The Nation Newspaper

Tag: environment

  • Towards safer mining environment

    Towards safer mining environment

    The Federal Government  has equipped artisanal and small- scale miners in gold-bearing communities in Ilesa, Osun State through its Safer Mining Projects, writes WALE AJETUNMOBI.

    The Safer Mining Project, which was spear- headed by the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, took off in Osun State last week with a sensitisation and advocacy movement reaching out to various communities, such as Owu, Epe, Ibodi, Igun, Igbadae, Ijana Wasere, Iyemogun, Epe Akire, in Ilesa area of the state. Remarkable gold mining activities are taking place in thje area.

    Government believes it is imperative that stakeholders within the gold mining value chain are aware of the health implications and importance of keeping a clean and safe environment for the benefit of the artisanal and small scale miners and, most importantly, the host community.

    For the purpose of gathering first-hand information from the community, the ministry organised several town hall meetings which were attended by traditional rulers and chiefs, management/team of small scale artisanal miners association, women and adolescent groups, students, health workers as well as officials of the local mining inspectorate office.

    The town hall meetings gave deeper insights into the activities of local miners as well as co-existential issues associated with gold mining in Ilesa and its environs. Participants at the meetings were also given health talks on safer mining practices, including wearing protective gear, registering with the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and the role of the ministry at ensuring safe environment from  hazards.

    An interactive training workshop was held to educate and expose small scale artisanal miners to safer mining techniques. The workshop was primarily aimed at stimulating awareness using case studies through the education of participants on the effects and detection of heavy metals (cyanide and other heavy metals), practical demonstration of safer mining practices and benefits of registering, formalising and zoning in compliance with government directives.

    Practical demonstrations of how to correctly use personal protective kits were also undertaken at the various mining sites to buttress the importance of safety gear to gold mining. Several personal protective equipment were presented to participants alongside certificates of participation. Also, community extension service officers were nominated to establish an early feedback system between the communities and the ministry.

    From Ibodi to Epe, Iyere to Igun, the story was the same: huge presence of hardworking Nigerian youths struggling to earn their living in the most hazardous manners. Through local techniques, with little or no regard for their safety and degradation of the environment, they ply their trade with enthusiasm, most times unoblivious of the associated health challenges and the hazards being caused to the environment.

    The three-day tour and training provided a veritable platform for the various stakeholders to ventilate their feelings and fears. It was indeed a case of different strokes for different folks at the town hall meetings. At the training sessions that followed, leaders of various communities and groups spoke on how the activities of local miners impacted negatively on farming, hunting and other activities in their communities. The miners also painted very gory pictures of how many have been injured or died as a result of their hazardous manner of mining.

    None of the complaints was strange to the ministry officials, who, in designing the Safer Mining Project, sought to achieve three things: protect individuals, protect the environment as well as encourage local miners to practise safer mining. As noted by a former President of the Artisanal Miners Welfare Association, Chief Friday Israel Mmecha, the decision of the ministry to intervene would further enhance the potentials of the sub-sector.

    “As a stakeholder, who has spent years in mining gold in this part of the country, this intervention programme on safer mining signifies the beginning of a new dawn. Over time, we have complained about the porosity of the system, whereby some opportunists just emerged from the blue and started looking for gold. With the Federal Government’’s keen supervision and monitoring, the economic potentials of the sector will be better harnessed. I must confess, the country is losing so much because of lack of regulation and poor method of mining,” Mmecha said.

    At the town hall meeting at Ibodi, the Federal Government team took community leaders and other stakeholders through the importance of the project to the economy, environment and individuals working in different communities for mining activities.  Speaking on behalf of the team, a safety professional, Dr. Adebola Odunsi, advised small-scale miners to ensure that the environment is well protected. He also urged them to report illegal miners in their neighborhood.

    Odunsi identified two types of mining: the harmful and the harmless. He noted that mining is harmful, if it endangers the lives of miners or dilapidates the environment, but harmless when it leads to safety of miners, sustainability of the environment and generation of revenue to economy. He told some journalists that the project was informed by the increasing rate of heavy lead and mercury poisoning associated with gold mining, especially in Zamfara State, which had led to the death of about 400 children.

    Even though government had intervened promptly to control the situation and had given adequate treatment to the affected persons, Odunsi said the ministry thought prevention and struck a deal with Michael H. Limited to design the Safe Mining Project, which would sensitise and raise the level of awareness among local miners.

    Odunsi said: “The Federal Government is aware that small-scale gold miners are exposed to occupational and environmental hazards at work. Government is also aware of the negative impact of some of their activities on the host communities; hence, the need to educate the miners on modern techniques.

    “For instance, Mercury is commonly used for gold mining to remove the gold from the hub and this can be harmful if necessary steps are not taken.”

    A former President of Nigerian Society of Mining Engineers Mr. Olusegun Oladipo said the project was long overdue. He recalled that over the years, stakeholders in the mining sector had  impressed it on successive administrations the need for training and retraining of local miners to avoid accidents and environmental degradation.

    Taking the small scale gold-miners through basic tips that would enhance effective and safe mining, Oladipo stressed the need for them to carry out their mining activities in beneficial ways to all stakeholders: the miners, the community and the government. He urged the miners to always fill their pitch after digging, to prevent accident and environment deprivation. He also advised them to acquaint themselves with modern ways of doing the job to avoid exposing themselves and families to danger.

    “As miners, you should naturally love yourselves and, therefore, avoid steps that would expose you to danger. Your host community should be your friend. So, protect their lands, then  be loyal to the government by abiding by the rules that guide mining activities in the country,” he said.

    On basic precaution that must be taken during gold mining activities, the expert said it is necessary for miners to always make sure that work clothes are cleaned very well. He also urged miners to always bath thoroughly and change into clean clothing before leaving the site. This, according to him, is to prevent particles from the mining sites to be carried home.

    Oladipo also advised the miners to always enure that soiled clothing are stored in containers and washed after use. He urged them to   avoid keeping work and home clothing in the same locker. The expert further warned the miners from keeping their food in any place where it can be contaminated with mercury.

    Beyond the stakeholders’ forum and training, another interesting part of the three-day tour was the visit to various gold reserves where the team led a demonstration to acquaint the local miners with modern techniques. For instance, at Ibodi, miners were assembled and given practical tips on how to carry out their jobs in the safest manner.

    Addressing the miners at the reserves, Odunsi said the Federal Government was determined to end hazardous practices in the bid to boost safer mining. He said this would help the miners, the communities and the nation’s economy.

    He advised them against digging without wearing protective clothing, saying they must stop the use of chemicals, such as mercury and cyanide, in their mining activities to prevent what he called grave health issues and pollution of the rivers.

    The medical expert said poor mining activities could lead to serious health conditions such as infertility, severe cough, itching, and can also damage internal organs like the kidneys and the liver. “So you must do everything to protect yourself and to protect the environment.

    Whereas many of the miners knew that poor mining activities could lead to itching and severe cough. But the fact that it could lead to infertility as well as damage internal organs such as liver and kidney was news to many of them. The medical experts took time to explain this to them.

    He also pointed out that operating in a safer environment would boost the productivity of the miners, which in turn would lead to better revenue.

    “Miner should always wear helmet, goggles, face mask, overall, hand gloves, and boots. You must wear these before you start digging and you must not wear them at home. Make sure you remove the protective clothing; take a bath and wear neat clothes back home after work. This is very important. If you go back home with the dust from the site, you can cause trouble for yourself, your family  and the people in the community.

    The highpoint of the event was the presentation of gifts, gadgets and certificates to participants. Aside certificates, miners and their supervisors were given protective items like; helmet, steel toe-boot, rain boots and hand gloves. Other items are; nose mask, reflective jacket and overall.

    Meanwhile, for effective monitoring and supervision, three people, including a traditional ruler, Chief Sunday Ogunsiji, the regent of Epe Ijesha ; the patron of the Artisanal Miners Welfare Association, Chief Friday Israel Mmecha and one of the oldest miners in the state, Abubakar Aliyu, were presented with brand new motorcycles.

    Chief Ogunsiji, who spoke on behalf of others applauded the initiative and pointed out that the intervention would go a long way in redefining the sector. ‘’We are happy this is happening now because we have clamour for government attention for years. The journey, if I may say, began in 1980, when government established a Federal Mining Corporation in Igun, which geared up young men and women within and outside the state on the potential of the area. At the peak of the activities, a Gold Refinery was put up in Osu, beside the local government secretariat. Few years into the activities, with successive administrators and managers, operations at both the corporation and the refinery suddenly stopped and equipment worth millions were left unutilised,’’

    Ogunsiji called on the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to impress it on government on the need to further open up the communities and the gold reserves to drive the economy.

    Patrck Ojeka, an engineer and Director ASM in the Ministry said similar training would soon be replicated in other gold bearing areas, where safe mining is not being practiced.

    Specifically he said the next round of training would be extension services. This, he said involves training of registered ASM on mining methods- all process and health safety in each of the 6 geo political zones of the country.

  • Beauty is as Beauty Does

    Beauty is as Beauty Does

    Human Nature’s revolutionary beauty formula: hire the poor to make products that are all-natural and 100 percent Filipino.

    Rummaging through trash bins, begging for food, sharing what little he has with stray cats…. Such is the life of street urchins like Mang Arturo. That is not his real name, not that anyone would care. No one, that is, except Anna Meloto-Wilk. For her, every person and every name counts.

    Mang Arturo is one of 12 million Filipinos living in poverty. They are the people Meloto-Wilk turns to when she is hiring workers for her company. “From the beginning, we were committed to hiring the working poor,” said Meloto-Wilk. That was in 2007, when she and her sister, Camille Meloto, founded Human Nature, a unique social enterprise.

    At the time, Anna was a young mom looking for safe products for her children; Camille was a beauty junkie in search of natural makeup. Noting the growing presence of all-natural products in other countries, they became convinced that a similar concept could work in the Philippines, especially given that many of the ingredients already grew there in abundant supply. Neither woman had experience in business or the beauty industry—Anna worked in communications and advertising, Camille was a teacher—but they nonetheless launched their venture using their life savings and money borrowed from friends and relatives.

    “Camille chose the name Human Nature. We wanted to highlight the relationship between humans and nature—if we love the environment, it will love us back, providing everything we need,” said Meloto-Wilk.

    The sisters knew they had to learn about capital, manufacturing, distribution and other aspects of their business, but they were certain about one thing from the start: they would employ the poor and would give them significantly higher incomes than they could earn elsewhere. “That’s been our main motivation, to hire people who otherwise would not have opportunities,” said Meloto-Wilk. “But we don’t see our responsibility ending at just giving them jobs, we want to help them escape poverty.”

    The cost of living in the Philippines keeps going up, she explained, so there is a shrinking middle class. “It’s not as if we’re going to import people to compose a new middle class. The way to do it is to lift people here out of poverty. Businesses have a big role to play in terms of creating a new middle class.”

    Human Nature started by giving workers almost double the minimum wage, opening new possibilities for them—the ability to send their children to school, for example. “We recognize that the minimum wage is not a living wage, it’s not enough to give people a good quality of life said Meloto-Wilk. “It leaves people vulnerable to hunger, to not being able to pay their bills.”

    As workers advance in the company, they are often able to buy a car or a house.
    The company also fosters a healthier lifestyle for employees, providing paid vacation, health insurance and wedding assistance for those who have postponed marriage because of a lack of funds. This year, Human Nature plans to build a daycare center and a school for employees’ children. “Our public school system is not enough to meet the demands of modern society,” said Meloto-Wilk.

    Human Nature’s ethos also includes using only locally sourced ingredients to produce its health and beauty products. Farming remains one of the country’s poorest sectors, and Meloto-Wilk and her team now partner directly with those communities, many of which have been able to build schools and daycare centers thanks to the company’s support. Human Nature also helps farmers to produce more and sell to other companies.

    Two of the leading ingredients in Human Nature products are coconut protein, which helps repair hair and promotes its growth; and citronella, a potent natural mosquito repellent that helps protect against dengue, a major concern in tropical climates. “Filipinos are proud to use local botanicals that have been proven to be safe and effective,” said Meloto-Wilk.

    She acknowledges that testing, then setting up production and distribution for new products takes a long time and requires a huge investment—and she admits that there were many times she and Camille wanted to quit. But Meloto-Wilk’s husband, Dylan, who later joined the business, gave her three pieces of advice: “First, don’t quit. Stay committed to finding solutions, no matter what problems come your way. Second, don’t even think about quitting because it saps your creativity and you can’t find ways to solve your problems. And third, just don’t quit. It really comes down to committing to make things work.”
    As a mother of six children ranging in age from from 10 months to 12 years, Meloto-Wilk’s main goal is to make sure her kids are kind and achieve their full potential. “I see my work as an extension of my parenting—to help fix things that are broken in society—because this is the society that my children are going to grow up in.”

    Human Nature now has almost 500 employees reporting to its Laguna and Quezon City offices, works with suppliers in 20 local communities, has 34 stores nationwide and exports to five countries. It has also earned numerous awards; in 2016, it became the first Asian brand to win the Sustainability Pioneer Award from Ecovia Intelligence, a global consulting firm for the natural and organic beauty industry.

    Yet despite these achievements, Meloto-Wilk believes there is still much to be done, not only in creating safe and groundbreaking products but also in promoting women in business. “If you are a middle-class woman with an education, the Philippines is one of the best places to be in business. In fact, the World Economic Forum’s “Women at Work” study says that the Philippines is one of the most women-friendly countries—there are greater percentages of women in management and who succeed,” she said. “But things are still very difficult for poor women.

    There’s still a lot of abuse, imbalances of power. So there’s still work to be done at the bottom of the pyramid, here and in the rest of the world.”

    https://humanheartnature.com/

  • ‘Stronger regulations needed to sanitise environment’

    The Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr. Lawrence Anukam, speaks with OLUGBENGA ADANIKIN on the agency’s efforts at sanitising the environment. Excerpts:

    What are the indices that climate change is real?

    It has been proven that climate change is real. The extreme weather conditions which we never experienced before are beginning to increase over time. The flooding of few years ago; we heard about the big flooding in Benue and even last year in several parts of the country. This has to do with extreme heat. The indication that the climate change is real has to do with extremities of weather conditions and it is a problem to us because when you have this weather condition it’s like a chain reaction, that affects the food production, agricultural system and even the health of the people. What is left for us is to adopt adequate measures to mitigate the effect of the climate change.

    There are threats when you have a rise in sea level as a result of climate change.

    Emissions from vehicles are a major cause of pollution. To what extent have you implemented the vehicle emission policy?   

    The vehicular emission control programme arose from our regulation of vehicular emission control. The implementation of that is on course; we are finalising arrangement for the formal launch of the programme. The pilot phase will start in Abuja. It involves the establishment of testing centres where individual vehicles can go and do their regular check-up. After they scale through the test,  they are issued a certificate of road worthiness. The purpose of the programme is to reduce and control vehicular emission that will affect the climate and above all affect our health. It’s been proven in recent studies by World Health Organisation (WHO) that air pollution problems are beginning to be one of the most challenging health threats to humanity. Infact, it’s been observed that the problem arising from air pollution, especially in developing countries is more. It’s a big problem and there is need for all of us to work together to address it. The programme when fully on board, will go a long way to assist in making sure we control emission from our vehicles. There is a component for mobile sources of pollution and stationary sources of pollution, this one addressing particularly the use of generators in homes, offices and industrial areas. The idea is to make sure that both vehicles and generators are maintained properly to guard against undue emission of obnoxious hazardous substances that are inimical to our health and also to our environment.

    To what extent have you enforced NESREA regulations on industrial pollutions?

    We have different regulations for different activities; for the industries, we have our officers on the field, we have 24 field offices, we have six zonal offices across the country and we are hoping that before the end of this year we may have few more state offices. The purpose of that is to help us be closer to the issues. Our officers on the field will do what we call compliance and monitoring enforcement exercise. From time to time they will go to the industries and check the activities in the industries to make sure they are not polluting the environment. We also do that when we receive complaints from residents, who feel that they are having some discomfort as a result of industrial activities around them, either from noise or from emission of substances discharged from the industry. We sanction, we’ve taken them to court after we serve them first, second and third compliance letters.

    Some residents of Ogijo community in Ogun State have accused NESREA officers of being compromised in reported cases of pollutions from foundry companies. How do you react to this?

    I am not sure I have the details of this incident, but we have a few cases of environmental violation. We’ve taken about two companies to court; these are companies into iron smelting and we are still following up on that. The good news though is that we’ve just been given an office, we’ve never had an office in Ogun State, the governor has just given us an office in Ogun. So, our presence in Abeokuta will help us to do more activities for the area. When companies are not doing what is supposed to be done after the three letters, then we take action. We will advise that when communities feel that no actions have been taken, they should write a special letter of reminder and then try to send it directly to the office of the Director General.

    Nigeria has signed various treaties on climate change. How will the country benefit from them?

    The benefit of that is that if I have signed and you have signed, we do not need to violate the laws. I will give you an example like the Barcel convention on trans-boundary movement of hazardous substances, Nigeria and other countries signed, part of that agreement is that before any hazardous substance is shipped to a member country, you must get the consent of that country, you must not also allow any illegal shipment from your country to come to this country in any form. So it is beneficial that if you are a member of that agreement or party to that convention the benefit is that nobody is going to ship or allow his country to be the dumping ground. In addition to that, there are certain programmes and activities that are beneficial to only member countries. If you are a member, you enjoy those privileges like some projects, programmes or support from other members of the convention. It’s good to be part of that and in most cases for environmental issues, since they don’t have boundaries. It is better for every country to be part of that for the benefit of the country, the citizens and the environment.

    Is there a law to manage solid wastes in Nigeria?

    Under the sanitation laws, various state governments have their edicts to deal with management of waste. We have regulation on sanitation. For us, this regulation is essentially to assist the state and local governments on how best to manage the waste, we are not going to manage it for them, but then our responsibility is to create some programmes and see how best it’s going to happen at pilot phase and also assist to enforce in such violation, but it’s something we have to do closely with the state and local government. Sanitation wise, it is the responsibility of the state government, but we do that together with them to make sure that the laws are obeyed.

    As a regulatory agency, what are the sanctions for erring industries?

    We have, but we want it to be better. In the NESREA 2007 Act, there are quite some powers given to the agency to operate, but 10 years after, and from experience, we realise that there is a need to amend the Act. For example, on penalty, if there is a violation by a company, the company is to pay a certain amount, which is very small. So, because the penalty the law stipulates is not stiff, a company will not think twice before polluting the environment since it will cost him less to pay the penalty.

     

     

     

    than to avoid the pollution. There is amendment now through the efforts of the National Assembly, it has really passed on various readings and we hope in no distant future the law will be amended. Another amendment too has to do with the right of entry. This is to make it easier for NESREA officials to enter into any premises and when there is immediate danger, and it is proven, NESREA can act fast to close the facility to guide against serious environmental and health damage because of the pollution from the facility. With the amendment it will be stronger to help us implement the laws. It has gone through the first and second readings; we’ve had public hearing; the process has gone a long way; hopefully it will not be long before the amendment is effected.

    What will you describe as your achievements and what will you like to be remembered for?

    Our achievement essentially to a great extent is that the environmental issues are becoming very much the mainstream in our society, that the various industries, telecommunication sectors are becoming aware of their responsibilities and the issue of the air pollution as you mentioned earlier is beginning to be taken more seriously. And also that understanding that the environment is not for us to abuse. It is a stock for us to use and keep for our own benefit, children and children yet unborn.

  • Pupils decry poor learning environment

    Pupils of Special School for the Blind, Opefia, in Izzi Local Government of Ebonyi State have solicited government’s assistance to improve the learning environment.

    They told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Opefia that the school was not conducive for learning and called for government’s attention.

    Christian Anyigor, a visually-impaired pupil at the Senior Secondary School section, said the library was unequipped, while the compound lacked perimeter fencing.

    He said the situation posed danger to teachers and pupils, making the school vulnerable to attacks.

    Anyigor said: “We also lack modern text books, writing materials, computer facilities with brail and even a vehicle to convey pupils to participate in academic competitions.

    “We appeal to the state and federal governments to assist us by providing these facilities.”

    Master Obinna Agbo and Miss Favour Onele, SSS3 and JSS3 pupils, who affirmed the challenges, asked for more teachers to enable them perform well in their studies.

    According to them, the school is yet to get attention from the government.

    Agbo condemned power outages, which forced them to go outside the school to charge their tape recorders and other appliances.

    “We have received food items from the government, but that is not enough. We are appealing for assistance to improve our welfare,’’ he said.

  • Pig producers seek improved operating environment

    Association for Promotion of Piggery in Nigeria has called for improved environment to do business.

    At the end of its annual general meeting held in Lagos, the group in its communiqué urged the government to provide  incentives  to help the struggling pig-farming industry recover.

    Among the request made by the group was for the government to support stakeholders to reduce the price of animal feed and veterinary medicine, and finding a stable market for the consumption of domestic pork meat.

    The challenges facing the pig industry, said the group , include low domestic demand coupled with the high production and transport costs.

    The  group pushed for the use of modern technology to reduce production costs, improve productivity and seek potential markets for domestic pork meat,

    In the communiqué ,the group urged pig producers to focus on improving animal welfare conditions.

    According to the group, the standard of living in Nigeria  is rising and with more disposable income, pork consumption is increasing. Therefore, the forum charged  producers to look for ways to produce pork as efficiently and cheaply as possible.

  • LG creates ideal learning environment

    LG perfectly understands the significance of an effective learning environment, that is why its HVAC systems which is aimed at creating the climate for education  by reducing distractions, increase attention spans and boosting motivation for teachers and students alike is a welcome development.

    Managing Director, LG Electronics West Africa operations, Mr. Taeick Son, while making this known at a Media event recently at the company’s Brand office in Ogba, Lagos, said: “We will continue to support the educational sector with the required resources and equipment to encourage students on whose shoulders lies the future of any country.

  • Osun, American firm sign $450m MoU on environment

    The Osun State government and an American company, American Green Environmental Global Solutions Nigeria Limited, yesterday signed a $450 million partnership agreement on waste management.

    The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the government and American firm, which is on turning waste to consumables, took place at the Governor’s Office in Osogbo, the state capital.

    The partnership will create jobs, expand the economy, create a new era in tourism and keep the environment clean.

    President of Green Environmental Services of America (GESA) and America Green Environmental Solution Nigeria Limited (AGEGS) Patrick Onyeije said the machinery and building on the planned projects will take  between eight and 12 weeks to complete.

    The company chief noted that the first phase of the projects will cost $250 million, adding that the company will begin operation soon.

    Onyeije, who was represented by Major Samuel Adewumi (retd), said the partnership would help to improve the economy, as waste will be collected from tenants and recycled for valuable products, such as tissue papers, plastics and organic manure (fertiliser) for farmers.

    He said: ”Today marks a great and important historical beginning in the epilogue and annals of captivating history of our people in the State of Osun. Accepting the arduous but admirable responsibility to take care of our environment is a lofty ideal to behold and, as such, a new day is born.

    “We are here to change the story on the environment with the enunciation of these wonderful projects of garbage and sewage collection.

    “It is befitting that the State of Osun has been selected to lead the rest of the country towards an evolutionary approach of reclaiming our environment. One thing we all have taken for granted from the time we were born to the time we die is our environment.

    “Today marks a new beginning as we take the solemn commitment to protect our environment. We have to do our little best, not to litter the streets but to recycle everything coming out of our homes and work places. Every household will purchase various containers from AGEGS for different items from the household for which they can recycle.

    “These containers will be picked up from your homes on designated days of the week and may include weekends as the need may arise.

    “On behalf of Green Environmental Services of America (GESA) and America Green Environmental Global Solution Nigeria Limited (AGEGS), we say a big thank you to the government of the State of Osun.

    “It is with great pleasure and gratitude that we have accepted to begin these great projects here in Osun. This amazing state, though small but mighty, has the propensity and foresight to always lead the way in innovations as the cradle of ingenuity, making Osun the pioneering state for the America Green Environmental Global Solutions in Nigeria, West Africa and Africa.

    “We are here to create jobs, expand the economy, create a new dynamic economy in tourism and, above all, keep your environment clean. We reiterate our gratitude to all our stakeholders locally and abroad and, most especially, our worthy partners in government who have shown unparalleled commitment to the success of this project since inception.

    “With these projects, Osun has accepted to set an international standard in Nigeria for other states in the country to follow.”

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the partnership would complement his administration’s efforts at keeping the environment clean, safe, green and sustainable.

    The governor said his administration never failed in its responsibilities to making Osun the safest state in Nigeria through its consciousness to environmental preservation and maintenance.

    He noted that despite the economic challenges confronting the state, his administration remained committed to the environment.

    Aregbesola said: “We are not signing this MoU for fun but to ensure that our efforts at maintaining and keeping our environment safe remain non-negotiable.

    “It is on record that one thing one cannot take away from our administration is our commitment to the environment. There has been a tremendous improvement from what our environment was before with what we have now.

    “We have been very conscious and passionate about the wellbeing of our people and this made us to commit reasonable resources to environmental sanitation to advance the general wellbeing of our people, particularly to enhance healthy living.

    “It is evident that very few states could compete with us in environmental cleanliness as our state remains the reference point in avoiding opportunistic environmental and public health challenges.

    “We have maintained a remarkable standard in environmental sanitation and public health management.”

     

  • Achieving a cleaner environment

    SIR: Cleaner environment is among the yardstick for ranking cities and for attracting multinational companies. Ranking of cities is helpful in terms of employment and development opportunities. Multinational companies are attracted to set up their offices in the cities with good rankings. Avoidance of degradation is another benefit of a clean city. Plastic wastes and other such are factors that degrade the quality of the environment.

    Nigeria is obviously lagging behind among nations with cleaner environment. It is thus not surprising that it is only Lagos that has been in the ranking of 140 cities rated for world liveability cities. Environment is among the criteria for ranking.

    The attitude of Nigerians towards environmental sanitation is not positive as many have refused to make cleanliness a prime issue in spite of long established environmental sanitation laws, formal governmental structures to address cleaner environment issues and numerous campaigns on same.  The difficulty of Nigerians in allowing modernity and education to change their attitude toward orderliness has sadly made unclean environment a normal syndrome in our national life.

    The horrible attitudes towards environmental sanitation either exhibited inadvertently or deliberately by Nigerians are highly alarming and serve as indicator of level of understanding of the significance and need for a cleaner environment by Nigerians. Mosquitoes, rodents, cockroaches, reptiles, cobwebs are common features in many homes, with some even taking their dirty habit to the public arena.  The fact we all know is that mosquitoes, insects and flies carry a lot of germs and bacteria in them. They are the main transmitters of diseases like chicken pox, malaria and jaundice. We do know that these mosquitoes and pests are frequently attracted towards heaps of garbage and wastes.

    Despite the projection that about 30 states could experience flooding, it is still very common for people to create a dumping ground right beside their home or residence. Many gutters in our cities and towns are blocked due to our poor sanitation habit. It is rather awkward to see people deliberately sweeping and dumping rubbish into nearby gutters. This has continued, notwithstanding, past experience of magnitude of havoc wrecked by scandalous environmental attitude when flood sacked some States.

    One wonders why it is difficult for many among us to stop the habit of flinging the scrap papers, sweet wrappers, fruit skins, water sachets or other waste on the road or into the nearby gutter, rather than disposing it properly in a bin. This communicates no other message but foolishness and disrespect for the environment.

    Traditionally, talks on cleaner cities often centre on the role of government, legislation and law enforcement. However, examples abound where despite availability of civilized options for waste disposing like in Lagos State, people still turn canals, streams and drainages into refuse dumping sites. Nigeria’s followership problem is also glaring looking at instances when people find it difficult to appropriately deal with their domestic waste.

    Just as we lament over bad leadership and assert failure of our leaders to practice at home ideals they are exposed to when they travel abroad, we need to understand that developed nations did not get to the enviable position of having the cleanest cities in the world by merely leaving the business of environmental rehabilitation to the government alone.

    The question to discerning minds is, can Nigeria ever achieve cleaner a nation status and have many of her cities rank among livable cities in the world? Yes. We can.  But only with a change attitude. We need to change our attitude to environmental issues especially. A clean environment is the responsibility of every Nigerian, as everyone is a direct beneficiary of its consequences.

    Like famous world cities such as London, Washington, Oslo, Dublin, Paris etc., with the needed discipline and conscious determination, we could also turn most of our cities into amazing haven of cleanliness. This could begin with a simple habit of not throwing dirt in unauthorized places. It could be as simple as not urinating in public places. It could also be as simple as not patronizing illicit waste disposal agents.

    With natural disasters occurring across the world partly as a result of environmental abuse, it should be considered a wise option for everyone to have a rethink about our attitude to the environment. It is whatever we give to the environment that it gives back to us. It is that simple!

     

    • Rasak Musbau,

    Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

     

  • NGO to sensitise students on environment

    A Non-Governmental Organisation, Nature Protection and Environmental Improvement Initiative (NAPEIIN) will begin its 9jakidsgogreen project, which is aimed at addressing environmental challenges.

    This was disclosed at a technical summit organised by the NGO in Lagos.

    The project will be sponsored by the Aspire Coronation Trust (ACT) Foundation, an NGO that focuses on financing NGOs in Health, Entrepreneurship, Environment and Leadership. It is expected to begin  this weekend

    Lagos State, which has a population of over 21 million, is believed to be plagued by serious environmental challenges like non-renewable resource consumption, depletion of the environment, land degradation and waste disposal failures.

    Amid rapid population growth and urbanisation, which began with the oil boom of the 1970s, the state also suffers water, air and soil pollution, which has a negative impact on school children.

    NAPEIIN President Mr. Olusola Adekoya said: “The NGO has reached out to over 150 schools in the state, sensitising them on the importance of environmental sustainability and promoting tree planting by donating trees to schools.”

    Adekoya sought the support of stakeholders in pushing the message of environmental sustainability to schools, communities and the state at Large.

    Project Manager, 9jaKidsGoGreen, Dika Odum, said the project aims at getting Nigerian children involved in environment sustainability and climate change activities at an early age.

    “Our primary targets are children aged between 11 and 15 years  in government owned secondary schools in the state,” he said.

    Representing the Deputy Governor, Director-General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Ronke Soyombo, assured of the state full support.

    She said:“It is high time that we actually completely went green and something I really want to take up from NAPEIIN is the  fact they are starting with the children because if you want to make changes, it’s hard to make those changes with adults.”

    A representative of the Ministry of the Environment, Mrs. Anna Kolawole, commended the project as laudable and assured the ministry’s support to NAPEIIN.

  • Minister makes case for environment, mining communities 

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Bello has stressed the importance of safeguards against environmental degradation and need for the welfare of host communities in the development of mines and minerals.

    Bello made this call when he declared open the executive session of the maiden National Council on Mines and Mineral Resources Development in Nigeria, holding in Abuja.

    He said, “No matter how much benefits we get eventually from the exploitation of minerals, as long as we do that at the danger of the degradation of the environment and expense of the welfare of the host communities, all these benefits will be of no use in the end.”

    The FCT minister described the solid minerals sector as the foundation for the rapid economic progress recorded in the early years of Nigeria before the discovery of oil in 1956.

    He recalled, “About 100 years ago Nigeria was a highly recognised centre of mining activities. There were active mining of Tin in Jos, Gold in Bida and Coal in Enugu.” He expressed hope in the return to the glorious days when mines and mineral were the major drivers of the national economy citing the recent discovery of the rich deposit of Nickel in Kaduna State.

    Bello, therefore, anticipated a greater future for Nigeria given the commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration towards the diversification of the economy and the concerted efforts of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development towards harnessing the potentials of the sector.

    A statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Cosmas Uzodinma, the minister described the establishment of a National Council on Mining development as a dynamic institutional framework that would foster effective partnership between the Federal and State Governments as well as the host communities for a brighter future for the industry.

    In his address at the occasion, the Minister of Solid Mineral Development   Dr. Kayode Fayemi revealed that the essence of the National Council on Mining and Mineral Resources Development (NCMMRD) is the need to improve on the engagement of stakeholders at the sub-national level, particularly the state governments and communities in order to achieve a more beneficial participation of critical stakeholder groups in the mining sector.

    The Minister also announced that the Ministry has effectively resolved the protracted litigation surrounding the ownership of Ajaokuta and NIOMCO leading to the signing of a “Modified Concession Agreement” between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Global Infrastructure Nigeria Ltd.

    The agreement, he indicated, was executed on behalf of the Federal Government by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, and has consequently freed both NIOMCO and Ajaokuta Steel Company from eight years of dormancy. As a result, the ownership of Ajaokuta Steel Company Ltd has reverted to the Federal Government of Nigeria. Similarly the operationalization of the Steel Company will provide needed inputs to support the infrastructure requirements of the Country and save Nigeria the $3.3 billion spent annually on the importation of steel products.

    Fayemi revealed that the sector has already achieved a 300 percent increase in revenue between 2015 and 2016, stating that as at July this year it had surpassed the entire revenue of N2 billion generated for the whole of 2016.

    The Ministry, he disclosed, has secured approval to access N30 billion from the Natural Resources Intervention Fund for promotion of the exploration of new minerals and to strengthen the regulatory capacity of his Ministry.

    His words “our goal is to build a sector that is competitive and supportive of our overall job creation and wealth generation aspirations for Nigerians.”