The Nation Newspaper

Category: Features

  • Wanted: Solutions for declining agricultural production and water resource scarcity

    Wanted: Solutions for declining agricultural production and water resource scarcity

    Nigeria, particularly the North, could face severe water stress in the coming months. Also, severe droughts coupled with dilapidated dams have  created food insecurity with lower crop yields due to irrigation problems. Stakeholders are worried that reduced water flows will impact the economies of the region, driving up prices and causing increased hunger. They are calling for immediate rehabilitation of several dams and implementation of climate-friendly innovative irrigation solutions to address drought and improve water use efficiency. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    States in the North are facing a climate change challenge and increasing pressure on water resources for agriculture. This has had a direct impact on food production with a growing need for irrigated crop production.

    While initial concerns focused mostly on lack of irrigation water, there is the impact of the flooding.

    Indeed, the breakdown of dams and the drying up of the irrigation canals have led to additional concerns over agricultural production and export shortages. 

    Co-founder/Chief Executive, Farmer First Technologies, Gyena Iliya noted that dams play a major role in ensuring food security.

    According to him, while food systems have been an important driver of future dam construction, maintaining it has so far been overlooked.

    He highlighted the need for adequate water supply to support  irrigation, adding that better management of reservoirs has become a priority.

    Iliya has been associated with farmers in the North who have had to confront regular forecast of long-term drought, warning of high temperatures, crop damage and water supply shortages. While rains have been below average across the region, the strain on water reserves has been exacerbated by increased domestic demand.  

    His words: “Farmers within the Northwest and Northeast region experience lack of water supply and it affects productive in agriculture, especially crops production. Because of this, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Yobe and Borno are working with farmers’ network from other states.

    According to reports, the federal system of dams’ accounts for the bulk of the water farmers uses to irrigate more than 600,000 acres. As part of efforts towards proper harnessing of surface and groundwater, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Water Resources, has over the years constructed 260 dams and impounded 34 billion centimetres of bulk water in dam reservoirs for multi-purpose use, including water supply, sanitation, irrigation and power generation.

    However, receiving less of the water has been troublesome in the North as overall water use has gone down even as the number of farmers has risen.

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    With pressure on water resources a major challenge in the North, initiatives to reduce water loss through agricultural irrigation is seen as key in addressing water scarcity, according to the co-founder, Corporate Farmers International, Akinwale Alabi, who  is seeking innovations in irrigation that would  have a positive impact on the future of sustainable agriculture.

     In an interview with The Nation, he explained that broken dams and depleted reservoirs have leave critical production areas in the North without a key water supply.

    His words: “First, the responsibility for the maintenance of the banks rest on the state governments. I am going to take Jigawa as an example. If you look at what the governor is doing by ensuring that  dams that are accessed by farmers in the state have right of way. He is constructing a very big dam to assist their small holder farmers. When dams broke down, cultivation of crops such rice, onion and grains  are affected. Once an administration identifies specific dams that are damaged, they should put in place measures to repair them. This is to ensure it does not affect other farmers.

    “Secondly, the Federal Government also has a role to play.There is a department in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which monitors specific dams and irrigation projects round the country.This helps for dry season farming. Once they have red alert on a specific dam, they should move to action.The ministry has to buckle up to ensure that dams that can be used for dry season farming are in good condition.The government should work on dams that are broken or damaged. We have to give kudos to the Jigawa State government that is doing a lot in proper dam maintenance.

    “What happened in Niger State last year was excessive rainfall and dam damage. Dam damage is a major risk. States such as Niger, and Nasarawa with issues on dam access have to buckle up.This is the rainy season and we might experience concurrent rain that might led to excessive floods and crop destruction. They have to ensure they water control to avoid loss of farm produce.”

    Alabi said Jigawa State has done a lot to improve water supply for farmers through irrigation.

    He is worried about the future of the farms as climate change threatens the viability of rice farming.

    Lead Strategist, FutuX Agri-consult Limited, Olarewaju Babatunde is among stakeholders calling for a mega irrigation to protect the region from drought.

    He observed that rice farmers are threatened by the number of dams breaking down. This has had a severe impact on food security.

    An agronomist with the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN), Ahamed Tijani, has seen situation where farmers struggled to irrigate their crops because the dams have broken down, thereby affecting the flow of water to their fields. Though several dams have been rehabilitated and improved across the region, he called for increased government’s action to support construction of small multi-purpose dams.

    He recalled the hardship farmers in some parts of the North had been facing, as a result of lack of water for irrigation.

    With collapsed dams, Tijani explained that farmers would be unable to engage in dry season farming and fishing.

    According to him, a lot of communities depend on dams for survival during the dry season – for farming and fishing.

    Tijani expressed concern that the non-functionality of some dams could aid the expected harsh dry season to spoil some highly water- consuming crops.

    Farmers in some parts of Kaduna State have seen enough rains, particularly in the past few years, amid climate change that is exacerbating extreme weather patterns.

    Tijani has seen farmers trying to grow water-hungry cucumbers and peppers on land but the available water wasn’t sufficient for traditional irrigation. There were cases where a few farmers tried a drip irrigation system, supported by a government initiative.The system delivered small amounts of water, where seasonal rains are no longer a reliable source of water.

    His concern is that not much has been done to help small-scale farmers adopt water-efficient irrigation.

    Except for states such as Sokoto and Kano, according to him, there have not been remarkable plans to help farmers enjoy an abundance of water.

     He said there were situations where farmers either did not get rain when they needed it or got too much rain when their crops needed dry conditions.

    Unless mitigating measures to address the water supply problem are implemented, Tijani sees it affecting food production.

    He said the occurrence of the drought or prolonged dry spell and the delay in the implementation of irrigation systems are among the reasons water supply for agriculture keeps on decreasing.

    Deputy Managing Director, Incubation,OCP Africa, Caleb  Usoh said the government must also invest in the construction of more dams, not only for irrigation but also as a reserve reservoir for water supply of urban areas during droughts.

    Despite the Federal Government’s renewed commitment to revolutionalise the agricultural sector, 96 per cent of the dams are dysfunctional, experts said. The purpose of the construction of dams was to boost water supply, provide reservoirs for flood control, irrigation farming and hydroelectricity.

    According to analysts, water is hardly reaching the farms, as most of the dams have been neglected by governments.

     Recently, the President, Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG) Emmanuel Ijewere lamented that of the 264 dams in the country, only five are functional.

    He stressed that getting the dams to work would boost productivity and attain self-sufficiency in crop production.

    The country has irrigation land potential of about 3.1 million hectares, out of which only 150,000 hectares have been developed, according to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

    National President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Ibrahim Kabiru, said: “Most of our dams are underutilised and some are just abandoned, especially those built by various local governments.

    “Farmers must start farming all-year round to meet the rising demand for food and it is only through irrigation we can do this.’’

    The NABG vice president noted that this depended on the functionality of the dams.

    He noted that without the revitalisation of dams, the government would not achieve its goal of diversification through agriculture.

    The major challenge is that some of the dams were not built for irrigation, experts said.

    Last year, the Federal Government announced the completion of 10 dams and four irrigation projects across 10 states. It said six irrigation projects were ongoing in five states, adding that the facilities were being developed to boost agriculture and support the nation’s quest for food security.

    According to the ministry, Nigeria has a total of 250 medium and large-sized dams with a combined storage capacity of about 30 billion cubic meters.

     “The total storage capacity of these dams is more than the projected future demand of Nigeria by 2030,” the ministry added.

    The completed dams, according to the ministry, include Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam, 500,000 cubic meters, in Taraba; Ogwashi-Uku Multipurpose Dam, 4mcm, in Delta; and Adada Dam, 1.4mcm, in Enugu.Others are Sulma Earth Dam, 4mcm; Gimi Earth Dam, 4.5mcm; Kampe Omi Dam, 250mcm; and Amla-Otukpo Dam, 1.5mcm; located in Katsina; Kaduna; Kogi and Benue states.

    Others are Amauzari Earth Dam, 25mcm, in Imo; Ibiono-Ibom Earth Dam, 0.3mcm, in Akwa-Ibom; and Kargo Dam, 2.3mcm, in Kaduna. On irrigation projects, the report said four of them had been completed, while six others were ongoing. It said irrigation projects in Ejule-Ejebe, 50 hectares, Kogi; Azara-Jere, 1,880ha, Kaduna; Sabke, 879ha, Katsina; and Sepeteri, 280ha, Oyo.

    The ongoing irrigation schemes include Bakalori, 13,557ha, Zamfara; Hadeja Valley, 6,000ha, Jigawa; and Kano River, 15,000ha, Kano, Dadin Kowa, 2,000ha; Middle Rima, 4,333ha; and Gari, 2,114ha irrigation schemes situated in Gombe; Sokoto and Kano/Jigawa states.

    The water ministry noted that the aim of the Federal Government’s irrigation programme.

    Morocco

    A July World Bank report on the Moroccan economy stated that the decrease in the availability of renewable water resources put the country in a situation of “structural water stress”.

    The Interior Ministry ordered local authorities to restrict supplies when necessary and prohibits using drinking water to irrigate green spaces and golf courses.

    Illegal withdrawals from wells, springs or waterways were prohibited.

    In the longer-term, the government plans to build 20 seawater desalination plants by 2030, which should cover a large part of the country’s needs.

    Last year, African Development Bank Group (AfDB) strengthens its technical assistance to boost water resources in Morocco. The bank approved a Technical Assistance for Dam Design and Interconnection Studies on the water facilities in Khenifra located in the Middle Atlas, in central Morocco.

     A 201,000 Euro grant, extended through the Bank’s Technical Assistance Fund for Middle-Income Countries, support technical assistance to the Government of Morocco for the design of dams, river development and inter-basin interconnection studies. The beneficiary institution is the Directorate of Hydraulic Development of the Ministry of Equipment and Water.

    University of Manchester study on Africa’s Irrigation

    A new research, published in Nature, by a University of Manchester-led consortium quantified the performance of 79 African irrigation schemes.

    According to the study, big irrigation projects in Africa have failed to deliver.

    The team argued that it is the political and management frameworks underpinning African irrigation development leading to the underperformance.

    While failures of large-scale irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa have been acknowledged, it continued that its research suggested that this has had little impact on the way planners or governments approach such projects.

    According to the study, investments in large-scale water infrastructure will continue to an important means of agricultural production.

    It called for investments in storage infrastructure – both built and natural – to ensure reliable access to water. This, it noted, will provide a basis for encouraging farmers to invest in irrigated agriculture, thus reducing risks associated with adoption of new technologies or practices.

  • Celebrating Intl. Literacy Day: Unlocking Nigeria’s educational potential

    Celebrating Intl. Literacy Day: Unlocking Nigeria’s educational potential

    In the tapestry of human progress, literacy is a vital thread that weaves through the fabric of societies, shaping destinies, and lighting the path to brighter futures. Each year, on September 8, the world commemorates International Literacy Day (ILD), a global occasion that underscores the profound impact of literacy on our lives. It’s a day when countries unite to address local and global literacy challenges, recognising that this fundamental skill holds the key to alleviating poverty, promoting equality, enhancing health, preserving the environment, and fortifying democracy. In this report, CHINAKA OKORO sheds light on the achievements accomplished and the formidable road ahead in Nigeria’s quest for widespread literacy and the transformative power it carries.

    A very year, on September 8, the global community comes together to observe International Literacy Day (ILD). This date isn’t just another day on the calendar; it’s a powerful emblem of our shared commitment to confronting the pervasive issue of illiteracy, both locally and globally. Experts underscore that literacy wields remarkable potential, capable of dismantling the shackles of poverty, widening the avenues of employment, propelling gender equality, bolstering family well-being, safeguarding the environment, and nurturing democratic engagement, among a host of other benefits. In essence, ILD stands as a poignant reminder of the profound transformative power of literacy.

    For instance, a lecturer in the Department of Adult Education, the University of Lagos, Yinusa Oyekunle puts it in perspective when he said: “The unsatisfactory level of literacy has implications for poverty alleviation, job creation and reduction of unemployment, participation in economic and political activities and empowerment of people, most of whom are women…”

     A former Senior Lecturer in the Department of Curriculum Theory, Faculty of Education, the University of Lagos, Dr. Chinedu Ifechigha also established a link between literacy and human development and maintained that without education, human life would be beastly. Indeed, literacy is of pivotal importance to human development, as it plays a vital role in shaping the destiny of societies.

     “In the circumstances, therefore, literacy becomes the very essence of rapid development and progress of any society. It also contributes to the peace and economic development of society with regard to peace, welfare, harmony and democracy. In sum, literacy makes the human person,” Dr Ifechigha said.

     Interestingly, it was against the backdrop of the foregoing that Nigeria joined the rest of the global community to celebrate this year’s International Literacy Day.

    Worrisome global statistics set the tone for 2023 ILD

     Despite the many benefits that result from literacy, UNESCO recently expressed regrets that, in spite of the steady rise in literacy rates over the past 50 years, there are still 781 million illiterate adults in the world. UNESCO’s Director-General, Audrey Azoulay has said that “literacy is the key that opens the door to knowledge, emancipation and imagination.

     She said: “Literacy is the first step towards freedom, towards liberation from social and economic constraints. It is the prerequisite for development, both individual and collective. It reduces poverty and inequality, creates wealth, and helps to eradicate problems of nutrition and public health. Accessing lifelong learning, taking advantage of pathways between different forms of training, and benefiting from greater opportunity for mobility has thus become indispensable.”

    According to data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) on education and science, about 258 million children and youth were out of school in 2018 globally. The total includes 59 million children of primary school age, 62 million of lower secondary school age and 138 million of upper secondary age.

     The above statistics are worrisome and must have informed why the United Nations, through its agency, UNESCO, declared September 8 every year as International Literacy Day (ILD) in 1966 to raise awareness and concern for literacy problems that exist within local communities as well as globally.

     The theme of this year’s ILD is “Promoting Literacy for a World in Transition: Building the Foundation for Sustainable and Peaceful Societies.”

    UNESCO noted that it will, through this year’s event, give emphasis to the acceleration of progress toward the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on education and lifelong learning, even as it said that the event will engender reflection on the role of literacy in building more inclusive, peaceful, just and sustainable societies.

    Situating Nigeria in the global push to promote literacy

    Apparently aligning with the theme of this year’s UNESCO’s ILD, Oyekunle, Dr. Ifechigha and indeed, other stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector, noted that this year’s event is yet another opportunity to examine and address all the issues hampering the attainment of high literacy level for the majority of her estimated 200 million populations. According to them, Nigeria should latch on the event to review how far she has fared in efforts to improve the literacy level of her citizens, including addressing some of the identified clogs in the wheel of her progress in joining the league of countries with high literacy levels.

     Indeed, the need to use the opportunity of this year’s ILD to beam the searchlight on some of these issues has never been compelling, considering the fact that despite recording successes in her efforts to improve literacy levels, the literacy level of Nigerians is still considered low in comparison to her peers.

     For instance, data from the Federal Ministry of Education showed that as of 2022, about 31 per cent of Nigeria’s estimated 200 million population were non-literate. Although the figure was a reduction from the 38 per cent non-literacy level attained in 2015, for instance, Nigerians’ rate of illiteracy is still considered high.

     Though a modest success, the former Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Opiah, during last year’s ILD gave insight into some of the factors responsible for the reduction in Nigeria’s non-literate level. According to him, some of them include guaranteed additional access to adult and non-formal education programmes in 377 centres across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Nigeria’s poor education ranking is a sore point

    The thinking, and rightly so, is that if Nigeria had gotten her education system right, her literacy level would have significantly improved. Unfortunately, her poor standing in the world education ranking remains an issue.

     For instance, in the 2022 World Education Forum’s ranking involving 140, including 38 African countries, the Nigerian education system failed to find a place among the top 10 in Africa.

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     According to 2021 data published by the World Education Forum and reported by Insider Africa, the top 10 African countries with the best education system are Seychelles, Tunisia, Mauritius, South Africa, Algeria, Botswana, Kenya, Cape-Verde, Egypt and Namibia.

     Information gleaned from www.tekedia.com revealed that “the ranking, which used the overall level of labour competence as well as the amount and quality of schooling in each country assessed as its criteria, found Nigeria wanting in all necessary factors considered, including digital literacy, interpersonal skills and the capacity to think critically and creatively.”

     Globally, Nigeria ranked 74th in the global education system ahead of Ukraine, Hungary, Russia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She, however, holds the position for the best education system in Africa, with 69.3 points.

     Again, a 2022 UNESCO report noted that approximately 20 million Nigerians are not enrolled in school. This represents 20 per cent of the country’s entire population and is more than the overall population of various countries in Africa.

     Disappointingly, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) observed that out of these 20 million Nigerians who are not enrolled in school, over 10 million are girls. This represents about 60 per cent of the out-of-school children in Nigeria.

     The depressing statistics, according to experts and stakeholders in the education sector, contribute to the low level of literacy among Nigerians. And the unflattering statistics, they noted, are forced by poor physical facilities, inadequate sanitation, lack of textbooks and lack of properly trained teachers.

    How to reverse the negative trend, by experts

    In the face of these distressing shows, stakeholders say that this year’s ILD should be an opportunity for the Nigerian government at all levels to summon the needed political will to make and enforce policies backed with adequate funds to reduce the embarrassing literacy level in the country, including examining the factors hampering the attainment of high literacy level.

     According to them, some of these factors include, but are not limited to inadequate funding at the state and federal levels, the dearth of infrastructural facilities, limited human capacity and weak incentive structure.

     While funding is one of the key challenges affecting the smooth operation of adult literacy education in Nigeria, for instance, the dearth of infrastructure such as libraries, as well as lack of access to free books are also issues.

     Stakeholders insist that if the country makes an appreciable effort to address some of these issues encumbering the advancement of this critical aspect of human development (i.e. literacy), it would gain some notches in its current not-too-impressive position in the world education ranking.

     For instance, Oyekunle, while noting that the expansion of an individual’s educational opportunity ensures a literate society said government at all levels should ensure that the mental power of those living at the grassroots is developed in order to achieve this goal.

     Oyekunle’s words: “Rural communities are faced with diverse problems that hinder their growth and development as a result of their level of illiteracy. For example, illiteracy has reduced the quality of living standard; it has also exacerbated the challenge of survival owing to problems such as lack of access to basic education, schools, dearth of social amenities and ignorance.”

     To change the narrative, Oyekunle and other critical stakeholders in the education sector say that the government and interested parties should create more learning institutions with affordable fees and quality learning environments, as well as provide public schools with critical infrastructure such as modern libraries stocked with enough books.

     They also expressed optimism that Nigeria will realise a secure future if there is a genuine commitment to giving children quality education, for instance.

     According to them, parents, guardians and teachers should show great commitment to the education of their children and wards as quality education is vital to the general well-being of any society.

  • Human Development Index: Bill Gates points way forward for Nigeria

    Human Development Index: Bill Gates points way forward for Nigeria

    Nigeria consistently features in the lower rungs of the global ladder of human development index (HDI) including maternal and child health and access to education, among others. But Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Mr. Bill Gates, believes progress in the country is possible, though not inevitable. Gates, who spoke in Lagos with select journalists including ROBERT EGBE on the sidelines of the Pan-African Youth Innovation Forum 2023 themed ‘Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation’, points the way forward.

    Nigeria’s development challenges are no secret. Some of the country’s 36 states have health and socioeconomic data that resemble that of an active warzone. For instance, in May 2022, a World Health Organisation (WHO) publication showed that the country accounts for the second-highest number of maternal and child deaths globally. The report, titled ‘Improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth: Progress Report 2023’, put Nigeria behind India in the ranking of the lowest performers.

    It noted that in 2020, 788 women and children died ‘per thousand’ in India and 540 women and children ‘per thousand’ died in Nigeria.

    While India accounted for 17 per cent of global maternal and neonatal deaths and stillbirths, Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy and the world’s most populous black country, accounted for 12 per cent.

    Eight other countries with high maternal, neonatal, and stillbirths are Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and the United Republic of Tanzania.

    The latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI) published last September, ranked Nigeria very low – 163rd out of 191 countries– for the second consecutive year.

    The HDI, published annually by the UNDP since 1990, measures the long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living of all countries.

    Reason to hope

    But depressing as the data may seem, there is a silver lining. Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Mr. Bill Gates, pointed out a few of them in June at the Pan-African Youth Innovation Forum 2023 in Lagos themed ‘Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation’.

    One of them, he reasoned, can be found in the country’s youth population.

    According to the United Nations Population Fund’s State of World Population Report, which was released in April 2023, Nigeria’s population was estimated to rise to 223.8 million by mid-2023 from 216 million in 2022. 60 per cent of that figure is believed to be under the age of 25, making Nigeria the youngest country in Africa.

    Gates identified young, talented, innovative Nigerians as representing potential skills and passion to solve big problems.

    The BMGF boss, who spoke with students and young innovators from Nigeria and across Africa, discussed how science and innovation can accelerate positive change and contribute to a brighter future for Nigeria and Africa.

    The hybrid in-person and online event was co-hosted by the Lagos Business School and Co-Creation Hub (CcHub), in partnership with Africa.com and Channels Television.

    Gates, who was visiting Nigeria for the first time since 2018, praised Nigeria’s youth and many Nigerian partners whom the Gates Foundation has worked with for more than a decade.

    These include scientists who are scaling up new interventions that save mothers and babies, researchers who are helping smallholder farmers thrive in the face of climate change and grow more nutritious foods, and companies that are expanding access to digital financial tools.

    “When it comes to making the world a better place talented young people are the world’s most important asset,” Gates said.

    “Nigeria has one of the biggest youth populations in the world, and it’s growing fast. That represents a lot of potential skills and passion to solve big problems.”

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    Gates also stressed that progress had not been equally distributed, highlighting poor digital access for many Nigerians and inconsistent availability of health services, education, and employment – especially for women.

    In Nigeria, the gender gap in employment has increased by 25 per cent in the last five years. Men are twice as likely as women to have mobile money accounts.

    “I’m a huge believer in the power of science and innovation to help people lead long, healthy lives,” Gates said.

    “But one of the big lessons I’ve learned is that the benefits don’t automatically reach everyone. To do that, the people creating breakthroughs, the people funding them, and the people getting them into the world all need to prioritize equity.”

    Gates’ remarks were followed by a Q&A session with the audience. In his answers, Gates emphasized ways he sees Nigeria’s youth collaborating across sectors and encouraging the country’s leaders to follow through on commitments to make life in Nigeria better for everyone.

    ‘How Nigeria can minimise climate change challenges’

    Responding to a question from The Nation, Gates shared his thoughts on how the country can rise above the burning issue of climate change challenges.

    He said: “We (the BMGF) certainly have a strong message: cultural innovation is the only way to minimise the climate impact. It seems that even in the face of climate challenges, we need to be more creative. “

    Gates also acknowledged funding challenges but challenged Nigeria to find creative solutions.

    “The overall funding situation is currently very tricky. The big donors, including Europe and the US, are spending massive amounts of money on things related to the Ukrainian war, such as civilian aid, military aid, and building resources for refugees.

    “Nevertheless, we must focus on applying our finite resources to high-impact areas.

    “For example, even if funding for malaria doesn’t increase, we can still reduce its prevalence through innovation in malaria tools. Although it would be great to see funding go up, domestically we need to see how the government reallocates resources from one area to another, taking into account headwinds such as interest costs. However, this situation also presents an opportunity to prioritize health and education,” he said.

    ‘Nigeria must up investment and execution in health and education’

    He noted that in many parts of Nigeria, investment and execution in health and education require significant attention, but expressed faith that progress will continue despite setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which interrupted the measles campaigns and also affected some health services.

    Gates added: “However, we believe we can resume these efforts and make further strides. Collaboration with the government will be crucial, and we plan to implement more programs and closely monitor the work being done and the locations where it takes place. Vaccine coverage levels are one of the key indicators we are monitoring closely, and we have multiple partners who share our dedication to vaccines.”

    Recommendations for Nigeria’s healthcare spending

    Gates also offered tips on how Nigeria can improve healthcare through health budgets.

    He reasoned that to ensure effective utilisation of funds, “it is important to establish a basic level of funding, around $30 per person, and ensure proper allocation based on actual work performed.

    “This includes aligning payroll with employees and tracking locations and supply chains. This approach has proven successful in countries like Nigeria, where 90 per cent vaccine coverage has led to a significantly lower death rate compared to the northern regions.”

    Gates emphasised the need for well-run primary health systems.

    He noted that even economically disadvantaged countries like Niger “have better vaccination coverage than certain Nigerian states in that area. Therefore, both financial allocation and execution are crucial factors in achieving successful healthcare outcomes.

    “During our meetings with governors, we have observed positive reforms in places like Kaduna. While some states may spend more on health due to increased healthcare expenditure, it is important to track data and implement effective personnel policies at the local government area (LGA) level. Through reforms, states have been able to monitor healthcare centres, ensuring that the right people are present and vaccines are delivered on time. This level of scrutiny provides valuable and timely data on the functioning of the healthcare system.

    “Ultimately, the goal is to establish a highly functional healthcare system, which would require moving towards the $30 per person funding target. For comparison, the United States spends $8,000 per person on healthcare, and the spending in Lagos is likely higher than $30. The impact of such investments can be seen in indicators like maternal survival and long-term outcomes such as nutrition. Therefore, it is crucial for domestic stakeholders to support the ongoing plan, as it directly affects the well-being of Nigerian children and the effectiveness of the primary healthcare system.”

    BMGF facts

    Number of employees: 1,818

    Total grant payments since inception (through Q4 2022): $71.4 billion

    Total 2022 Charitable Support: $7.0 billion

    Total 2021 Charitable Support: $6.7 billion

    Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates’ total giving to the foundation from inception through 2022: $59.1 billion

    Warren Buffett’s total giving to the foundation from 2006 through 2022: $35.7 billion

    Foundation Trust Endowment as of December 31, 2022: $67.3 billion

  • Delays, controversies over appointment of new Auditor-General

    Delays, controversies over appointment of new Auditor-General

    Almost one year after the retirement of the Auditor-General for the Federation (AGF), Adolphus Aghughu, appointing a replacement has not been possible due to acrimony among directors. The appointment of one of the directors in the interim has not gone down well with some stakeholders, who claim the process contravened public service rules, reports TONY AKOWE.

    The retirement of the immediate past Auditor-General for the Federation (AGF), Adolphus Aghughu threw up an intense competition among directors in the office for the coveted seat.

     Prior to his retirement, there have been moves to outdo one another by some of the directors with claims and counter-claims of who is senior among them who can oversee the office.

     Aghughu’s exit in September 2022 paved the way for the appointment of Andrew Onwudili to oversee the office, even though records show that he was not the most senior director; having been employed two years after three of the directors, making him the fourth in line.

     Before the emergence of Onwudili, the Federal Civil Service Commission had commenced the process for the appointment of a new Auditor-General with an in-house advertisement.

     The Nation learnt that the initial idea was to get the Auditor-General from among the directors in the agency. But one year after the process began, there appears to be a deadlock as the commission has not been able to come up with a candidate who will be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

     Section 86 sub-section 1 to 3 of the 1999 Constitution as amended provides modalities for the appointment of the AGF.

    The section states that “the Auditor-General for the Federation shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Federal Civil Service Commission subject to confirmation by the Senate. (2) The power to appoint persons to act in the office of the Auditor-General shall vest in the President and (3) except with the sanction of a resolution of the Senate, no person shall act in the office of the Auditor-General for a period exceeding six months.”

    But the process has been bogged down by controversy regarding seniority among some of the directors in the agency. While some of them have been involved in the selection process, two others have been excluded.

     The Nation observed that the struggle for the position appeared to have started long before the occupant of the office vacated it as five of the Directors started struggling for seniority despite the provisions of Public Service on seniority in the public service.

    A letter from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation dated February 9 2021, with reference number HCSF/PSO/152/II/150 addressed to the Director of Audit overseeing the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation tried to set the records straight about seniority among the directors.

     The letter drew attention to the provisions of the Public Service Rule 020106 which states that “seniority in any department shall be determined by the entry/the assumption of duty certified by an authorised officer as reflected in the appropriate register.”

     In line with the provision, the letter which was signed by Babura in the USA, the Director in charge of Employee Mobility in the OHCSF listed the officers in accordance with their seniority level as Isiuku Julius Michael, Mrs Ogundowo Addition Oluseyi, Mrs Ugwu Ngozi Eucharia, Onwudili Ogochukwu and Gbayan Shirts Gabriel. It also stated that “with the above clarification, this matter would be laid to rest and allow for a good and harmonious working relationship devoid of rancour among the directors and other members of staff in the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation.

      The letter from the Head of Service was prompted by a letter from the Office of Auditor-General seeking intervention on the determination of seniority among the directors.

     The letter reads: “I am directed to request your kind intervention on the resolution of the seniority challenge encountered by the under-listed directors in the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation. The Human Resources Department had received complaints that they were not placed properly on the office nominal roll. Efforts to internally address the issue seem not to be satisfactory. Accordingly, it will be appreciated if the OHCSF can intervene to resolve the matter.”

     However, in another letter reference with reference number HCSF/ALSO/ODD/E&WP/64421/166 dated July 18, 2022, and signed by the Director, Organisation, Design and Development in the OHCSF, B. O. C. Omogo, the earlier list was completely turned round. The letter reads: “I am directed to refer to your letter ref no GEN/EMAD//CORR/2020/55 dated March 28, 2022, on the above subject and convey the reviewed seniority list among the five directors in your office as follows: Andrew Ogochukwu Onwudili, Shirts Gabriel Gbayan, Adeoti Oluseyi Ogundowo, Ngozi Eucharia Ugwu and Julius Michael Isiuku.

    “In arriving at the reviewed list, the parameters outlined below were taken into consideration. (a) date of present appointment; (b) career progression; (c) date of assumption of duty and (d) date of first appointment.

     “This letter, therefore, supersedes our earlier letter ref. UCSF/PSO/152/II/15 and dated February 9 2021 on the subject.”

    A look at the Public Service Rules revealed that the only criterion for determining seniority in service is the date of employment and assumption of duty.

     However, the nominal roll of the office of the Auditor-General for April 2021 sighted by The Nation revealed that while Mrs Ogundawo was first employed in the service on September 26, 1990, and confirmed two years later, the Director overseeing the Office of the Auditor-General, Andrew Onwudili was employed on July 27, 1992, and confirmed two years later. Also, another director in the OAUGF, who was excluded from the process of appointing a new Auditor-General, Mrs Eucharia Ngozi Ugwu was employed on November 11 1990 and confirmed two years later.

     Also, Shirwa Gabriel Gbayan was captured in the nominal roll as having been employed into the service on August 24, 1992, and confirmed two years later in 1994; while Julius Isiuku (he retired from service in December 2022) was employed on January 13 1989 and confirmed two years later.

      The Nation also sighted two different memos from the Federal Civil Service Commission on the list of directors qualified to participate in the selection process for the position of Auditor-General with the names of the two women missing.

    It was also learnt that, in its last days in the 9th Assembly, the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives invited the Head of Service of the Federation, Folashade Esan to explain why it should issue two separate letters on the same issue.

      Although the meeting between the Committee and the Head of Service took place, Oke, who headed the committee, said the best thing to do was to interface with the Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General of the Federation regarding the lingering controversy surrounding the seniority of top officials on the director cadre in the OAGF. Oke had said at the meeting with the Head of Service who was represented by a Director that “there is no provision for the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation to be run by a Director. It is illegal. The Director currently occupying that office cannot fulfil the constitutional roles of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

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     “We have a backlog of audited accounts of the Federation for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022, which are yet to be laid before the National Assembly due to the absence of a substantive Auditor-General of the Federation to sign them.”

     In a petition to the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives, dated February 3, 2023, Mrs Ogundowo alerted that her name was omitted from the list of eligible directors to be considered for accreditation exercise for appointment as Auditor-General for the Federation.

     She said the omission of her name was based on an unsubstantiated report of the EFCC.

     She said: “I humbly write to draw the attention of the PAC Committee to the process undertaken by the Federal Civil Service Commission midwifing the appointment of the next Auditor-General of the Federation. Having been screened by the DSS, and ICPC, it is shocking to note that the Commission (the EFCC) made an incorrect allegation on my account of income flowing into the account from a business “Satisqua Table Water Enterprises” on which I was not invited to explain but reported upon. For this kind of screening held in high esteem, it would be fair and just for the Commission to be specific on the income inflow traced to my account and seek further clarifications before drawing conclusions.

    “It is against this background that I am here seeking clarification and clearance from the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), copy of the registered business name is attached to this application. Your prompt intervention on this would be highly appreciated, please.”

    She also wrote to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation seeking intervention “in a case of serious misconduct levelled against me by the Auditor-General for the Federation, Adolphus Aghughu.”

     The letter was dated June 28 2022, a few weeks before Aghughu retired as Auditor-General.

    According to her, she was accused of contravention of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation’s Communication Policy; Falsification of Records; Unauthorised disclosure of official information; and any other act unbecoming of a public officer. According to her, issues raised in the query were in respect of seniority of Directors of Audit which she said started in 2020 but laid to rest in line with Public Service Rules (PSR) 020106, vide letter no. HCSE/PSO/152/150 dated February 9 2021.

     In the petition, she said that “at an emergency top management meeting held on June 17 2022, the AGF presented a version of the seniority list different from the one approved by the OHCSF. This he had shared on the WhatsApp Platform of the Colleges of Directors and also acknowledged to have approved.

     It is on this same Platform that I shared a copy of the seniority list I came across, particularly when the AGF had become inaccessible to most of his lieutenants (we the directors).

     This is supported by the fact that he shouted at me and instructed his security personnel to walk me out of his office in March 2021. The WhatsApp Platform for the Colleges of Directors was created to disseminate information among the directors and also for interaction as is applicable in other MDAs.

     Contrary to an allegation of circulating a fake nominal roll to the National Assembly, I wish to state that I am not aware of the existence of such in the National Assembly or any other government agency. It may interest the HCSF to note that one of the ‘fake’ nominal rolls, as alleged by the AGF was placed on the official notice board by the AGF himself.

     The HCSF may also wish to note that many versions of the fake nominal roll are in circulation and that all these versions, which are at variance with what was approved by the OHCSF, placed Mr Onwudili Andrew Ogochukwu, a Director of Audit, ahead of me as my senior, even though this is far from the truth.

     I assumed duty on September 26 1990, while he assumed duty on July 27 1992.  Both of us attained our present post of Director of Audit on January 1, 2017. 

    Mrs Ogundowo alleged in the petition that “there is a plot to disenfranchise me from participating in the selection process for appointment of a new AGF, which is why I am being victimised. This, I believe, is to enable Mr Onwydili to take over after the exit of Mr Aghughu who will be exiting the service on September 7 2022 since the most senior Director of Audit, Mr Isiuku Julius Michael, will also exit the service in December, 2022.”

     She made reference to the fact that the ground for Onwudili to take over as the most senior director may have been laid for him earlier when he was placed above her during their promotion exercise.

    She said: “My claim above is further supported by the fact that, upon our promotion to the post of directors in 201 7, Mr Onwudili was placed on SGL 17 step 10 and my good self on SGL 17 Step 8. We were both on the same step (GL 16 before our promotion to the post of Director).

     I wonder why he was given accelerated incremental steps. It is on the strength of this that I am inclined to conclude that there is a conscious attempt to prevent and disqualify me from aspiring for the post of the AGF, which I am entitled to, just like any other Director of Audit in the Federal Civil Service.”

     Continuing, she claimed that “in my 32 years of active and dedicated service (now 33), I have not received any warning or query. I am a loyal and committed civil servant with a high premium on value addition in the discharge of my official duties or any responsibilities assigned to me.”

     The Association of Retired Staff of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation have tried to intervene and ensure that justice is done to all those concerned. The association writes two separate petitions to the House of Representatives and the Federal Civil Service Commission.

      In the letters signed by the Chairman and Coordinator, Alhaji Taiwo Lawal, the association said though some of the actions taken since August 11, 2022, were found to be just, fair and acceptable, the Commission suddenly tainted the process “with the unjust removal of the two topmost Directors of Audit from the list of qualified Directors of Audit for accreditation exercise despite the fact that these female Directors of Audit met all the required conditions laid down by the commission.”

     In the letter to the House of Representatives, the Association said its desire was to see a level playing ground for all the Directors of Audit in all the processes for the appointment of the next Auditor-General for the Federation.

     It added that “Mrs Adeoti Oluseyi Ogundowo and Mrs E. N. Ugwu were both promoted Directors of Audit on January 1 2017, but the FCC dropped their names from the list of aspiring Directors of Audit for accreditation exercise that was hurriedly fixed for Friday, January 20 2023.”

     In the second petition to the Civil Service Commission, the association said that “being a critical stakeholder in the growth and development of our former office has been keenly watching and observing the process undertaken by the Federal Civil Service Commission in the appointment of Auditor-General for the Federation.”

      According to them, following the retirement of the former Auditor-General, the association supported the idea of not leaving a vacuum and having someone from within the office emerging as a replacement. It said it felt elated when the commission issued an internal advertisement and also circular requesting qualified directors to submit relevant briefs through the Human Resources Department.

     According to the Chairman, on January 13 2023, the Federal Civil Service Commission, through its circular with ref. no FCSC/CHMN/RAG/023/1I/126 and signed by Ogaba Ede (Director of Appointment and Recruitment) on behalf of the Chairman requested 10 Directors of Audit that have a minimum of one year and above before retirement to re-submit their CVs, briefs, certificates, personal and confidential files, and others to the Commission on or before January 17 2023.

    With the reduction of minimum years to retirement to one year and above, the Commission had widened the space and extended participation to earlier screened-out Directors of Audit.

    However, the Association observed that three names of suitably qualified Directors of Audit that were earlier screened and met all the requirements, including more than two years and above before retirement, were not included.

     The Directors of Audit are Mrs Adeoti Oluseyi Ocundowo FCNA. — promoted in 2017, Mrs Eucharia Ngozi Ugwu FCNA, mni. – promoted in 2017 and Mr Shakaar Chira Kantiyor FCNA promoted in 2021.

      The omission did not provide reason(s) for the non-inclusion of their names on the list. This Association was of the opinion that these three Directors of Audit must have been screened and hence there shouldn’t be a need to re-screen them for accreditation.”

     The association also said that “on January 18 2023, the Federal Civil Service Commission, through its Circular no. FCSC/CHMN/RAG/023/II/127 and signed on behalf of the Chairman by Ogaba Ede (Director of Appointment and Recruitment) released list of 11 Directors of Audit for accreditation exercise fixed then for January 20 2023.”

      It further said that “this Association was founded to protect the interest of serving and retired members of staff of Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation at all times and in all places. Consequently, the Association is not happy to confirm that, the two topmost female Directors of Audit that seem to have met all necessary requirements for accreditation were dropped.

     “Also of note was the inclusion of one of the three serving Directors of Audit (Mr Shaakaar Kantiyor Chira FCNA) —promoted to Director of Audit on January 1 2021, that was among three earlier screened but not added to the list requested for as per letter Ref. no. FCSC/CHMN/023/1/126 of January 13 2023.”

     It asked the Commission to be “gender-sensitive by bringing these two experienced female directors that were promoted in January 2017 up to the accreditation list and allow them to partake fully in the remaining exercise for the appointment of Auditor-General for the Federation.” They also want the two female Directors of Audit to be officially told the justifiable reason why their names were not included in the accreditation list.

     In a letter dated May 31 2023, the immediate past Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, Oluwole Oke informed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the infractions existing in the agency which is supposed to audit all government assets and accounts and present reports to the National Assembly.

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    Incidentally, by the provisions of section 85 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, all audited reports are to be submitted only to the National Assembly.

      Oke, whose committee has oversight function over the agency for four years, drew the attention to developments within the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation bothering on constitutional infractions on the appointment of a substantive Auditor-General of the Federation.

     He accused the Office of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil Service Commission of ignoring the provisions of the public service rules by appointing a junior director to oversee the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. This decision also contravened the provisions of section 86(3) which requires a resolution of the Senate for anybody to act in the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

     In a petition with reference no HR/ PAC/SC05/9NASS/66/206, Oke said the Head of Service contravened the provisions of the Constitution which states that no one should occupy an office in acting capacity for more than six months. As a result of the development, he said, several annual audited reports of MDAs have not been submitted to the National Assembly because the person acting as the Auditor-General lacks the power to sign the reports.

     The Nation investigation revealed that the last audited report of the government expenditure submitted to the National Assembly is the 2019 report, while the 2021 and 2022 annual reports are still pending. He said the working of the Public Accounts Committees in the National Assembly has been hampered by such delays.

     He said: “The position of the Auditor-General of the Federation became vacant on September 7 2022 after the retirement of the then substantive Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr Aghughu Adolphus.

     Contrary to the practice within the Public Service, which is that the most senior official is required to assume the role of the Head of the Institution in an acting capacity, the number three director (Mr Andrew Onwudili) with less than two years to serve was imposed on the Office and designated as the “Director Overseeing the Office” by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

     This practically upturned the seniority nominal roll of the Office and created severe animosity and apathy within the Office. In addition to the above, Section 86(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) requires that a public official heading a position can act only for six months and another person can be appointed in an acting capacity.

     However, the Director Overseeing the Office has acted beyond the required six months, which is a gross violation of the Constitution. The implication of this is that actions taken by him are both illegal and unconstitutional.

     In addition, the Annual Audit Report “for various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) which is due for “submission to the National Assembly, has not been signed and cannot be laid before the National Assembly.

      The Director Overseeing the Office lacks the constitutional capacity to sign these reports; hence, it has created a backlog, which is affecting the performance of Committees within the National Assembly.”

     Oke further said that “based on my personal inquiry and review of the situation, I noticed that one Mrs Oluseyi Ogundowo is the most senior director within the office and should have assumed the role of Acting Auditor-General.

     However, the Public Service Rule was ignored and Mr Andréw Onwudili, a junior director was appointed for perceived parochial considerations. Desperate steps were equally taken to ensure that he was appointed in a substantive capacity before the end of the last administration.

     Nevertheless, the interventions of the Public Accounts Committees of the two chambers of the National Assembly and the petition of the Association of Retired Staff of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation halted the moves by the Head of Service and the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission to install the Director Overseeing the Office as the substantive Auditor-General of the Federation.

     In view of the foregoing and in order to preserve the sanctity of and the amity within the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation, I wish to appeal that the provisions of the Public Service Rules recognising seniority of directors should be adopted in appointing a substantive Auditor-General of the Federation.

     Sources within the OAGF told The Nation that some of the directors in the office who have been aspiring for the position are due for retirement between now and the end of 2024.

     The source also said that there has been so much acrimony within the directorate cadre over the existing vacancy.

    The source said: “It has gotten to the level that some of them have lost interest. Many of the members of staff are now praying that the government should appoint the new Auditor-General from outside the Office just like it was done with the appointment of the Accountant-General of the Federation.”

     Also, sources close to the Public Accounts Committee of the House told The Nation that the committee wrote to the Attorney-General of the Federation asking that the process be stopped and for justice to be done to all parties involved.

  • Succour for families with multiple births

    Succour for families with multiple births

    Nurturing children is a demanding responsibility. However, some families find themselves raising two or more children simultaneously, further intensifying the complexity of their lives. Recognising this, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, the wife of the Lagos State Governor, has introduced the JUMEJILO initiative. This programme aims to provide assistance to economically challenged families dealing with the complexities of multiple births. OYEBOLA OWOLABI provides insight into this novel initiative

    Dr Ewanle and Mrs Foyeke Omage didn’t plan to have five babies at once, but their quintuplets came in 2021 after seven years of waiting. This, of course, engenders extra financial involvement. Their total hospital bill was N970,350.  This bill included drugs, gloves and other hospital paraphernalia as well as tests, admission, feeding and delivery.

     To prevent blood clotting, an injection that costs N3,000 each was administered to her daily. This injection lasted throughout her stay in the hospital. Mrs Ewanle was on bed rest for about two months before she was delivered of her baby on January 18, 2021. After delivery, she had to spend two more weeks in the hospital before she was discharged. The family owed the hospital N275,350. But the hospital discharged them after an agreement was reached. Caring for the quintuplets was, however, another herculean task they had to surmount. The children consumed one-and-a-half tins of formula, and 30 diapers daily. And so, the family resorted to seeking financial assistance in order to give the children a good upbringing.

     Cissé Abdullahi, an apprentice tyre dealer, whose wife was delivered of quadruplets in 2022, attempted to abscond. They were expecting twins, according to the scan result, but they ended up with four. He attempted to flee to the Benin Republic, but his friend saw him at Seme Border and encouraged him to return home. Abdullahi had wanted to flee because he had no means of livelihood, even though his wife was a fashion designer. Yet, they needed money to give the children a good life.

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     No one plans to have multiple children at once, but it is the reality of some families. This, unfortunately, puts a strain on the family and some fathers, who could not withstand the pressure, usually flee. One such was Isiaka Yusuf, who fled after his wife, Idowu, was delivered of triplets in 2016. The hospital bill totalled N500, 000 and Yusuf, a cab operator, was out of job as of then. Meanwhile, the family had two other children before the triplets.

    The situation has resulted in discontent, which disrupts family cohesion and, invariably, affects societal equability. This horrid situation might have informed the wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu to initiate the Jumejilo Multi-birth Assistance Programme (JMAP) to help families who have multiple children at once to navigate the complexities of child upbringing. At the launch of the programme, the first set of beneficiaries – two families –received N1.75 million and baby care materials.

    Mrs Sanwo-Olu said the social health initiative would support parents with multiple births from pregnancy till the first two years after the birth of the children. She stressed that it was targeted at low-income families, even as she added that benefitting parents would also be empowered with skills or financial support to boost their capacity. The initiative will run in partnership with the Ministries of Wealth Creation and Employment; Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and Youths and Social Development.

    “As a mother and a medical doctor of over three decades, I have seen limitless cases of families with multiple births suffering untold hardship. In most cases, women and children are at the receiving end. That is why the JMAP is very dear to me. It is a comprehensive care initiative to expand access to quality healthcare for low-income families with multiple births and create sustainable socio-economic paths for potential beneficiaries from the gestational to the post-natal period.

    “The JMAP intervention is about complementing the output of other existing initiatives and support systems in the Lagos State health sector for HOM parents. We are specifically rolling out the JMAP to alleviate medical complications, mortalities and disorders associated with multiple births; which include premature delivery, pre-eclampsia and irregular foetal growth, among others. For me, this intervention is about putting forward pragmatic support to save lives and create a better future for all, in line with the policy thrust of the administration of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu as highlighted in the THEMES Agenda which has been upgraded to THEMES+, with the incorporation of an intensified focus on social inclusion, gender equality and youth.”

    She implored like-minds, public-spirited individuals and corporate organisations to join her in the journey to truly give hope to families that need help. “I am ready for partnership, and one assurance is that this initiative will be sustained as a platform to make a positive difference in our society,” she added.

     Two families were the first set of beneficiaries of the JMAP. They are the Ilufuoye family with their triplets and the Odili family with their quadruplets. They expressed their joy after receiving help from unexpected sources. The Ilufuoye family received N750,000 and lots of baby care materials such as diapers, formula, detergents, and so on. Mr Ilufuoye promised to spread the good news of the government’s support for multiple birth families. “I am overwhelmed to be a recipient today. I met the governor’s wife on January 1 in the hospital, and a cheque was presented to my children then. We received a lot of gifts from her also. I am surprised that we are receiving another cheque and gifts on behalf of my triplets today.

     “Mrs Sanwo-Olu has done a lot for us and we will celebrate her more. This is the happiest moment of my life. I thank her for always checking on us. My triplets are a blessing to me, and they are adding value to my life. I appreciate the gifts from the governor’s wife.”

    The Odili family, with their quadruplets, received N1 million and other baby care materials. Mr Odili also thanked Mrs Sanwo-Olu for her love and care for his family. The family has a girl and waited another four years before God blessed them with quadruplets. He described their birth as a miracle, even as he urged people to have absolute faith in God.

     The Programme Manager, Mrs Titi Oshodi, said the Jumejilo Multi-birth Assistance Programme, though targeted at low-income earners, is not premised on financial assistance only, but also on mental and emotional support throughout the gestational period and delivery. Oshodi added that the initiative targeted at new and expectant, multiple-birth, low social class mothers, will complement and create a safe health care system for beneficiaries. The system, according to her includes support; training and free pre-natal ante-natal and post-natal care to build parents emotionally, economically, and psychologically.

     However, to qualify as a beneficiary, the expectant mother must be a resident of Lagos State with proof of address, not more than 60 years old and must not have accessed In vitro fertilisation (IVF). The family’s annual income should also not be more than N250,000.

    QUOTE

    The JMAP is a comprehensive care initiative to expand access to quality healthcare for low-income families with multiple births and create sustainable socio-economic paths for potential beneficiaries from the gestational to the post-natal period

  • Curtailing spread of anthrax in Nigeria

    Curtailing spread of anthrax in Nigeria

    In July, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) confirmed the first case of anthrax disease outbreak on a multi-specie animal farm comprising cattle, sheep, and goats in Suleja, Niger State, and warned that the disease may have spread to every part of the country. To address this issue, the Federal Government and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations met this week with relevant private stakeholders in the livestock sector to discuss further strategies to prevent future spread of anthrax in Nigeria. JULIANA AGBO reports

    On July 17, 2023, the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, confirmed the first case of anthrax in Sabo Wuse area of  Suleja local government Area of Niger State. Before the first case was confirmed in Nigeria, The Nation on June 13, 2023, reported that the Federal Government alerted the general public on the outbreak of anthrax disease in some neighbouring countries within the West African sub-region. This compelled the government to advise Nigerians to desist from the consumption of hides, otherwise known as ponmo and bush meat for the main time.

     The federal government had specifically stated that the disease was widespread in northern Ghana, bordering Burkina Faso and Togo. It also promised to keep the Nigerians updated on developments about the disease. Anthrax is a severe bacterial disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis, which primarily affects animals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats, but can also infect humans who come into direct contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products, such as meat, wool, or hides.

     Also, on July 26, 2023, the Lagos State government confirmed the first case of anthrax in the state. To this end, the state government confiscated, burnt and buried six animals infected with Anthrax disease to prevent its spread. To curtail further spread of the disease in the country, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and other relevant stakeholders in the livestock sector met this week with directors of veterinary services across the states and the Federal Capital Territory in Karu, Nasarawa State, to come up with comprehensive prevention and control strategies to prevent further spread of the disease in Nigeria.

     Speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Ernest Umakhihe, who spoke through the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Columba Vakuru, said on the record, 34 animals have been lost to the disease mainly from Niger and Lagos States. Umakhihe also noted that risk was higher for animals roaming about which there are measures that can be taken to mitigate it.

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     Speaking on what action the federal government is taking to curtail the spread, Umakhihe said the government is taking vaccination to all farms for animals to develop immunity against the disease. “We have rolled out vaccines to affected states; we are going to send more to all states of the Federation so that animals will have immunity. With time, it will get to all farms, what we do now, if all the animals are vaccinated, they will develop immunity against the disease.”

     He also noted that the Ministry, in partnership with other stakeholders, is creating awareness to prevent the disease from getting into the farms or house or livestock markets. “What we have done is risk based vaccination of where  the confirmed the  outbreak and cover all the susceptible animals in that area in the ring form, the advantage of that is that all the animals  vaccinated will develop immunity, so they are not likely to come down with the disease. We want the public to be aware and be conscious of where they get the products for consumption for other use, So that they will avoid the risk of getting in contact with an infected animal or animal product.”

     Also, the FAO-Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) team leader for Nigeria, Dr Otto Muhinda, said the organisation has put in place measures to curtail the spread to anthrax in other parts of the country by embarking on a risk communication and risk-based vaccination exercises in the affected state. He noted that the FAO has advocated house-to-house vaccination of cows and small ruminants, besides awareness creation on the dangers of the disease to meat value chain operators in some major markets in Lagos due to the outbreak of the disease in the state.

    Funds, vaccine needed to curtail spread

      Speaking on the fund needed to curtail the spread, Muhinda said a total of $3 million is needed for the prevention and control of Anthrax in Nigeria. Muhinda noted that  25 million vaccines are needed in Nigeria due to the number of livestock available in the country.

     We have done some calculations about three million dollars is needed to curtail the disease, there are approximately 22.3 million cattle, 53 million sheep, 99.8 million goats and 9.2 million pigs, across the six geopolitical zones of the country. Vaccinating the animals in Nigeria, we need 25 million doses of the vaccine.

     Analysing the vaccine distributed so far, the Director/Chief Veterinary Officer, Epidemiology, Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services and Chair, National Anthrax Technical Working Group and Incident Manager for the Control of Anthrax, Dr Chinyere Ikechukwu-Eneh, said 100,000 vaccine has been dispatched. He said the federal government, in collaboration with partners, has dispatched a total of 100,000 vaccine jabs to Lagos and Niger for emergency vaccination. Also, directors of veterinary services of Kebbi, Lagos, Niger, Yobe, FCT, Plateau, Gombe and Oyo states, while giving an update noted that vaccinations of animals have commenced.

    Concerns over fake vaccine and measures taken

    The Executive Director, National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Dr Maryam Muhammad, who raised the alarm over the circulation of fake anthrax vaccines in the country, cautioned Nigerians against patronising uncertified anthrax vaccine from private individuals. She said the fake vaccine was detected in Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kwara and Oyo states. Muhammad said the Institute has already alerted security agencies on the circulation of the fake vaccine as measures are being taken to crack down the vendors.

     Speaking on how to identify the original from the fake vaccine, she said it comes in 200ml with the inscription 400 and NVRI written on it, while the fake has two different names on it. She said: “We write 400 on it; it has the NVRI. We produce it in 200 ml;, it is liquid form. It has 400 doses written on the plastic bottle; we do not produce anything other than the 400 doses. We will like farmers to note that anything that is like this, they should not buy; the fake vaccine has two different names on it and we detected it in Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kwara and Oyo States.

     “What we are insisting is that if one needs the vaccine, come through either your state, director of veterinary services, accredited distributor who is a technical person or a vet who is in private practice, that way we think we can control the availability of this vaccine.”

     Umakhihe reiterated the need for state governments to mobilise resources and deploy the same timely for the control of the disease. He noted that the ministry will continue to support vaccines against the disease and other essential disease containment materials within the limit of budgetary provisions. He said: “Anthrax, as you all know, is a highly contagious and fatal zoonotic disease which poses a significant threat to both our livestock industry and the health of our citizens. The disease has significant implications on livelihood, food nutrition and security. As such, the contributions and collaborations of all relevant stakeholders is needed at this point to effectively control the disease in the country.”

    What farmers, veterinarians should do

      Furthermore, the Permanent Secretary urged livestock farmers to always seek the services of veterinarians when there is a change in their animals. Umakhihe, while calling in farmers to create a vaccination plan suitable for their animals, urged them to refrain from killing sick animals. “If an animal is sick and is killed, the anthrax spores may be released, which humans may breathe in. Avoid consuming products from sick or dead animals, and report any instances of abrupt animal death to the local veterinary authority or the state ministry of agriculture

     “There is a need for cattle owners to know of the presence of the disease in the country and be very professional in their activities, especially when they are moving to prone areas where the disease has been confirmed. We advised that they ask for veterinarian services and avoid moving into contaminated areas because the disease can spread through contamination of pastures and contamination of water.”

     On his part, Muhinda urged farmers to be aware of the danger of the disease. He reiterated the need for them to encourage vaccination in all animals to stop the spread of the disease.

     He also called on veterinary officers in affected areas to know how to package and transport the samples collected to the laboratory without spreading the disease as FAO was committed to continuous support of the government.

     The National President of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Mr Othman Ngelzarma, said the association is sensitising its members on the signs, symptoms and how to prevent the spread of the disease. He, however, noted that the entire value chain of the livestock, from the farmers, transporters, marketers and butchers, do not have the necessary education on some of the zoonotic diseases. “We are happy that vaccinations have started in order to curb the spread of the outbreak into other areas because we know the disease is very devastating once it affects cows it kills them and it can be transmitted to human beings. We have been  sensitising our members since the outbreak started to report any suspected case they see to the nearest veterinary laboratory around them in order to stop wider spread of the disease.”

     Stakeholders at the meeting called on the Nigeria Customs to stop the import of livestock, particularly along the borders, until the situation improves. They also called for a temporary ban on hide and skin because of the experience from countries that suffered from the disease.

     The stakeholders however reiterated the need for workers in affected farms and abattoirs be tracked and tested as part of surveillance mechanisms.

     Speaking further, Ngelzarma called for more education and sensitisation of members of the association to accept vaccination. A veterinary practitioner, Dr Bala Mohammed, called on the authorities at the federal and state governments to make a culture of embarking on regular training, particularly of field officers at regular intervals instead of waiting for emergencies like the current situation.

  • Furore over Isese celebration in Kwara

    Furore over Isese celebration in Kwara

    There is palpable fear among residents of the Ilorin Emirate in Kwara State, Northcentral Nigeria. Opposition by some Islamists to the planned celebration of Yoruba cultural heritage known as Isese Festival may plunge the age-long tranquil Emirate renowned for its ethno-cultural tolerance and inter-religious harmony into turmoil. ADEKUNLE JIMOH reports

    A major religious crisis is brewing in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. Already, residents of the ancient city, which has been a confluence of faiths and ethnic varieties, fear for the worse, as alleged attempt by some Islamists in Ilorin to muzzle freedom of worship in the state is said to be threatening peace and harmony in the state.

    The crux of the matter is the recent opposition to the planned celebration of Yoruba cultural heritage known as Isese Festival by some Islamists in Ilorin. This, The Nation learnt, came after the Priestess of the Isese Festival, Yeye Ajisekemi Omolara Olatunji, had fixed the festival’s yearly anniversary for July 22nd this year, and had gone ahead to gleefully print invitation letters to herald the programme of activities for the event.

    However, the excitement that naturally heralds the rich line up of programme of activities for the Isese festival gave way for anxiety when, suddenly, the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, in a Sallah message delivered shortly after the two-Rakat prayer marking the 2023 Eid celebrations, warned residents of the Ilorin Emirate to desist from any act he considered alien to the culture of the people.

    Perhaps, acting on the respected monarch’s subtle admonition, a Muslim group, Majlisu Shabab li Ulamahu Society, was said to have stormed the Ilorin residence of the Isese Priestess, Yeye Olatunji, to caution her against embarking on the planned Isese festival in the five councils.

    The Islamic sect insisted that the Isese festival must not hold, alleging that the Emir sent them to convey the warning.

    Isese, the Yoruba word for tradition, is used to denote different kinds of festivals held by adherents of the Yoruba traditional religion in Nigeria, Cuba, Brasil, the United States, Benin, and other countries. And the action of the Muslim group has, quite naturally, not gone down with people within and outside the Emirate, many of who feel that the opposition by the Islamists was an attack on Nigeria’s secular status.

    Literary giant and Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka is one of those that lent their voices against what they considered as an apparent attempt to muzzle freedom of worship in the state. Prof. Soyinka noted, for instance, that soon after the Moslem season of spiritual purification, “it is sad to see the ancient city of Ilorin, a confluence of faiths and ethnic varieties, reduced to this level of bigotry and intolerance, manifested in the role of a presiding monarch.”

    Prof. Soyinka said year after year, the Ramadan has been celebrated in Nigeria as an inclusive gathering of humanity, irrespective of divergences of belief, and not once, in his life, has he encountered pronouncements by followers of any faith that the slaughtering of rams on the streets and market places is an offence to their concept of godhead. In an open letter to the Ilorin monarch, he said: “It is conducts like this that has turned, before our very eyes, a once ecumenical city like Kaduna into a blood-stained mockery of cohabitation.

    “It is conducts like this that makes it possible for a young student, Deborah, to be lynched in the very presence of armed police, on mere allegation of having belittled the image of a revered prophet. It is action of this nature, perpetrated in obscure as well as prominent outlets of the country that turns a young generation into mindless monsters, ever ready to swarm out and kill, kill, kill.

    “Simply kill for the thrill of it, but under presumption of religious immunity. It is conducts like this that then nerves one extremist to wake up one day in a Scandinavian country, publicly announce his intention, and proceed to make a bonfire of copies of the Qur’an.

    Reprisals follow, equally mindless, trapping humanity in an  ever-ascending spiral of costly but gleeful violence.”

    The respected don noted that the greatest avatars that the world has known were not without human frailties, flaws, and errors of understanding. “You are not omniscient, and you are not omnipotent,” Soyinka told the Emir.

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     Yeye Olatunji said: “I have spent a colossal sum of money in preparation for the festival. I have paid close to N300, 000 to hire the hall, we have booked for Aso Ebi (Ankara) and customised T shirts and other things. But what I spent is not equivalent to life. I have planned to celebrate the annual Aje Olokun festival. I’m a member of the Kwara State Association of Traditional Religion, otherwise known as Isese.”

    She further said it is an association of people practicing traditional religion. “We are not members of the Christian group or the Muslim group. We practice traditional religion which is allowed by the Nigerian Constitution. We planned a three day event to celebrate the traditional religion festival between July 22 and 24. It is not a secret thing that we want to do.

    “It is a get together party in which we want to give recognition to some people who leave within and outside the country,” Yeye Olatunji emphasised.

    According to her, it is not the first time that she will be celebrating the festival. But this year’s festival is planned to be more elaborate and we want to give recognition to some of our friends who have been supporting us. But there was misinformation caused by social media, which went out with some information that are not true,” she said.

    The Priestess clarified: “I have been living in Ilorin and I have enjoyed the peace of the town since I came to settle here. I am a peaceful person and nobody has gone to report me to anyone that I have disturbed him or her and no one can accuse me of carrying any sacrifice or litter the area with local sacrifice. I have been living peacefully in the community.”

    She, however, said the social media continued to dish out information which are not true and which did not emanate from her. She also said op till now, none of the social media operators have come to her to seek for information or clarify things from her. “The wrong information which the social media published made the people who came to my house react that way.

    “The social media, through their various publications made people to misinterpret the programme. It is not my intention to bring idol worship to Ilorin because I know what the town stands for as the center of Islam.

    “Those people who are circulating false information about me and peddling unsubstantiated rumours on what I want to do want to set the people against me,” Yeye Olatunji stated.

    She denied allegation of distributing fliers, saying, “I didn’t print fliers and I didn’t distribute any fliers. Anyone who has copies of the fliers should produce them. Although, I printed invitation cards, but I have not even distributed the cards before the problem started.

    I don’t know how the invitation cards got out because when the printer finished his work, he delivered the invitation cards to me.”

    She said she only posted it on her Facebook group and informed members of the Kwara State branch of Traditional Religion worshipers Association, also known as Isese Group. “I have not distributed it to any of the invitees. So, how it got out I don’t know,” she insisted.

    Yeye Olatunji emphasised: “I am a traditional religion worshiper but I’m not an Osun devotee, I don’t worship Osun deity. I’m a devotee of Aje Olokun which belongs to Obatala deity.

    Giving more details, she said: “My conversion to traditional religion was through personal experience. Nobody converted me to worship traditional religion, but I got the inspiration from dreams and other sources of self motivated factors. You should not be surprised if I tell you that I was a prophetess in a spiritual church before I became a traditional religion worshiper and my conversion has paid off.”

    The Priestess, however, said she has stopped the festival. Her words:

    “It is not because of what they are saying that I cancelled the programme. I cancelled it because of wise counsel from the elders, religious leaders and the police, who advised that the programme be stopped. I cancelled the celebration because I don’t want crisis, I don’t want people to see me as a trouble maker and I don’t want people to label me that I caused religion crisis in Ilorin.

    However, Kawoleyin of Shao Land, also in Ilorin Emirate, Pa Awoniyi Awogbemi, expressed sadness over the cancellation of the festival, saying that Kwara is a Yoruba state, and the act amounted to disenfranchisement of religious practice.

    “I wasn’t happy immediately I heard about the cancellation of Isese festival, as Isese is a Yoruba entity. When I heard some group of people kicked against it, I was not happy. Kwara State is a Yoruba state. Out of 16 local governments, Yourba people have 70 or 80 per cent of the population, Pa Awogbemi said, asking, “How can a certain group of people disenfranchise a person not to practice her religion?

    While pointing out that the Nigerian Constitution allows the three religions, so one is free to practice his or her religion, Pa Awogbemi said the act could cause misunderstanding and unrest in the society.

    A traditionalist, Dr Ayinla Sangodare, also said: “I am reacting withdispleasure as I can see injustice, obvious injustice. It was an effrontery to do that but am happy Prof. Wole Soyin spoke yesterday through his letter. It’s unfortunate that the monarch involved is a judge who understands the constitution of this country. We can’t call that ignorance; it’s a deliberate dehumanization and denial of people’s right”

    He, however, said if the situation is not properly managed, it is an invitation to violence because that’s how violence is been triggered.

    He also enjoined the governor of the state to mediate to see that the issue is resolved, to ensure there’s Justice.

    But the Islamists have kicked their heels in, insisting that their action was in order. For instance, the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) said it is in absolute conformity with the position of Alhaji Sulu-Gambari on his directive that no form of celebration of Isese festival should hold anywhere in Ilorin, saying that the directive was to preserve the harmony in the community.

    The National President of the union, Alhaji Aliyu Otta Uthman, insisted that the position of the Emir remains the view of the people of Ilorin Emirate who are not only predominantly Muslims, but also peace-loving.

    He said that the attempt to celebrate Isese or any other pagan festival is alien to the culture of Ilorin and could precipitate unnecessary crisis.

    Alhaji Uthman, a retiree of the Department of State Service (DSS), said that the experience he garnered over the years and from across all the states of the federation he served showed that for peace to reign, the culture of a host community needed to be respected by all and sundry.

    He added that the diatribe reportedly authored by Prof. Soyinka and a few other commentators on the matter were unfortunate, incorrect and needless. The community leader said that freedom of worship, just like other liberty enshrined in the constitution, is not absolute, noting that only the ignorant would encourage an Imam to go to Vatican with the aim of observing or leading the observance of Eid prayers or any other Islamic religious duty.

    Alhaji Uthman added that the peace being enjoyed in Ilorin should not be trampled upon, adding that the calmness of Ilorin people should also not be provoked or taken for granted. While noting that Ilorin welcomes all, he insisted that the people of the community who have no other place to call their home would never allow her age long culture to be violated by those who settle among them.

    While asking the people of Ilorin Emirate to remain calm, the IEDPU President assured that the Union would, in cooperation with other stakeholders, continue to pursue, encourage and maintain harmonious dispositions in the interest of all.

    Similarly, the author of Ilorin History and a community leader, Alhaji Lasisi A. Jimoh said that Soyinka’s “references to the fatal inter-religious disharmony and hostility in Kaduna, Boko Haram and ISWAP are a calculated incitement to disrupt the age-long tranquillity in Ilorin Emirate that is renowned for ethno-cultural tolerance and inter-religious harmony.

  • Human trafficking: Tracking Nigeria’s response to a global scourge

    Human trafficking: Tracking Nigeria’s response to a global scourge

    Globally, an estimated 50 million people are living in modern slavery, forced by one form of trafficking in persons or the other, with at least 1.6 million of them Nigerians, according to the 2023 Global Slavery Index. The 50 million tally is an increase of 10 million people in modern slavery worldwide since 2016, and it underscores the heinous and scary nature of human trafficking. However, as Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark this year’s World Day against Trafficking in Persons, on Sunday, July 30, CHINAKA OKORO looks at how Nigeria has fared so far in the global battle to stamp out the obnoxious and dehumanising trade

    Nothing would gladden the heart of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres than to see members of the international community, including Nigeria, hearken to his call for a world “where no one can ever be bought, sold or exploited.”

     Guterres’ call, passionate and profound as it were, was his message for this year’s World Day against Trafficking in Persons, observed every July 30, in a bid to eradicate human trafficking across the globe.

     The UN Scribe elaborated on his message, saying: “On World Day against Trafficking in Persons, we urge our governments to step up responses and give victims the support and justice they deserve.

     “Human trafficking is a heinous crime that affects every region of the world. Women and girls already account for more than 70 per cent of detected human trafficking victims and currently are among the hardest hit by the pandemic.

    “If the world is to put human dignity and human rights at the centre of the scheme of things, we need to do more to protect trafficking victims and prevent vulnerable people from being exploited by criminals.

    “Human trafficking is a heinous violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms. It preys on the vulnerable and thrives in times of conflict and instability. Today, amid growing inequalities, worsening climate emergencies, and record displacement, more people are left vulnerable to traffickers.

     The UN chief did not stop there. He said: “Most detected victims are women and children, many of whom suffer brutal violence, forced labour and horrific sexual exploitation and abuse.

     “This must  change. We must invest much more in detection and protection. We must strengthen law enforcement to bring criminals that commodify humankind to justice. And we must do more to help survivors rebuild their lives.”

     He emphasised that “on this World Day against Trafficking in Persons, let us redouble our efforts to detect, protect and support survivors and leave no trafficking victim behind. Together, let us build a world where no one can ever be bought, sold or exploited.”

     The World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2023 was themed “Reach Every Victim of Trafficking, Leave No One Behind.”

     It  calls on governments, law enforcement agencies, public services, and civil society to assess and enhance their efforts to strengthen prevention, identify and support victims and end impunity.

     Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labour or a commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide.

    Tracking Nigeria’s response to the scourge

    As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark this year’s World Day against Trafficking in Persons, the question on the lips of concerned local and international observers and experts in that space is how has Africa’s largest and most populous country faired in the global campaign to stamp out human trafficking and uplift the vulnerable from exploitative tendencies?

     What immediate and long-term measures (legal and institutional) has Nigeria put in place to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers? Is Nigeria still the missing link in the global campaign to stamp out the obnoxious trade?

     Are there clear pieces of evidence that the global fight against human trafficking, at least from Nigeria’s side, is on course and not losing steam? To what extent has the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which is charged with the responsibility of coordinating Nigeria’s crime prevention and law enforcement resources to stamp out human trafficking, lived to its billing?

     Specifically, if the roll call of members of the international community that have taken steps to halt human trafficking, even before Guterres’ clarion call, this year, for a world “where no one can ever be bought, sold or exploited,” will Nigeria rise to be counted?  And what further steps are required to strengthen her fight against this dehumanising trade?

    Indeed, these questions have become pertinent given Nigeria’s depressing human trafficking statistics.

    For instance, NAPTIP Director-General Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, in a chat with newsmen on the activities lined up for this year’s World Day against Human Trafficking, said the 2023 Global Slavery Index show that 50 million individuals are living in modern slavery, with at least 1.6 million Nigerians affected.

     Prof. Waziri-Azi’s words: “In 20 years, we have seen the crime of human trafficking spread like wildfire in terms of the enormity, trends and patterns. It has not been an easy fight to dismantle these networks, but we remain undaunted.

     “Recently, the 2023 Global Slavery Index said that globally, 50 million people were living in modern slavery, an increase of 10 million people since 2016.”

    The NAPTIP boss, whose chat also coincided with the marking of 20 years of establishment of the Agency, however, did not mince words when she said: “What this (the foregoing statistics) indicates is the urgent need for a more strategic and deliberate global response to these problems.”

    Nigeria rises to the occasion

    Thankfully, NAPTIP, based on Prof. Waziri-Azi’s revelations, has been putting up a stiff fight against human trafficking. “Nigeria is better poised to control and tackle human trafficking, due to the collaborative efforts of everyone.

     “The public is better informed about issues of human trafficking, and this is due to the amplified visibility of NAPTIP,” she said, exuding the confidence of a triumphant soldier.

     According to her, Nigerians have become their brother’s keeper, looking out for one another and this has increased reportage of issues of human trafficking and violence against persons (domestic and sexual violence).

     The NAPTIP boss dished out a number of statistics to back her claims. She said, for instance, that the Agency had rescued no fewer than 19, 000 trafficked people in 2023 alone, adding that about 32 people had been convicted of various crimes related to human trafficking between January and May.

    Also, NAPTIP identified 935 trafficking victims, including 521 involved in sex trafficking, 129 labour trafficking victims and 285 victims of unspecified exploitation, compared with 499 victims and 812 potential victims it identified the previous year.

     NAPTIP’s statistics further indicate that 1,076 cases of trafficking in persons were recorded in 2018 as against 1, 032 in 2020. The data, however, show that sexual exploitation remained the first form of exploitation, with 460 cases as against 279 recorded for forced labour.

     However, the Agency’s indicators show a reduction in the number of detected female victims throughout the years 2018 with 961; in 2019 the figure reduced to 929; and in 2020, the number was further reduced to 868.

     NAPTIP rescued 1, 450 victims of trafficking in 2021, out of which 1, 266 were women. Although, foreign travel which promotes prostitution, was previously the largest category of Nigerian female trafficking victims who travel abroad, the same has now been overtaken by child abuse cases that stood at 312 in 2021, out of which 215 were girls.

     In terms of performance and rating, the 2023 Global Slavery Index Report ranked Nigeria 38 out of 160 countries with the highest number of slaves in the range of 1.6 million.

     Nigeria is a signatory to the 2000 United Nations Convention on Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC) and its Protocol to Suppress, Prevent and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children.

     It was on this basis that Nigeria established NAPTIP in 2003, in fulfilment of her international obligation under the Protocol to adopt and review measures to curb the enormity of trading in human commodity.

     However, the establishment of NAPTIP was not Nigeria’s only response to the fight against the illicit trade. The Federal Government also moved a notch higher, evolving some policies aimed at regulating and enforcing plans towards eliminating the scourge.

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    For instance, the Federal Government evolved the National Action Plan on Human Trafficking in Nigeria 2022 to 2026, which serves as a roadmap for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), state task forces against human trafficking, civil society organisations and international donor organisations as well as the media in the fight against human trafficking.

     Also, the Trafficking in Persons Law Enforcement and Administration Act (TIPLEAA), as amended in 2015, criminalised sex and labour trafficking and prescribed a minimum penalty of two years imprisonment and a fine of N250,000 for both offences. The penalties were aimed at preventing would-be culprits from being involved in such a reprehensible act.

     Despite these efforts, the horrendous trade in human commodities still thrives, with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) urging that “Nigeria must step up efforts to eradicate human trafficking and ensure that existing legal and institutional measures are strengthened and adequately implemented to protect individuals from human traffickers.”

     Presenting an end-of-mission statement at the end of an eight-day visit to the country, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro also advised that “public institutions must be able to fulfil their obligations to protect the rights of victims and survivors of trafficking and promote their social inclusion.”

     Ms Giammarinaro also said the government should ensure adequate funding for anti-trafficking actions.

     She said: “I acknowledge the government’s stated political will to address human trafficking, as well as the solid legal and institutional foundations for the anti-trafficking work in the country.”

    A scourge and its global dimension

    The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said approximately 50 million people were victims of modern slavery as of 2021, with the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery Report indicating that out of this figure, 28 million were in forced labour while 22 million were trapped in forced marriages.

    The report said women and girls accounted for 71 per cent of modern slavery victims, and 25 per cent were children, as one in four victims of modern slavery were in this category.

      However, the Anti-slavery International’s revelation that 49.6 million people live in modern slavery appears to confirm IOM’s figure. The figures are, however, at variance with that provided by New York Times, which, in its publication on October 2, 2021, said nearly 40 million people around the world are enslaved.

     But a common thread that runs through the figures is the fact that modern slavery is a global issue and not peculiar to Nigeria or any member of the international community. The Global Slavery Index, however, revealed that the number of people living in modern slavery has increased since 2018.

    Causes, forms of modern slavery

    The UN could not agree less. “Global crises, conflicts and the climate emergency are escalating trafficking risks. Displacement and socio-economic inequalities are impacting millions of people worldwide, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers,” it said.

     The global body noted that those who lack legal status live in poverty, have limited access to education, health care, or decent work, face discrimination, violence, or abuse, or come from marginalised communities are often the primary targets of traffickers.

     However, The Devatop Centre for Africa Development brought the aforementioned reality nearer home when it said that “millions of Nigerian young women, girls, boys, youth and children are at risk of human trafficking due to illiteracy, ignorance, greed, lack of opportunity, inequality, gender-induced cultural bias, and persistent unemployment.”

     The Centre listed other causative factors to include poverty (a principal driving force), large family size, family crisis; community crisis, high demand for cheap labour, desire for youth emancipation, inadequate political commitment, porous borders, and lack of strong political will.

    It also said lack of access to education, sex-selective migration policies, disruption of the supportive system, traditional community attitude, manipulation of religious rituals, loss of parents, human deprivation, and insurgency, among others, contribute to the situation.

     On its part, Anti-Slavery International revealed that contemporary slavery takes various forms and affects people of all ages, gender and races, adding that “the most common form of slavery is human trafficking.

     It described human trafficking as the “use of violence, threats or coercion to transport, recruit or harbour people in order to exploit them for purposes such as forced prostitution, labour, criminality, marriage or organ removal or harvesting.”

     On the other hand, forced labour, according to Anti-Slavery International, is “work or services people are forced to do against their will, usually under threat of punishment.”

     Another form of servitude is child slavery, which describes a situation “when a child is exploited for someone else’s gain. This can include child trafficking, child soldiers, child marriage and child domestic slavery.”

     Also, forced and early marriage is another form of slavery. This is “when people are married off against their will and cannot leave. Most child marriages can be considered slavery.

     These various forms of slavery must have informed the choice of the theme of this year’s World Day against Trafficking in Persons, which is “Reach Every Victim of Trafficking, Leave No One Behind.” And leaving no one behind is the central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

     The correlation between the theme, “leave no one behind” and the central focus of the fight against trafficking in persons is not far to seek. This is because when the theme was conceptualised in September 2015 by UN member states, the new global development agenda was unanimously adopted.

     They agreed to set agenda to achieve sustainable development by 2030 during which they decided to “leave no one behind” and to “reach the furthest behind first.”

     So, in the context of trafficking in persons, leaving people behind indicates “failing to end the exploitation of trafficking victims, failing to support victim-survivors once they are free from their traffickers, and leaving identifiable groups vulnerable to traffickers.”

     The UN’s 2030 Agenda lists those who are left behind to include “…children, youth, persons with disabilities (of whom more than 80 per cent live in poverty), people living with HIV/AIDS, older people, indigenous peoples, refugees and internally displaced persons.”

     The world body reasoned that tackling human trafficking brings the world closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls, combatting organised crime and eradicating forced labour, abuse, exploitation and violence against children.

    The 2030 Agenda was aimed at achieving sustainable development in the economic, social and environmental dimensions. Eradicating extreme poverty is at the heart of all efforts. But, this seems to be an ambitious reverie, as poverty can only be ameliorated and not eliminated from society.

    ‘Leave no one behind’ targets 2030 when the Agenda for Sustainable Development and its attendant SDGs would be attained.

    This indicates the unambiguous commitment of all UN member states to ameliorate all forms of poverty, end discrimination and exclusion and reduce the inequalities and vulnerabilities that leave people behind and undermine the potential of individuals and humanity as a whole.

    While these are noble intentions, achieving them in an atmosphere of strife and insecurity in almost all countries of the world, especially those in the Third World such as Nigeria, will certainly not be a walk in the park.

  • Leveraging new pricing template to stimulate gas production

    Leveraging new pricing template to stimulate gas production

    Sequel to the inauguration of the Decade of Gas Secretariat at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), a new gas pricing template to incentivise gas producers to supply more gas for domestic consumption and export has been worked out. The new price template, which is currently awaiting President Bola Tinubu’s approval before release, underscores the renewed commitment of the Federal Government and its partners to develop the country’s gas industry. JOHN OFIKHENUA reports

    The immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari launched the ‘Decade of Gas’ in December 2021 as a collective force to stimulate gas production to meet domestic gas obligations and export. The move also followed Nigeria’s adoption of gas as its transition energy in the ongoing global energy transition.

     So, with the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in 2023, which liberalised operations in the oil and gas sector, it was assumed that the Decade of Gas was spurred to deliver on its mandate.

    The recourse to domestic gas utilisation became expedient since the new law automatically meant full deregulation of the sector. In other words, it presupposed that the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) would go.

     Planning the phasing out of subsidies necessitated the call for alternative fuels that would lessen the expected petrol pump price hike. Gas was the choice fuel. Therefore, the Decade of Gas was to provide an alternative cheaper fuel in place of petrol and to also serve as the country’s energy transition fuel since it is cleaner energy.

    Now, with the stoppage of the petrol subsidy, it is obvious that gas is cheaper than PMS. In addition, it is cleaner and the country is enormously endowed with it. Although there is a potential of 600 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) of gas, Nigeria presently has a gas reserve of over 208TCF, ranking number one in the continent. Yet, Nigeria is a low gas-consuming country.

     The Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engr. Gbenga Komolafe gave an insight into the gas industry and attempts at stimulating its development at the Nigerian Association for Energy Economics 16th Annual International Conference in Abuja.

     He said: “With a reserve base of 36.97 billion barrels of oil and 208.83 trillion cubic feet of gas, which represent 33 per cent of Africa’s total gas reserves of 620 TCF, Nigeria can be described as a gas-rich country, ranking number one in Africa in reserves with a Life Index of 94 years.

     Komolafe said this clearly presents Nigeria in a dominant position in the entire African gas market. Nigeria, he said, has the potential to ensure sustained supply of natural gas across the sub-Saharan region of Africa, if the necessary financing and infrastructure are in place.

    He revealed that the PIA has also engendered the much-desired reforms aimed at ensuring the rapid development and effective production of Nigeria’s gas resources by providing very attractive fiscal terms for investors.

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     While pointing out that the Act provides for a lower royalty rate for domestic gas (2.5%), Komolafe stated that to operationalise the Act, the Commission has also developed key regulations and initiatives that will ensure accelerated gas exploration and development to deepen domestic use for industrialization and export opportunities for enhanced revenue generation.

    Indeed, the importance of gas to the nation’s economy cannot be overemphasised. For instance, electricity generation gulps the better part of gas production in the country, with 75 per cent of Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) energy generation said to be gas-based.

     However, the gas constraint has inhibited the generation capacity of the power plants. For instance, a source at an Electricity Generation

     Company (GenCo) said “On July 8, 2023, the average generation capacity stood at 6,578.27MW, while average generation was 3,938.27MW, leaving 2,640.00MW stranded.

      On July 9, 2023, the average generation capacity was 6,319.12MW. The average generation was 3,902.02MW, and 2,417.10MW was stranded. Worthy of note is the fact that stranded energy is also the unutilised available capacity. Industry operators have always blamed it on a lot of factors, chiefly, gas constraints.

     On Wednesday last week, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) lamented that 47 per cent of available capacity is not utilised owing to constraints such as gas supply shortage. Its Vice-Chairman/Commissioner, Market, Competition and Rates, Musiliu Oseni, made the disclosure while tweeting from a stakeholders’ workshop.

     Oseni said: “Only 53 per cent of available (electricity) capacity is utilised due to challenges with gas supply, transmission and distribution constraints and commercial challenges.”

     Despite the potential for gas and the huge market of over 200 million people, Nigeria’s domestic gas penetration is low. This is because legacy debts, low pricing and unfavorable market environment have held the industry down.

     Speaking at the inauguration of the Secretariat of the Decade of Gas in Abuja on Wednesday, Coordinator of Decade of Gas, Mr ED Ubong gave an insight into the barriers to generation and free flow of gas to the domestic market.

     He said the power sector owes gas suppliers between $700 million to $1billion, stressing that the Federal Ministry of Finance and the

     Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company Limited (NELMCO) is already making frantic and concerted efforts to pay the outstanding debts.

    According to him, the repayment will give the gas suppliers the necessary comfort to keep supplying gas for power.

    Ubong said: “From my estimate, those debts could be between $700m to $ 1 billion.

     “But this is something we will sit with the NELMCO and the Federal Ministry of Finance to find a comfortable way. We need to provide comfort for investors and clear the arrears that gas companies owed for gas supplied with power. That is the key priority.”

     Continuing, the Coordinator, said the Decade of Gas implementation is getting a boost from the NMDPRA, NUPRC and the International Oil

     Companies (IOCs) for the citizenry to quickly benefit from the abundant gas.

     “It is two years plus into the Decade of Gas but I am really excited to see the support I am receiving from NMDPRA, NUPRC, the IOCs sponsors, indigenous companies. Everybody is joining hands to ensure that Nigeria very quickly begins to get value for gas,” he said.

     Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) /Chevron Joint Venture Director, Mr Cosmos Igbueze, noted that the Decade of Gas is for the restoration of investor confidence in the industry. He insisted on the payment of the legacy debt and approval of a cost-reflective gas price as strategies for regaining the goodwill.

     Igbueze called on the government to put in place the right incentives to attract gas producers. He also sought the development of the infrastructure to deliver the product to the market.

     “This is to ensure we restore investor confidence in the industry,” Igueze said.

     He noted that this will be done by ensuring that all the legacy debt owed operators are paid, including having cost-reflective pricing.

     “Once that is done, the next step is to ensure we have fiscal incentives and other incentives required for investors to develop and execute projects. A couple of projects have been mentioned here. But the key quantum is to understand the incentives required for new projects to be executed.

     “Once the incentives are agreed upon, they will be applicable to other projects coming behind. The other one is when these projects are developed you need to bring them to the market. You make sure you have the infrastructure to make that work,” Igbueze said.

     Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Energy, Olu Verheijen assured the stakeholders that the present government is committed to removing the obstacles in order to jumpstart the gas industry.

     She specifically pledged to collaborate with the operator to address the debt issue. She said: “We will work very closely on driving the legacy issues that need to be resolved to enable prospects in this sector.”

     Continuing, Verheijen said: “We are working to make sure that those things come online as quickly as possible. It is a different government and it is a different direction and there is the impetus and the speed to make sure that we don’t lose in realising the potential Nigeria has.”

     According to her, it has been a long journey with gas in Nigeria. She said the country has moved from being one of the major exporters of

     Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to now look into a future where gas is going to play a big role in industrializing Nigeria.

     The Special Adviser, said: “This is very dear to the President’s heart.

     It is his priority, and priority is no more promises or analysing; it is about delivery and this is a delivery-focused government.”

     She said Tinubu is very committed to supporting the Secretariat and all the different partners and the private sector to ensure they deliver on the project immediately.

     Ambassador Gabriel Aduda of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (DPR) said the stakeholders and the Federal Government need to iron out the issues of outstanding debts. He added that they also need to deliberate on how to incentivize the industry players for the operationalisation of the Decade of Gas.

     Aduda revealed that government and stakeholders will consider the possibility of tax holidays and any form of re-injection.

     His words: “Yes, there are issues we need to look into starting with the issues of the backlog, and for our fees, we need to take care as government.

     “So, we need to sit down together to look at that. How do we incentivise those that are willing to work? Is it going to be a tax holiday or is it going to be some form of re-injection? We need to sit down and agree on how best we get that done.

     “The truth is that the government is ready to talk. And one of the programmes that will help us to achieve this is the Decade of Gas. So, we are committed to this programme and we are hoping that with what we have here today, more partners are here present that we all are on the same page to be able to move Nigeria to the next level.”

     The Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed reassured that the operators and the government are now on the same page in order to remove the gas provision challenges. He revealed that a new gas price is underway.

     Ahmed said that having concluded with the gas producers and the NERC that have all aligned with the resolution to practically drive the development of the gas industry via the implementation of the Decade of Gas policy, the new gas pricing template is now imminent.

     On the release of the new price, he said the Authority will continue the discussions with Verheijen. Besides, he insisted that President Tinubu must approve the new price template before the NMDPRA can release it to the public.

     Ahmed explained that basically, the new template is to incentivise the gas producers to supply more gas for domestic consumption and export.

     “As I mentioned, it (new price template) is for further discussions.

     If you recall, I said we will discuss it further with the President’s Adviser on Energy. So, until such interaction is completed and the President sanctions and approves it, we cannot disclose the price.

     “But basically, what this is, is that gas is sold to the industry, gas to power, gas to business as well as gas to commercial.

    So, that is to incentivise the producers so that they can produce more gas and supply in the country rather than continue to export,” he explained.

  • Southeast states face existential erosion threat

    Southeast states face existential erosion threat

    The menace of gully erosion now poses the biggest existential threat to Southeast states. Already, many communities in Anambra, Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states have been cut off by rapidly expanding gully erosion sites, even as houses and farmlands have been submerged, throwing residents into panic and despair. Bureau Chief NWANOSIKE ONU (Awka), CHRIS NJOKU (Owerri), DAMIAN DURUIHEOMA (Enugu), SUNNY NWANKWO (Umuahia), EMMA ELEKWA (Onitsha) and OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE (Abakaliki) report.

    For residents of Nigeria’s Southeast states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi,  Enugu and Imo, the fear of gully erosion is now the beginning of wisdom. Their houses and farmlands are being swept away by rapidly expanding gully erosion sites, resulting in many residents in the affected areas abandoning their ancestral homes.

    Farmers in the affected communities are also counting their losses as reduction of income forced by poor harvest, loss of biodiversity, development of fragmented lands, and shortage of land for other uses threaten their livelihood.

     It is estimated that there are over 4,000 erosion sites in the Southeast. Anambra State alone accounts for over 1,400 of the figure, earning her the unenviable description as the worst erosion-hit state in West Africa by the World Bank and other international donor agencies.

     Erosion is said to have taken over half of the 178 communities in the state. Some of the affected communities in the state include Nanka,

     Agulu, Oko, Ekwulobia, Obosi, Onitsha, Achina, Nise, Amawbia, Umuchu, Nnewi, among others.

     The latest devastation caused by gully erosion in Anambra State is the one that cut off the ever-busy Onitsha-Owerri Expressway, which has put an uncountable number of buildings and firms in and around that axis under serious threat.

     Many of those who are indigenous to the affected areas and government establishments are equally at risk of being swept away. The Nnamdi Azikiwe National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Unity Permanent Orientation Camp at Umuawulu-Mbaukwu in Awka South Local Government Area is also in danger of being submerged.

     In response to the alarm raised by panic-stricken residents and other major stakeholders, the Anambra State Government has appealed to

     President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rescue the state from natural and man-made disasters, especially those caused by gully erosion.

     Governor Charles Soludo has already dispatched his Chief of Staff, Mr Ernest Ezeajughi to some of the sites. He called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on erosion menace in the state.

     The obviously overwhelmed governor, however, said the State Government has embarked on some interventions to ameliorate the situation before other measures as the people of the state are most hit by the scourge.

    “We have over 1,000 active erosion sites in Anambra State. This is just one of them. We are acting on an emergency,” he said.

     The lawmaker representing Anambra Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Victor Umeh said there was a need for the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Anambra State because of the erosion devastation in the Southeast.

    He, however, called for more urgent and serious work in the affected areas to save houses and industries that are already threatened by the gullies.

     The Vice-President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Okeke-Ogene told The Nation that environmental impact assessment has not been carried out in the state.

     He described the erosion that has infested Anambra State as cancer, noting that Nanka Community alone has over 20 erosion sites. The Igbo leader said that the Federal Government cannot even handle it because the World Bank had estimated over N500 billion to tackle the scourge.

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    On his part, the State Commissioner for Environment, Mr Felix  Odimegwu, described Anambra State as the erosion capital of the country, even as he urged the Federal Government to increase the ecological funds allocated to the state.

    Imo also badly hit

    In Imo, residents have urged the Federal and State Governments to come to their aid as erosion has made their roads impassable.

     Investigations by The Nation revealed that erosion has devastated several communities in the state even as most roads have become death traps.

     For instance, a visit to Umuchima Community in Ideato South LocalGovernment Area revealed that erosion has created a deep gully and wide crater that put the homes of about 826 families at risk of being submerged because the channel is continuously expanding at an alarming rate.

    This is as a result of persistent flooding that has left many parts of the community, which links it to Anambra State, devastated. Every rainy season brings a tale of woes to the people, as gully erosion has become a nightmare.

    Umuchima prides itself as the home of crafts. People from the community and the local government area are recognised for their hard work in agriculture and commerce which are their main occupations.

     But all these are being eroded, as many indigenes of the area are worried by the devastation. Most of them are leaving in droves for safer environments where they will not be affected by environmental hazards.

     A native of the community and former Transition Chairman of Ideato  South Local Government Area, Boni Ebili, said his people have been abandoned for long, leaving them to be ravaged by erosion. He lamented that the once bubbly community has almost become a shadow of itself.

     He stated that the community had suffered incalculable losses due to the menace of flooding.

    The President-General of Umuchima Community, Chibueze Emelu, said their joy was short-lived when former governor of the state, Rochas

     Okorocha brought in some contractors who tried to work on the road but abandoned it.

    Emelu said that the gully is getting so close to Nkwo Market, the biggest market in Ideato South and North local government areas. “We urge the Federal Government not to allow our people and communities to be sunk by the gully,” he said.

     The Mgbe-Umuchima-Orlu-Akokwa Road is another dead trap. All the houses have gone under. The road has been in dilapidated condition and the situation is getting worse by the day.

    On a visit to another community, Umuojisi in Ideato South Local  Government Area, it was discovered that erosion had destroyed several buildings in Umuduruaku Village and many villagers in Okwaracheke have been forced to relocate from the gully sites to safe villages.

     The Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prof. Placid Njoku, on inspection of the area with his team, expressed shock at the level of devastation in the area. Prof. Njoku, who represented the Governor, Hope Uzodimma, reassured the people that the governor was passionate about tackling the menace and had sent a “Save Our Soul” (SOS) message to the Federal Government.

     The Deputy Governor, while calling for palliatives for the victims, pointed out that the erosion menace was far beyond the capacity of the state government to handle.

     He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to rescue the people by providing some interventions. He regretted that the federal road that links Imo to Anambra State has been completely washed off by erosion.

     Also, the Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management  Agency (NEMA), Nnaji Ifeanyi, promised to ask for relief materials from the Federal Government to cushion the effects of the menace.

     The situation at Nzerem Ikpem, Umuoma, Obinetiti, Dioka Road in Ehime  Mbano is very pathetic as erosion has destroyed one part of the road and subjected the residents to hardship, so much so that they have to resort to carrying their dead ones on their heads to the mortuary as the roads are in deplorable condition.

     Igwe Damian Anyanwu, Igwe Ohazurume 1 of Obinetiti Nzerem, expressed regrets over the hardship the people in the community are facing as a result of bad roads since the creation of the state, saying  Nzerem/Ikpem as the food basket of Imo had suffered neglect by past administrations.

     He said the contract for the construction of the road was awarded through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to a contractor during President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in 2013.

     However, the Commissioner for Works, Ralph Nwosu, did not respond to an enquiry on the cause of the delay in the completion of the road. A source, however, said work on the road would begin as soon as the rains are over.

    Enugu also reeling

     In Enugu State, concerns are mounting in several communities over the adverse effects of gully erosion on agriculture and roads.

     Already, some communities have been cut off from the rest of the society while there is the likelihood that many more may be cut off if urgent action is not given to the gully erosion that is fast spreading and submerging some areas.

     With the rainy season at its peak, most landscapes are giving in to degradation in most parts of Enugu State; same as other states with porous soil formations.

     The Nation learnt that there are numerous erosion sites dotting the state. Prominent among them is the Ugwuonyeama gully erosion site on Enugu end of the Enugu-Onitsha Highway in Enugu metropolis, as well as the Eha-ulo/Eha-Ndiagu/Mbu/Agu-Umabor/Umabor Ring Road in Nsukka Local Government Area.

     It was also gathered that there are worse erosion sites in Enugu North Senatorial District, especially Udenu and Igboeze North local government areas, are facing serious erosion threats.

     Udi, Ezeagu and Oji River council areas are also among the worst hit in terms of erosion menace, and the effect included the gradual disappearance of available land for agriculture, the collapse of buildings and the destruction of roads.

     At the Ugwuonyeama gully erosion site, our correspondent observed that the situation has been one of the major causes of road accidents on that road.

    Recall that no fewer than seven people, including a family of five, lost their lives at the Ugwuonyeama following a crash that involved a tanker truck and other vehicles.

     The member representing Enugu North and South Federal Constituency,  Chimaobi Atu noted that if nothing was done on the site, it would result in more road crashes.

     Atu, who spoke through his assistant, Dr Okwy Ekwe, said gully erosion was shrinking the land mass in the area. The lawmaker, who had already taken the matter to the floor of the National Assembly, also called on the Federal Government to address the problem.

     Also worried by the continuous neglect of the town’s challenges, youths of the Eha-Alumona Community in Nsukka Local Council recently urged the state government to declare a state of emergency on the  Eha-Ulo/Eha-Etiti/Eha-Ndiagu/Mbu Road.

    According to them, the collapse of the road, which is a major link road to other communities, had made life unbearable for the people.

     Attempts by our correspondent to get reactions from the Ministry of Environment were futile as none of the staff members agreed to speak.

     Meanwhile, the Enugu State Government has commenced the reinforcement of different means to address the imminent erosion and environmental challenges the state is predicted to face within the next couple of months.

    The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Chidiebere Onyia, stated this in Enugu at a meeting with stakeholders and members of the task force constituted to assist the government to control and mitigate the impact of the flooding.

     Members of the task force were drawn from different professional agencies in the state, such as the National Emergency Management  Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Enugu State Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA), Enugu State Ministry of Health, and Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA).

     Others included the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, the Nigerian Red  Cross Society, Town Planning Authority, the chairmen of the affected council areas, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), among others.

     Addressing the task force, the SSG warned residents against erecting structures on waterways, dumping of garbage in drainage systems and deliberate obstruction of canals.

    He noted that the State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah, was worried by the predictions and immediately directed that taskforce that would protect the lives and property of the citizens be constituted in order to swing into action not only to forestall the environmental disaster but also to draw up a sustainable plan on the strategic engagement of future disasters.

     Prof. Onyia further appealed to members of the public to cooperate with the task force in the course of carrying out its lawful duties, identifying buildings on waterways, evacuating illegal structures and blocking drainage.

     The Secretary of the task force, Mrs Chinasa Mbah, lamented that the state had been experiencing erosions such as devastating flash floods with consequences on livelihoods.

     Some of the local government areas with a high risk of flooding include Enugu East, Enugu South, Enugu North, Nkanu East, Nsukka, Udi,  Ezeagu, Nkanu West, Igboeze North, Igboeze South, Igbo-Etiti, Oji River and Uzo Uwani, among others.

    Abia residents groan

    The three senatorial districts in Abia State (Abia North, Abia Central and Abia South) are not left out in the erosion menace. It is one of the commonest but worrisome problems facing the districts, as the gullies have cut off members of the community from their kin.

    They have lost their agricultural produce and economic trees to the gully with many houses already caved into the gullies, just as the communities risk losing their ancestral lands to the gully.

     Some of the erosion sites in Abia State include Okpulukwu Gully  Erosion at Umuosu Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area and two lives have been lost to the erosion; Umuchime gully erosion located in Ogbodiukwu—Umuopara, Umuahia South Local Government Area.

     It has submerged buildings in the community.

     The available record shows that the Nkwoegwu/Okata Umuawa/Umuda Isingwu gully erosion in Ohuhu, Umuahia North council area is threatening residential buildings, farmlands, and rural/community roads. It is also affecting vehicular movement in the community.

    Another community in Abia North threatened by gully erosion is  Amuzukwu/Mbom in Umuahia North Council, which has made the road impassible.

     Our correspondent learnt that some houses and other properties worth millions of naira had already been submerged by the gully erosion with many properties and over 500 houses feared to have also caved in.

     It was gathered that the state government never carried out any palliative work on the site.

     Meanwhile, the Abia State Government has assured the people of Ogbor  Ancient Kingdom of the administration’s readiness to address the gully erosion menace.

     The Special Adviser to Governor Alex Otti on Aba Rejuvenation, Mr Uche Ukeje visited the erosion site for an on-the-spot assessment of the impact of the erosion on the community. Mr Ukeje, who spoke to reporters after inspecting the erosion site, described the impact of the erosion on the community as massive.

    Ebonyi, too

    In Ebonyi State, the people of Edda in Afikpo South Local Government Area have waging a long-standing battle with erosion and landslides.

     At one point, the local government headquarters was relocated as erosion literarily submerged the buildings.

     However, the Federal and State Governments, through the Ecological Funds and some donor agencies, especially the World Bank, have tackled the menace in the area. A resident of the area, Okenwa Uka, who spoke to The Nation, commended the state government for the work done to arrest the situation in Nguzi Edda.

     He, however, noted that another erosion crisis is threatening to cut off the community from other parts of the state as the only road linking it to the state and neighbouring Abia State is being threatened by erosion.

     Another resident, Dick Oko called on the government to save the community from imminent isolation.

     Meanwhile, work is in progress at the mini-estate being built by the federal and state governments at Ogwuma Edda to relocate hundreds of families affected by the landslide which cut off the community and others from other parts of the state last year.

     The state government had moved in to clear the blocked road while the Federal Government had provided funds to rebuild the collapsed retainer walls and relocate residents endangered by the constant landslides.

     Inspecting the projects recently, the Chairman of Afikpo South Local  Government Area, Prince Chima Ekumankama, expressed his happiness at the speed of work which has reached the roofing level.

     He encouraged the contractors to expedite action on the work in order to complete it on schedule.