The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ERA/FoEN

  • ERA/FoEN seeks enforcement of Tobacco Control Act

    A civil society organisation, Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria, has called on the federal government to commence immediate enforcement of the National Tobacco Control (NTC) Act signed into law in 2015.

    Its Deputy Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, spoke at a media presentation of public awareness materials against tobacco at the weekend in Abuja.

    Oluwafemi said three years after the law was created, awareness remained a huge challenge while enforcement is low.

    He said it became imperative for the Federal Ministry of Health and security operatives to take the lead in the task towards protecting public health and reducing risks associated with public smoking.

    The presented materials detailed nine provisions in the NTC Act which includes: “Prohibition of sale of tobacco products to and by anyone below 18; ban on sale of cigarettes in single sticks- cigarettes must be sold in pack of 20 sticks only.

    “Smokeless tobacco shall be sold in a minimum of a pack of 30 grams; ban of sale or offer for sale for distribution of tobacco or tobacco products through mail, internet or other online devices; prohibition of interference of tobacco industry in public health and related issues.”

    Others are: “Prohibition of smoking in anywhere on the premises of a child care facility, educational facility, health care facility among others; prohibition of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship of any kind; compliance with specified standard for content as set out by standards organisation of Nigeria.”

    The right group tasked the Federal Ministry of Justice to process the ratified protocol towards eliminating illicit trade of tobacco products approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in May.

    The National Assembly (NASS) was charged to ensure passage of the National Tobacco Control Regulations Bill such that enforcement of other provisions of the NTC Act would be easy.

    Representative from the Department of Tobacco Control, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Malau Toma, assured the ministry would focus on education, enforcement and evaluation strategies as part of steps to implementing the NTC Act.

    Toma, who decried low attention to public health, called for increased public sensitisation.

    Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Sub Regional Coordinator for West Africa, Hilda Ochefu, said enforcing the law is capable of saving millions of lives, thus protecting public health.

     

     

    She said the implication of flouting the law means anyone found selling tobacco to minors below 18 would be arrested and prosecuted while tobacco should not be sold via the internet.

  • FG urged to ban importation of power generating sets for MDAs

    FG urged to ban importation of power generating sets for MDAs

    Environmental Rights Action and Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to place a permanent ban on the importation of power generating sets for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the country.

    The Executive Director, ERA/FoEN, Dr. Godwin Uyi, at the closing of a 2-day workshop on National Renewable Energy Policy and Legal Framework, held in Abuja disclosed that such ban should extend to the three tiers of government in order to promote use of renewable energy to mitigate climate change impacts.

    Uyi said: “We are using this opportunity to draw government attention in relation to the commitment it made to fulfill the Paris Accord in 2015, that it will reduce emission by 20 per cent unconditionally. Why will it commit over N17 billion to purchase of generators, fuels as well as diesel if a government has made that kind of commitment. It
    will end up defeating the aim it set to achieve.

    “So we are calling for a complete ban for purchasing of generator sets for the ministries, departments and agencies across the federal, states and local governments levels. This is crucial because it will help to direct attention on need for alternative sources that are less promoted.”

    He said it was inappropriate for the federal government to promote the use of fossil fuels which contributes more to carbon emission as against clean energy sources, widely encouraged to protect the environment and ensure healthy living.

    Uyi explained that the gesture would further promote the use of renewable energy by the MDAs across the three tiers of governments and help achieve the nationally determined commitment of the Paris Accord aimed to addressing climate change and reducing carbon emissions by 20 per cent.

    According to him, statistics from the Budget Office of the Federation showed that about N17, 397,470,115 was earmarked for the purchase of power generating sets, diesel among others in this year budget, adding that such development will discourage the use of clean energy.

    The environmentalist stressed that a study conducted in partnership with the Development Association of Renewable Energy (DARE) revealed that such huge sum could generate 46 megawatts of solar power and
    create 650 new jobs.

    He decried unrestricted access of the power generating companies (GENCOs) and distribution companies (DISCOS) which according to him is hindering individual and collective efforts to realizing the National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy (NREEEP).

    Reacting to the credit given to the oil sector as being responsible for the economic recovery, Uyi examined the impact of oil exploration in the Niger Delta and the country beyond with the profit made.

    “If we say oil brought out Nigeria from recession, what brought Nigeria into recession? We failed to diversify the economy and we keep focusing on oil. Look at the monumental devastation and pollution that is ongoing in the Niger delta. Look at the conflicts and benchmark how much compensation, remediation and how much Nigeria has gotten in relation to what it’s getting from oil. It simply means other people have bared the cost.

    “The advantage of solar over fossils include greater energy access for all including the poor, fuel efficiency, reduction in air pollution, health improvement, environmentally friendly and the avoidance of potential carbon emissions from plants and generators,” he added.

  • ERA/FoEN criticises proposed Lagos environment law

    ERA/FoEN criticises proposed Lagos environment law

    The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has described the proposed Bill to Provide for the Management, Protection and Sustainable Development of the Environment in Lagos State as a document laden with ambiguities to mask its privatisation plans in the water sector.

    At a Public Hearing by the Lagos House Committee for Environment at the House of Assembly Complex in Alausa, Ikeja, ERA/FoEN faulted sections of the proposal, which it viewed as attempts to sneak public-private partnership (PPP) into the water sector. The sections include: Allocation of Fund and Guarantees, Sinking of Borehole Hydraulic and other Structures, Maintenance of Water Bodies, Functions of the Office and Powers to Make Regulations.

    ERA/FoEN Deputy Executive Director Akinbode Oluwafemi said: “We are shell-shocked at the proposed law as it is fraught with deliberate loopholes that will open the door for the corporate take-over of Lagos water, the sanitation sector and, ultimately, the state.”

    Oluwafemi frowned at the provisions of the “Allocation of Fund and Guarantees,” saying it is scandalous for the state government to contemplate securing payment for contracted services and concessions for long-term infrastructure investments as first line of preference from internally-generated revenue. This he interpreted to mean that government must pay corporate entities before spending on roads, schools, hospitals, and water.

    He condemned the aspect of the bill which says: “in the event that the state’s IGR is insufficient or unavailable to discharge its obligations, it will apply monies due to it from the monthly allocations from the federal account to secure its payment obligation to the contractors and concessionaires”.

    The ERA/FoEN memorandum also carpets the clause on the composition of members of “The Trust Fund Board” to be set up. Going by the clause, the body will have six members, two of which will be from the Ministry of Environment, and the Commissioner for Environment being its chair. It noted that the commissioner would have too many powers under the law as he would also be tasked with making regulations.

    In the provision that criminalises “Sinking of Borehole Hydraulic and other Structures” with recommendation of prison terms and fines for defaulters, the group said Lagos residents using these means to access water were only victims of a failed system that failed to provide them a basic human need.

    “What logic justifies banning people from using streams or helping their neighbours who cannot access safe water due to inadequate investment from the state government for decades? Yet, this obnoxious provision is in the law,” Oluwafemi said.

    The ERA/ FoEN chief explained that if these measures were not challenged, they would further burden Lagosians at a time that the government has no plan to fix the public water system. He added: “Our fear is that this pressure on Lagos citizens could be the guise to introduce the PPP in the water sector which Lagosians have roundly condemned.’’

    ERA/FoEN also provided copies of the document titled:  “Lagos Water Crisis: Alternative Roadmap for the Water Sector” which it launched last October, as solution to the water crisis in Lagos.

  • Water is a right, don’t privatise it, says ERA/FoEN

    The Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria(ERA/FoEN) has urged the Lagos State government  to back down on its plan to privatise water in the state.

    Speaking at the launch of the book, Lagos Water Crisis: Alternative Roadmap for Public Water Sector, at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, the Deputy Executive Director (ERA/FOEN), Akinbode  Oluwafemi, said “today we have moved from mere advocacy to providing real, practical and sustainable solutions. We will still be in streets until this crisis is addressed, but now we are also ready to work with our leaders to move forward together.”

    He said the need to publish the book arose as a way of making it clear to those who insist that privatization was the only way to go that other options are available. A former member of the House of Representatives, Uche Onyeagucha, who was the chairman at the book presentation, said the idea of privatising water was against the poor and nature and should be resisted.

    He said, “According to scientists, 75percent of our body is water, water is a greater part of our life and it is a natural source which was given by God for human use and idea of privatisation of water is totally abnormal to human existence.” He called on government to look for a more creative way to generate fund than making water costly for consumers.

    A resident of Epe and community leader, Mrs. Bisi Fasasi lamented about the water situation in her community. “We don’t have food and water yet they still say we should come and pay for water. Then why did we vote for them? What exactly will government do for us in our community? We pay for electricity, government should make water free. Water is very essential to our daily lives. We don’t want our children to suffer.”

    In her contribution, the Executive Director of the Child Health Organisation, Vicky Uremma Onyekuru, observed that “beyond the economics, women are likely to take on more burden if the privatization of water is to occur.

  • Nwanya takes Veronica to altar

    Nwanya takes Veronica to altar

    Mr. Vitus Nwanya, a manager with Elegant Strides Ltd, Lagos, recently took former Miss Veronica Ivoke of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) to the altar at the Assemblies of God Church, Ikeja, Lagos.

  • Activists seek clean-up of Ogoni by SPDC

    The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) assessment of Ogoniland and the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) have called on the Federal Government to compel Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to clean up its mess in Ogoniland.

    In a statement, they said it was unacceptable that two years after the assessment, the Federal Government, has not impressed it on Shell to take responsibility for its action.

    UNEP’s findings released earlier in the month, showed hydrocarbon pollution in surface water in the creeks of Ogoniland, and up to eight centimetres in groundwater supplying drinking wells.

    Soils were found to have been polluted with hydrocarbons of up to five metres depth in 49 observed sites; benzene, a known cancer-causing chemical, was found in drinking water at a level 900 times above the World Health Organisation (WHO) acceptable levels.

    ERA/FoEN Executive Director Godwin Ojo said: “The issues in the UNEP report are about the devastation of the ecosystems, waterbodies, livelihoods, and how Shell’s oil extraction activities have impoverished the Ogonis, and sentencing them to slow deaths.

    “Sadly, the Nigerian government and Shell are still promoting cosmetic approaches to the remediation measures recommended by UNEP. These measures seem clearly focused on guaranteeing Shell does not take responsibility for its mess in Ogoniland. Shell, clean up your mess because a day of reckoning is at hand.”

    Ojo desinbed as “hasty”, the setting up of a Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP), saying it did not address the key demands the report recommended on the eve of the first anniversary, last year. This, he said, lent credence to the belief between Ogonis and the environment community that government is trying to divert attention from the real issues.

    “Sadly, the government has taken side with Shell rather than with the people and the protection of the environment. We are unequivocal that the HYPREP and on-going illegal activities by Shell in Ogoniland do not in any way represent the UNEP recommendations.

    “HYPREP should either be scrapped or made a unit in the National Oil Spills Detection and Remediation Agency (NOSDRA) which should be statutorily responsible for the clean-up of Ogoniland, rather than the administrative status of HYPREP under the control of the Minister for Petroleum,” he said.

    Ojo listed the group’s demands to include the release of the $1 billion Ogoni Environmental Restoration Fund by the Federal Government and Shell, with NOSDRA as the supervising agency for its deployment and use.

    Shell, he said, should start the decommissioning of its abandoned facilities in Ogoniland, embark on the clean up of all impacted sites to ensure remediation, restoration and compensation.

    The bodies insisted on the immediate setting up of a $100 billion Niger Delta Restoration Fund for the clean-up of the Niger Delta impacted by oil activities.

  • ERA urges passage of tobacco control bill

    Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has reiterated its call for the urgent passage of the National Tobacco Control Bill (NTCB), saying the bill contains provisions for the elimination of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

    Speaking at the event marking this year’s World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) at the weekend, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, ERA/FoEN’s Director of Corporate Campaigns, called on government and other concerned bodies to put a stop to the promotion and advertisement of tobacco.

    According to him, “Bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship are one of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco consumption, with countries that have already introduced bans showing an average of seven per cent reduction in tobacco consumption.”

    The WNTD is set aside by the World Health Organisation (WHO) every May 31 “to moblise governments and communities across the world to take actions to prevent deaths, diseases and disabilities associated with smoking.”

    This year’s theme is “Ban Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship”. According to Oluwafemi, research shows that about one third of youths experiment with tobacco as a result of exposure to tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, adding that the passage of the bill will curb consumption of tobacco.

    Also speaking at the event, Mr. Rafsanjani Awwal of the Civil Society Legislative Centre decried the fact that most young people today are susceptible to health challenges because they smoke. He added, “We (Nigeria) are not making the Millennium Development Goal in health. Yet we are complicating it with cigarettes. We must work to stop this because it is killing many people, especially the young. The sad thing is that the tobacco companies escape payment of taxes and destroy our income.”

    Mr. Nuhu Ogbara, a lawyer and chairman of the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) linked health to the dignity of human and called for the need to compel government to make and execute laws against tobacco consumption.

  • Don’t personalise PIB bill, group urges

    Don’t personalise PIB bill, group urges

    The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has frowned at provisions of the draft Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which unduly bestows discretionary powers on the President and the Minister of Petroleum, saying a PIB with the mandate of the people must be built around institutions and not individuals for it to be impactful.

    ERA/FoEN suggested that such provisions be totally expunged from the draft PIB while issues such as award of oil blocks be made open to transparent and competitive bidding processes.

    The call is coming on the heels of the Public Hearing on the Draft PIB organised by the House of Representatives in Lagos and Port Harcourt recently which was conducted in such manner that community and civil society groups were not adequately sensitised to be part of.

    In a release over the weekend, ERA/FoEN wondered why information about the public hearing and date of the sittings were carefully shielded from community people, civil society groups, and other critical stakeholders while oil multinationals, petroleum marketers and their consultants had adequate information and were prominently represented at the sittings.

    “While we applaud the House for organising the hearing, we are not satisfied that community groups impacted by the activities of the oil industry and in whose interest the PIB is being fashioned were not duly notified so as to make their observations known,” said.

    ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo, who delivered a memorandum on behalf of ERA/FoEN and civil society groups at the Lagos hearing, specifically listed certain critical areas of the PIB that civil society and community groups want reviewed before it is finally passed into law.

    “The absence of community groups at the hearings seems to justify our call for a redefinition of Section 2 of the PIB 2012 which deals with the question of Sovereignty and Ownership. As against the proposal which vests ownership and control of all petroleum resources in Nigeria on the government of the federation, we propose that it be amended to reflect that ‘it is vested in the People of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”