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Tag: Lake Chad basin

  • AU to help Nigeria in war against Boko Haram

    AU to help Nigeria in war against Boko Haram

    The African Union has expressed its readiness to help Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents.

    The AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) led by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to AU, Amb. Bankole Adeoye, gave the assurance at a ministerial roundtable with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, in Abuja

    The delegation was on a Field Mission to Nigeria and countries in the Lake Chad Basin.

    Adeoye said the delegation was in Nigeria to have a firsthand knowledge of the security situation in the Lake Chad region and the humanitarian crisis occasioned by the Boko Haram activities.

    He said: “We have seen the havoc wreaked by the insurgents and we have seen the environmental degradation of the Lake Chad.

    “We have seen human beings whose livelihoods have been decimated by the atrocities of Boko Haram.

    “We are here to show solidarity with the government of Nigeria and offer our support in tackling the menace of terrorism in all its forms and ramifications.”

    He said the findings of the delegation were of great importance to the AU.

    Adeoye commended Nigeria and other governments in the Lake Chad region in ensuring that peace returned to the crisis-ridden areas.

    He added: “We thank the government of Nigeria and other governments in the Lake Chad for the work done in ensuring that peace is being returned in a significant manner.

    “We noticed that Maiduguri and other cities in the Lake Chad region are beginning to see law and order returning. Peace is returning.”

    Onyeama commended AU for supporting the “existential struggle against one of the deadliest terrorist groups in the world.”

    The minister said: “Terrorism is a global challenge that a lot of African countries are facing.

    “We are all in this together and we have to work together.”

    NAN

     

     

  • Nigeria, Lake Chad Basin move against insurgency

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo  yesterday praised the co-operation among the countries in the Lake Chad Basin against the insurgency in the region and its humanitarian crisis.

    He spoke while receiving a delegation from the African Union Peace and Security Counci. The delegation has been visiting countries in the region on a fact-finding mission on the crisis.

    “The Lake Chad Basin collaboration is one we are extremely proud of, where we as Africans are working together on our own issues. I am pleased to say the countries have worked greatly together,” the Acting President said.

    According to a a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, the Acting President cited the progress of the Multi-National Joint Task Force set up to address the Boko Haram insurgency.

    He noted that unlike in the past when there were difficulties when the four countries tried to work together, the MNJTF surmounted the challenges and has succeeded.

    The Buhari administration, he said, is pleased with the cooperation and hoped to get more.

    Osinbajo observed that the humanitarian consequences of the insurgency were compounded by deep poverty, making the cost of dealing with the situation “huge and enormous.”

    He recalled that there were about 2.4m displaced persons, extensive destruction of property, infrastructure, schools, homes and farmland.

    In some cases, he said, the situation required the “rebuilding of whole societies”, but he expressed satisfaction with the work of the Peace and Security Council of the AU.

    “I am extremely pleased and encouraged by the work of the PSC, the time and attention paid to this issue. These are matters we must address now and in the future,” he said

    The PSC delegation was led by its Chairperson for July, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, who is also Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and  the AU.

    He told the Acting President that the PSC delegation have been visiting the 4 countries in the Lake Chad Basin in the past five weeks, and had specifically visited seven cities in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

    “This visit is the high point of our mission,” Adeoye said, adding that Nigeria’s commitment to peace in Africa had been well demonstrated.

    The PSC of the African Union is the standing organ of the Union for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. Members of the 15-member-council are three each from Central, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Africa.

     

  • Nigeria, Lake Chad Basin neighbours working against insurgency – Osinbajo

    Nigeria, Lake Chad Basin neighbours working against insurgency – Osinbajo

    …Receives AU’s Peace & Security Council in Abuja

     

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday said that countries in the Lake Chad Basin have worked together very well dealing with the terrorist insurgency in the region and the consequent humanitarian crisis.

    He made the remark while receiving a delegation from the African Union Peace and Security Council which has been visiting countries in the region on a fact-finding mission on the crisis as part of its mandate.

    “The Lake Chad Basin collaboration is one we are extremely proud of, where we as Africans are working together on our own issues. I am pleased to say the countries have worked greatly together,” the Acting President said.

    Osinbajo, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Laolu Akande, cited the progress of the Multi-National Joint Task Force set up to address the terrorist insurgency.

    He noted that unlike in the past when there were difficulties when the militaries of the 4 countries tried to work together, the MNJTF surmounted the challenges and has succeeded.

    The Buhari administration, he said, is extremely pleased with the cooperation and hoped to get more.

    He however observed that the humanitarian consequences of the insurgency are compounded by deep poverty, making the costs of dealing with the situation “huge and enormous.”

    He recalled that there are for instance about 2.4m displaced persons, extensive destruction of property, infrastructure, schools, homes and farmland.

    In some cases, he said, the situation required the “rebuilding of whole societies.”

    But he expressed satisfaction with the work of the Peace and Security Council of the AU.

    “I am extremely pleased and encouraged by the work of the PSC, the time and attention paid to this issue. These are matters we must address now and in the future.” he said

    The PSC delegation was led by its Chairperson for the month of July, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, who is also Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and to the AU.

    In his remarks, he told the Acting President that the PSC delegation have been visiting the 4 countries in the Lake Chad Basin in the past 5 weeks, and have specifically visited 7 cities in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

    “This visit is the high point of our mission,” Adeoye stated adding that Nigeria’s commitment to peace in Africa has been well demonstrated.

    The PSC of the African Union is the standing organ of the Union for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts. Membership of the 15 member-council are drawn -three each- from Central, Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Africa.

     

  • Osinbajo orders continued search, rescue missions in Borno

    Osinbajo orders continued search, rescue missions in Borno

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has condemned the appalling ambush, attack and abduction of soldiers and civilians on duties at the Lake Chad Basin Frontier Exploration.

    The terrorist attacks had resulted in a number of deaths of hardworking and innocent Nigerians, and abduction of some Nigerians.

    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Laolu Akande, the Acting President while noting that the objective of the patriotic exercise was to open up new areas for oil exploration for the common good of all Nigerians, commiserated with the families, relatives and associates of those who lost their lives in the despicable onslaught.

    He also wished the injured persons speedy recovery.

    The statement reads: “The Acting President after an emergency meeting with the Military chiefs on Thursday issued fresh directives to the Nigerian military and all security agencies to immediately scale-up their efforts and activities in Borno State in order to maintain a strong, effective control of the situation and secure lives and property.

    “While commending the military for the progress already recorded with the rescue of some of the abducted, Prof. Osinbajo has also ordered the continuation of search and rescue missions to locate and ensure the freedom of all remaining abducted persons as soon as possible, using all available and expedient means in the circumstances.”

    Justice, the Acting President said, would be pursued for the victims and against those who engage in the unacceptable, criminal and terrorist conduct.

    Acting President Osinbajo also paid tribute to the resilience, courage and bravery of officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for their gallant endeavours and sacrifices for the peace, security and territorial integrity of the country.

    He eulogized the Nigerian soldiers who have paid the ultimate price in the mission and others linked to the current insurgency.

    Osinbajo gave assurance that the welfare of the families of the soldiers will be prioritized.

    He also commended the diligence of the management and staff of the NNPC, and the lecturers/consultants from the University of Maiduguri in pursuing Federal Government’s resolve to grow the nation’s current crude oil reserve base through potential exploration in the Lake Chad Basin.

    He said that the government will by no means be dissuaded.

    He said: “Some of these extraordinarily selfless Nigerians from the NNPC and the University Of Maiduguri put their lives on the line that we and generations to come will enjoy the resources of this land.  We will never forget that sacrifice”

    Even though pockets of terrorists have been launching attacks recently in Borno State, the Acting President assured the people of the State, the region and all Nigerians, that the Federal Government is not only on top of the situation, but will define the end of the atrocities by both winning the war and winning the peace in the North-east.

  • Borno: Nine soldiers feared dead as Book Haram attacks oil workers

    Borno: Nine soldiers feared dead as Book Haram attacks oil workers

    The prospects of oil exploration in the Lake Chad Basin of Nigeria in Borno state  has suffered a major setback as Boko Haram have on Wednesday reportedly ambushed and attack a team of workers between Magumeri and Gubio on their way back to Maiduguri, security sources have revealed.

    The source informed that the workers were ambushed around Borno Yeso area of Magumeri, adding that “security personal providing protection and security to the workers including geologists from the University of Maiduguri were also badly affected in the ambushed.

    Another source speculated that out of the ten vehicles that conveyed the oil workers including security, only one ten seater bus returned to Maiduguri with five wounded people hospitalized at the State Specialist Hospital Maiduguri.

    The source added that many have been feared dead or taken alive as no contact has so far been made by some of the members of the team during the attack

    There is no official statement from the military command in Borno State and the State Police Command on the attack.

    A credible military source also informed our correspondent that   some students of the Geology Department of the University, members of the Civilian Joint Task Force and other security personnel were victims of the attack

    The Military source regretted that a conspiracy by head of the securities in trying to shield the information from the public.

    His words: “As at 9:00 today Wednesday, no rescue plan has been put in place as far as I am aware   from either the Nigeria Airforce component from the Theatre.

    “Between Wednesday and today, only ten of the victims can be confirmed to be alive. The five oil workers that escaped the attack Wednesday were hospitalized at the Borno State Specialist Hospital.

    “Also this morning around 5:00 precisely five others who escaped also called and told us their location.

    “The five victims at the state specialist told us that out of the ten vehicles conveying the team from magumeri, only their vehicle escaped the attack with bullets shots, flat tyres and smashed wind screen.

    “They said the insurgents had chased them for more than ten kilometers adding that most of the vehicle and the persons involved did not make it out of Magumeri,” the source disclosed.

    The Nation recalls that President Buhari last year issued directives to the NNPC to resume the exploration of oil in the Lake Chad Basin and River Kolnami.

    In compliance with the Presidential Directives, the GMD of NNPC sent a delegation to Borno State in May this year who paid courtesies on Gov. Kashim Shettima and the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar El-Kanemi with the assurance that the exploration will begin in six weeks’ time as peace was gradually returning to the state.

    The latest attack has however cast a dark shadow on the prospect of the continuation of the exploration with renewed Boko Haram attacks and the increasing insecurity in the Lake Chad.

     

  • 5m children susceptible to water-borne diseases in Lake Chad – UNICEF

    5m children susceptible to water-borne diseases in Lake Chad – UNICEF

    The UN warned on Friday that no fewer than 5.6 million children across the Lake Chad basin are susceptible to deadly water-borne diseases such as cholera and hepatitis E as the rainy season hits a region already reeling from Boko Haram’s insurgency.

    UNICEF in a statement, said the 5.6 million children in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, many of whom have been uprooted by violence and live in host communities or refugee camps, are facing the disease threat as the rains arrive.

    The aid agency said flooding and muddy roads are expected to limit aid access to remote areas, where hunger is growing and the food is lacking, while the insecurity has made it hard to deliver supplies and ensure clean water is available ahead of the rains.

    “The rains will further complicate what is already a dire humanitarian situation, as millions of children made vulnerable by conflict are now facing the potential spread of opportunistic diseases,” Marie Poirier of UNICEF said in a statement.

    “Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene conditions can lead to cholera and hepatitis E.

    “Staving off disease is our top priority.”

    Cholera, which spreads through contaminated food and water, causes diarrhoea and vomiting, leaving small children especially vulnerable to death from dehydration, whereas liver disease Hepatitis E is particularly deadly for pregnant women.

    Also, the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said in Niger’s Diffa region, which has been hit by the conflict and hosts about 250,000 uprooted Nigeriens and Nigerian refugees, an outbreak of hepatitis E has killed at least 33 pregnant women so far this year.

    “To curb this type of outbreak, we know that our best asset at the moment is … water and sanitation activities ” said Víctor Illanes of the MSF.

    “When the deficiencies are so high and the space to be covered is as large as Diffa, it is difficult for these activities to have an impact in the short term,” he added.

    Boko Haram’s campaign to create an Islamic state is in its eighth year with little sign of ending.

    It has claimed more than 20,000 lives and uprooted 2.7 million people across Lake Chad.

    No fewer than five million people in northeast Nigeria need food aid, and about 1.5 million are believed to be on the brink of famine, yet the UN in this June, had to cut emergency food supplies for 400,000 people due to a lack of funding.

  • NEMA, UNESCO advocates synergy of modern, traditional expertise in disaster management

    NEMA, UNESCO advocates synergy of modern, traditional expertise in disaster management

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have underscored the synergy of modern and traditional knowledge of early warnings to disaster management.

    Both organisations made this known on Tuesday in Abuja during a workshop on “Interfacing modern and indigenous early warning systems to build vulnerable communities’’.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the partnership between both organisations is focusing on countries in the Lake Chad Basin Region that have been adversely affected by climate change.

    The countries are Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad.

    Mr Mustapha Maihaja, the Director-General of NEMA said that the impact of climate change had been dire on the countries concerned.

    He said that disaster could therefore be reduced to its minimal if there was a synergy of modern science and indigenous knowledge.

    Maihaja, who was represented by Mr Alhassan Nuhu, the Director, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), NEMA explained that a fusion of both bodies in building effective early warning systems would reduce disaster on vulnerable communities.

    “Climate risks are increasing in frequency and magnitude worldwide, impacting on human health, the environment and causing material loses to communities in a way that impedes the development of the society.

    “This is slowing down the progress toward sustainable development, and throws up a challenge to us as disaster risk managers.

    “The combination of both indigenous knowledge and modern science is inevitable; none can completely stand alone or excludes the other if our goal is to assure a reduction in loss of life and property.

    “There is an increasing awareness of the importance of indigenous knowledge as invaluable and underutilised knowledge reservoir.

    “Indigenous knowledge has been applied in evaluating climate trends and further used to establish early warning in our communities particularly with regards to rainfall patterns.

    “With the intensity and frequency of the changing pattern of climate and its impacts, the effectiveness of indigenous knowledge for disaster risk reduction is becoming grossly inadequate.

    “There is therefore a need to link modern science with indigenous knowledge in order to build a culture of early warning systems and disaster risk reduction by vulnerable communities to the negative consequences of climate change,’’ Maihaja said.

    Maihaja urged participants of the workshop to come up with a laudable project that would better enhance an effective early warning system to mitigate disaster in the region.

    ‎Mr Yao Ydo, the Regional Representative of UNESCO to Nigeria said that with this new emerging challenges emanating from climate change, it was important to look at the other dimensions of knowledge.

    Ydo, who was represented by Mr UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) , Senior Education Specialist, UNESCO, Nigeria said that it would be very useful to fuse knowledge and other forms of knowledge acquired.

    He said that the event was focusing on the Lake Chad Basin Region because the eco system of the region had been severely affected by the impact of climate change with terrible human and environmental consequences,

    He explained that these consequences had manifested in form of insecurity, social dislocation, economic disruption and environmental degradation, among others,

    The UNESCO regional representative explained that the synergy of both scientific and indigenous knowledge would generate a new co-produced knowledge that would enable effective action to cope with the impacts of the climate change.

    Ydo said that for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNESCO encouraged member states to explore and value the good traditional solutions used in the past by communities to address development challenges.

    He said that this could also help in building the resilience of members of communities.

    Ydo said that UNESCO was partnering with NEMA as the agency responsible for disaster management so that they would  work together and bring in experts to develop mechanisms in building a robust DRR response.

  • NNPC to resume oil prospecting in Lake Chad

    NNPC to resume oil prospecting in Lake Chad

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said it will resume oil prospecting in the Lake Chad Basin of Borno.

    The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, disclosed this when he visited Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, at the Government House in Maiduguri on Monday.

    Baru was represented at the occasion by the NNPC Chief Operations Officer, Mr. Saidu Mohammed.

    He said the corporation had concluded arrangement to mobilise heavy and sophisticated equipment to resume oil prospecting in the Lake Chad Basin.

    He said the resumption, which would be done in the next six or eight weeks, was based on the military’s assurance to provide adequate security in the area.

    Baru said the move was due to the present relative peace in the state and the degrading of Boko Haram insurgents in the North East region.

    The NNPC GMD said, “We are here in Borno to express our full alignment to the ongoing reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement in all the liberated communities.

    “Therefore, NNPC is seeking where it can come in and assist because the rate of devastation is worrisome.

    “We are also in the state to inform you that in the next six weeks, we are going to redeploy our team of experts back to Maiduguri to resume oil exploration with better technology in the Lake Chad Basin.

    “This is necessary with our renewed efforts in harnessing oil and gas and power to increase the economy of the nation in line with the agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari on job creation and economic diversification.”

    Shettima commended the team for the visit and the NNPC’s resolve to resume oil exploration in the region.

    The governor said his administration would partner with corporation to actualise the mission.

     

    NAN

     

  • Nigeria’s economy cannot sustain Lake Chad water transfer project – Minister

    Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu says the Nigerian economy cannot sustain the demands of the proposed inter-basin water transfer from the Congo River Basin to the Lake Chad Basin.

    The minister said this in Abuja on Tuesday during an interactive session with newsmen.

    Adamu said that the inter-basin water transfer project could not be funded by the Federal Government alone, adding that the process might not be sustainable even if it commenced.

    He said the Federal Government and the Lake Chad Basin Commission were, therefore, seeking alternative ways of channelling the water from the Congo Basin into the lake so as to reduce cost and unforeseen circumstances.

    “I told experts in the Lake Chad Basin Commission that we should consider the water channelling option that will allow the water to flow by gravity; it is something we will work at.

    “Presently, I don’t think the economy of this country can support water transfer yet,’’ he said.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the minister once said that the Federal Government was discussing modalities with relevant stakeholders on how to save Lake Chad from drying up.

    The minister underscored the need to draw international attention to the desiccation of the lake in order to save 47 million people whose livelihoods depended on the lake.

    Adamu said that eliciting international support for the project was imperative since more than 47 million people depended on the resources of the lake for farming, fishing and livestock production as well as water supply for drinking and sanitation.

    NAN reports that the Global Resource Information Database of the UN Environment Programme said that Lake Chad had shrunk by over 95 per cent from 1963 to 1998.

    “However, the 2007 satellite images show significant improvement over previous years,” it said.

    Lake Chad is economically important, as it provides water for more than 68 million people living in the four countries adjacent to it — Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

  • Boko Haram: There’s hope behind the gloom – UN Security Council

    Boko Haram: There’s hope behind the gloom – UN Security Council

    In spite of the gloom created by the seven years of Boko Haram insurgency, there is hope for the Lake Chad Basin region, the UN Security Council has said.

    The President of the Security Council for the month of March, Amb. Matthew Rycroft, made the remarks during a press briefing on the Council’s just-concluded mission to the region.

    Rycroft said the visit had afforded the 15-member body to appreciate the level of degradation caused by the Boko Haram terrorists in the region.

    “If I was talking to you about security in the Lake Chad Basin last Tuesday, I would have spoken about how 20,000 people have been killed and how 2.3 million are currently displaced.

    “What I couldn’t have told you was the stories, the lives behind these numbers; the human cost of the fragile security situation.

    “Last Friday, in Maroua, in northern Cameroon, I saw that cost in the eyes of a 15 year-old boy whose village was attacked by Boko Haram.

    “He hid for days. Most of his friends had already been killed. I saw that cost in the eyes of a woman crying with her baby in her arms.

    “I saw it in others who spoke of the murder of their husbands and sons, the kidnapping of their daughters, and the burning of their homes.

    “We heard from civil society how women were selling their bodies for sex just to eat.

    “All these people brought home the horrifying consequences of the chaos and insecurity wrought by Boko Haram,” he said.

    He said, however, that together, the Council’s 15 members brought some much needed focus to suffering that has been neglected for too long.

    “But amid the horror, we also heard of the bravery and commitment of the people of the region as they try to bring stability and security back to the Lake Chad Basin.

    “And in many ways it’s working; it’s undeniable that significant progress has been made in combating Boko Haram’s reign of terror. We heard chapters from a success story on its way to completion.

    “Stories from the Multi-National Joint Task Force of liberating 20,000 hostages and successfully winning back territory that will act as future homes for the people of the region,” he said.

    Rycroft explained that the Boko Haram threat is not over adding, security is not yet entrenched; it is fragile in too many places.

    “Force commanders and generals outlined continued attacks. Suicide bombings and IEDs are still far too common.

    “And Boko Haram’s tactics are getting more barbaric – mothers turned into suicide bombers with infants strapped to them in addition to their bombs.

    “Boko Haram members are down, but they’re not out yet. And make no mistake, their cruelty knows no bounds. It was clear that international support remains vital for this fight.”

    He called for the provision of psycho-social services for Boko Haram defectors to enable reintegration without stigmatization.

    Rycroft commended the bravery and resilience of the escaped Chibok schoolgirls and thousands of other women freed from Boko Haram savagery.

    “I met three inspirational young women from Chibok who were attending an International Women’s Day event at the UN.

    “Far from being victims, far from being survivors, they are now campaigners for education for women and girls in poverty.

    “Despite everything they had endured, despite being caught up in the hell unleashed by Boko Haram, they are determined to look to the future.

    “They showed what lies ahead. They showed a future possible when the fighting ends, when the guns fall silent, when security stops being a word and starts becoming a reality.

    “To achieve this reality, it’s clear that there can be no military solution: only a comprehensive approach will bring stability and peace.

    “And so let me reiterate that the UK will stand side by side with the region and affected people in this effort,” the UK Permanent Representative to the UN, said.