to The Tide on the issue said time has come for residents to be careful about the way they managed their waste, especially at this time of the year.
According to them, people must avoid blocking water channels as well as indiscriminate dumping of waste into water channels.
Speaking with The Tide, an Environmentalist, Elder Blessing Jackson Tiko, called for caution by residents of Port Harcourt and its environs
Tiko who was a former deputy operational officer Phalga Environmental Sanitation Taskforce, said people must be conscious of the way and manner that they manage their waste.
“We know that we have the rain and if you watch it is coming especially this month of July,it would rain and rain and rain
“We have to be very conscious of how we manage our environmental system, the way we throw our waste and how we evacuate it so that every where will be open for water to move freely
“Water doesn’t want blockage, water wants free flow, ’he said
Tiko urged state governments to liaise with the federal government and development agencies to dredge and open up river channels to enable Water move freely.
He particularly called on the Niger Delta Basine Development Authority and the Niger Delta Development Commission to liaise with state governments in the quest to end flooding in the states.
Also speaking, Mrs. Alice. A. Alabo a trader at Mile 3 Port Harcourt, urged the state government to do something on the constant flooding at the Abuja bypass in Mile 3 Diobu, Port Harcourt,
She said the bypass is always flooded at every little rainfalls stressing that something must be done about it.
Alabo also told The Tide Correspondents that the Abuja bypass has no receptacles and called on the management of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency to provide receptacles for the people, to ensure proper waste disposal in the area.
“The government should provide us with receptacles for us to properly place our waste which is causing the flooding in the area.
A shop owner Dickey, Livia Marko lemanted the incessant flooding along the Abuja bypass, adding that the situation is affecting their businesses.
“We have been begging the Rivers State Government and the local government to come to our aid.
“The Ego Line Progressive Union contributes N10,000 every year to make sure that we evacuate the drainage.
“We called the Hausa boys to come and clean from the beginning to the end of the tunnel which leads to the Interwoba
“So immediately after each rainfall within 10 minutes it will dry otherwise we cannot stay in our shop.
“I am begging the government to come to our rescue, even if they want to open the gutter or canal. It will help in preventing the flooding or they should clean the gutters starting from Ikwerre Road to the Interwoba axis”, he said
On his part,Mr. Ajaka Olawa, lamented that the flooding in Timber area by Abuja bypass area is so terrible that no businesses can easily be carried on in the area.
He blamed it on the continuous blockage of drainages
. “I can’t remember the last time the government came to clean the drainage, so when it rains we find it difficult to stay here.
“Some of our shops are wet because of the flooding. And if the rain falls heavily, we pack our goods. If not. they get damaged, and I am expecting this message to reach the government for them to do something about it”
“The people, the government gives the job are not being followed up, that’s why the road is still looking bad,
“The government is trying, but they should put more effort to make sure that the jobs are being carried out.
Also, Mr. Chukuma said, during the flooding along Abuja bypass by Timber, no activities take place.
He said that if rain falls, either little or heavy, none can use the road because the road will be inundated by water. Sometimes it takes two to three days for the water to dry.
According to him, eight years ago, the former governor was here to see things for himself, but nothing happened till he left office.
By: Victoria Gilbert / Ossia Victory
Following the rising impact of toxic waste in the Niger Delta communities in Nigeria, an Ecological Think Tank, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, has urged oil-producing communities in the region to monitor their environment and report incidents of pollution or other environmental hazards in real time to appropriate authorities.
The Project Manager, Communities and Culture, HOMEF, Cadmus Atake gave the advice last Friday during a Community Environmental Monitoring Training for the people of Nembe, Town-Brass in Bayelsa and Eastern Obolo, Akwa Ibom States respectively which was held in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Atake said though the extractive activities of oil companies have impacted negatively on the communities, the people still have a role to play in protecting the environment by not throwing plastics in the water bodies or engaging in activities inimical to the environment.
He said, “The purpose is to train the people on how they can monitor their environment that has been impacted by extractive activities, for them to observe the changes that occur in their environment and things they see when they go out to fish.”
Atake also harped on the need for documentation and reporting of the identified environmental challenges or pollution, saying that monitoring without reporting would be an effort in futility even as he tasked them with the accuracy, authenticity and originality of data without any mutilation.
He encouraged people to use mobile phones to take real-time photos and videos without editing the images in the case of pollution or oil spills.
His words, “Reporting is an essential aspect of any monitoring activity. It affords the opportunities to track the activity and its impacts. It makes an activity visible and draws attention to it. Also, it helps to identify associated risks and to know the required controls and learning outcomes needed to prevent the reoccurrence of failures of an activity. No monitoring exercise is complete without a report of observations and a point of action.
“You must identify what caused the pollution, state the name of the community and landmark and if possible, use GPS, time and date the pollution was observed.”
One of the participants, OmusuoDieworio from Bayelsa State noted that apart from the activities of the multinationals, the people have contributed to the disappearance of fishes in the rivers by dumping refuse and plastic wastes inside the river which posed a great threat to fishes even as he urged community leaders to promulgate laws prohibiting that and the youth leaders to ensure the enforcement.
“Our people should be sensitized on the hazards of toxic waste. We should put laws that are binding on us. Our fishermen should discipline themselves enough after drinking sachet water eating should not drop the waterproof inside the water. They should also be discouraged from using dynamite and other chemicals for fishing as all these are harmful to both the aquatic animals and human beings that will consume it.” He said.
Speaking on the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, UmoIsua-Ikoh of the Peace Pact Development Foundation, said the provision in the PIA where the community should forfeit its 3% development fund in case of pipeline vandalism criminalizes the community and should be expunged noting that no community will agree to vandalize pipeline but an individual or a criminal.
He said they should go after anyone who vandalises pipelines and not make the entire community bear the brunt of one person.
On his part, Stephen Oduware, the Program Manager at Fossil Politics, called on the communities to network with CSOs, CBOs, doctors, lawyers, media especially those from their communities and other community members who have the community at heart to advocate at all fronts.
“The community people should partner with CSOs, CBOs so that they will be able to advocate from all fronts from the health implication of this pollution from the legal and human right violations as a result of this pollution, land grabbing and then they will be able to get well-researched works from the academics, we believe that with this network they will be able to push for the justice they needed.” He said.
The Delta State Govern-
ment says it is working hard to tackle the issue of climate change in the state.
Special Adviser to the state Governor on Sustainable Development Goals) (SDGs, Lady Diana Eyo _Enoette, said this in an interview with newsmen during the launching of Green City Project in Port Harcourt.
She said the government was doing this by raising awareness on the impact of climate change in the State and also control the indiscriminate dumping of waste across the State.
Eye-Emoette said government has also setup scouts across the State to embark on tree planting campaign in all nooks and crannies of Delta State.
She said time has come for governments across the Niger Delta region to create more awareness on climate change, adding that continuous human activities in the region have made it vulnerable to climate change
Diana described her government as a leading voice on climate change as far as the Niger Delta region is concerned and stressed the need for other governments in the region to follow suit.
She said Green City’s initiatives have become a potent weapon in fighting climate change, stressing that the initiative is coming at the appropriate time.
The special advise said governments across the country should key into the green city’s projects inorder to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, a university teacher, Professor Magnus Onuoha, has called for conscious efforts by governments across Africa to check carbon emissions.
The university teacher also described the green city’s initiatives as a safe avenue for emerging cities in Africa.
Prof Onuoha, who spoke via videophone described the project as innovative, adding that climate change is real and no longer fallacies.
According to him “it is glaringly telling on our faces and the possibility of it going away is not there”.
He said.
By: John Bibor
