The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Olugbenga Adanikin

  • Bonny Bodo: FG, NLNG, Julius Berger sign N120b tripartite agreement

    Bonny Bodo: FG, NLNG, Julius Berger sign N120b tripartite agreement

    The Federal Government has signed N120 billion tripartite agreement with the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited and Julius Berger Nigeria Plc to construct Bonny Bodo road in the Niger Delta.

    The contractual agreement will ensure the project is completed and delivered in four years.

    The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing made a commitment of N60 million for the project while NLNG will provide the remaining  N60 million to ensure successful completion of the project.

    Speaking at the agreement signing on Wednesday in Abuja, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola described the meeting as concluding part of the procurement process for the project execution.

    He said the gesture was in compliance with the Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) of the federal government, commitment to develop the Niger Delta as well as the partnership with the private sector as major contributor to national growth.

    Fashola said: “Essentially we will formally sign the agreement today. It concluded the procurement process for starting the constructing process of the Bonny bridge.

    “This is important for many reasons. First, it complied with the ERGP which the President launched to revive the economy and one of the pillars of that plan is infrastructure provision….therefore NLNG has decided for reasons which you will hear from them to add funds on equal basis to the project to the value of N120.6 billion and they will be taking 50 per cent of the cost of delivering the project while government takes 50 percent of the cost.

    “This is a major statement in partnership with private sector to deliver public use. We gather here to improve the quality of lives in the Niger Delta, spend more in developing infrastructure. We assure that immediately work starts, we will start to see improvements in the various value chains.”

    In his remarks, NLNG Managing Director, Tony Attah, said the project will open the Niger Delta to new frontiers of development and secure better opportunities for the rural communities.

    He said the gesture was part if their efforts to contributing to the development of the region.

    According to him, the NLNG has drastically reduced gas flaring from over 65 per cent before it commenced operation to 20 per cent today.

    Beyond the project, he disclosed plans to make the Bonny mini-Dubai, such that a sum of N3 billion will be committed to the region for genuine development in the next 25 years.

    Attah attributed high poverty rate as major reason for unrest in the region stressing that the community still host major federal government investments

    “This is a 40 kilometres road that connects Bonny kingdom to Port Harcourt and open up the community to the rest of the world. If you live in Port Harcourt and  you want to visit Bonny, you can only do that through boat but now it will open it for greater opportunities,” he said.

    The Managing Director, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Wolfgang Goetsch, said the tripartite agreement and the agreement between the construction firm and FMPWH have demonstrated government commitment to the nation’s development.

    He said local enterprises would be engaged to supply raw materials while the project wi also create jobs for the rural communities.

    Goetsch pledged timely delivery of the project in alignment with the contract agreement.

    “The contractual time for delivery of the project is four years if everything go as planned. We are already doing mobilisation and soil assessment, the dry season is approaching which is better for us in this type of project,” he added.

  • Conference will address farmers/herdsmen clashes – Osinbajo

    Conference will address farmers/herdsmen clashes – Osinbajo

    The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has said the on going National Conference on livestock will address persistent clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the country.

    Osinbajo disclosed this yesterday during the livestock stakeholders conference organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and other stakeholders in Abuja.

    He said the conference was a deliberate plan to converge all key stakeholders in the livestock industry in order to provide a lasting solution to several challenges confronting the industry.

    Osinbajo said the effort will eventually contribute to national security stressing that the Federal Government has established agrorangers to protect ranches.

    The Vice President noted that about 3000 of the rangers are currently undergoing training in order to discharge the duty effectively.

    According to him, the agrorangers will be strongly armed to protect ranches across the country.

    Osinbajo, who was represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said the service will be rendered free while the rangers will be supervised by the Federal Ministry of Interior.

    He explained that if the strategy works in addition to stakeholder reccomendations from the national confeence, it will be recommended to other neighbouring north African countries to adopt.

    The VP expressed concerns that the nation’s national security is already threatened by the incessant crisis between the farmers and herdsmen.

    Describing the conference as timely, he said implementing the recommendations would help promote the economy and create jobs for the unemployed.

    “In the face of expanding human population, food production and demand have increased in a commensurate manner. The pressure on land is great. There is a decline in soil fertility and farm holdings are small while grazing lands are being degraded due to increasing livestock activities, poor management, effects of climate change and increased conversion to farmlands due to high population of humans.

    “We have heard so many have lost money, 300 cows rustled, 200 cows taken. We have now put together a new security group called agrorangers. This group is being trained by the ministry of interior. They are heavily armed. 3000 of them are heavily trained.

    “If you have a ranch or big agricultural project, approach us, we will post them to you at no cost. They will protect your investment,” Osinbajo said.

    The Vice President assured the farmers and pastoralist of providing an insurance cover to protect their investments.

    The Minister of Agriculture, in his personal remark lamented over lack of attention on the livestock industry by successive administrations.

    He said the pastoralist have been marginalised with their grazing routes and reserves already taken over while attention was mainly on crops.

    Ogbeh, who pleaded supports of the conference participants disclosed that about 13 States have provided 5, 000 hectares of land for grazing reserves.

    He said prior to this time, cattle don’t roam but because of need for survival they had to scout for pastures, adding that beyond cows reared by herdsmen in the country, there are foreigners who come into the country from Chad, Niger, Senegal in search for grass.

    Senate Committee Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu in his remark called for holistic approach to addressing the situation.

    He said the livestock sector has suffered reject from the government stressing that the roles of pastoral farmers are significant to contributing to nutritional need in the country.

    According to him, grazing reserves and cattle routes were in the government Gazette before he was born.

    “We have to make-up our mind on what to do to achieve transformation in the livestock industry,” he added.

  • CSEAN represents Africa at UN cyber security conference 

    CSEAN represents Africa at UN cyber security conference 

    Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) has canvassed for supports at the United Nations for awareness creation among youths in Nigeria and other African countries.
    President of the cyber security experts, Remi Afon, during the symposium on Global Cybersecurity Awareness Messaging, held at the United Nations International Centre, Vienna, disclosed that multinational companies should consider awareness creation on cyber threat in the African continent.
    Afon, who spoke on the topic “Cybersecurity in Africa: Changing the Perspectives”, noted that 80 per cent of computers in Africa are infected with malware.
    He identified need to change the narration that African continent is mostly involved in cyber crime.
    He lamented that Africa has been portrayed in a bad light for long in the area of cybercrime due to online scamming stigmas; forgetting that cybercrime is a global phenomenon with Africa’s own peculiarities.
    According to him, Africans’ avergae age is 19.5 years making it youngest population in the world.
    In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, CSEAN, which represented Africa at the just concluded event held between August 30 and 31, 2017 noted that considering the youthful age of Africa, cybersecurity awareness campaign in Africa should heavily focus on the youth.
    He told the delegates that Africa leads the world in money transfer using mobile devices, stressing that with 14 per cent of all Africans receiving money through mobile transfers which led to attackers capitalising on mobile vulnerabilities.
    He stated that the symposium was aimed to establish global strategy for transnational cybersecurity messaging and the development of measuring tools and messaging assets, deployed to prevent cybercrime
    It reads in part: “An estimated 80 per cent of computers on the African continent are infected with malware while the world turned a blind eye.
    Also, South Africa has the 3rd highest number of cybercrime victims in the world with 80%, after Russia (92%) and China (84 %). It is now time multinational tech organisations in Africa start supporting cybersecurity awareness in Africa as it has been doing in developed nations.
    He used the occasion to highlight progress made so far in Africa such as developing legislative framework to curb cybercrime. He said from the 54 countries in Africa, 11 States now have basic substantive and procedural law provisions in place to check cybercrime, while 12 have partial law in place.
    “Although majority of African States (30) lack specific legal provisions on cybercrime and electronic evidence in force, draft laws or amendments to existing legislation reportedly had been prepared in at least 15 States,” he added.
    He proposed cybersecurity awareness and training, strong legislative framework, government commitments, multi-stakeholder approach, building capacity of law enforcement agencies, and cross border collaboration as panacea to curb cybercrime in Nigeria.
  • 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.

  • Promotion Scandal: Osinbajo urged to extend anti-corruption searchlight to Police

    Promotion Scandal: Osinbajo urged to extend anti-corruption searchlight to Police

    A lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi has called on the Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to intercede in alleged one-sided promotion exercise about to commence in the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).

    Olajengbesi, who spoke during a media briefing on Friday in Abuja disclosed that about 72 aggrieved security officers had lodged complaints over denial of their promotions.

    He raised accusations that officers of the force were often elevated based on ethnicity and relationships rather than merit.

    The lawyer, who is a member of United Global Resolve for Peace, a civil society organization criticized the development describing it as such capable of discouraging the officers from diligently performing their responsibilities.

    He appealed to Osinbajo to direct the Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), Sir Mike Okiro to probe several concerns and ensure equity and fairness in the forthcoming promotional exercise.

    “There is currently a development in the Police. For over six years, the police have been exposed to reckless promotion scandal. You are also aware that there is currently promotion process going on and we are surprised that this process is also enmeshed in a lot of dirtiness, reckless abuse of opportunities, favoritism and some of those acts that doesn’t glorify any nation that practices democracy.

    “So we decided to call you to give caution to the Nigerian state and call on the acting president to ensure that the anti-corruption searchlight should be extended quickly to the police,” Olajengbesi said.

    He warned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris and PSC chairman to desist from wrong acts capable of demeaning the force.

    “Now that the police are becoming determined in their duties, then people in authority must also treat all police force members with all forms of respect and dignity. Our demand is that everyone who is due for promotion should be promoted.

    “When people diligently work in a particular organization and they are entitled to certain promotions, when they are denied of these promotions, it amount to great discouragement. It will affect their psyche and this is becoming today’s value system,” he added.

    In his remark, Executive Director of the organization, Olaseni Shalom said the organization has decided to open an electronic mail to enable every aggrieved police officer suffering from the same segregation express their concerns.

    He disclosed plans to engage in advocacy visits to the PSC and subsequently write a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to demand for list of those who had been promoted, in order to ascertain if the Service was biased or otherwise.

    Olaseni restated commitment of the group to take up the fight on behalf of the marginalized police officers across the nation.

  • USAID farm project: Farmers make N396b sales value in five years

    USAID farm project: Farmers make N396b sales value in five years

    The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Market II project designed to help rural farmers in the country has recorded sales valued at N396 billion in five years, a report presented by the USAID has stated.

    The report titled Maximizing Agricultural Revenue and Key Enterprises in Targeted Sites II (MARKET II) was made public, yesterday in Abuja at the 5-year project final event held in Abuja.

    USAID Nigeria Mission Director, Mr. Stephen Haykin disclosed during the event that about 1.9 million rural households were supported to increase productivity and finance, with special attention on women and youths between ages of 18 to 29.

    Haykin explained that the project which commenced in April 2012 and expected to end in October, 2017 was able to link farmers to processors and off-takers, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing post-harvest losses.

    He described the market II project as a deliberate plan to help realize the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the past administration and Green Alternative Policy of the Federal Government, contributing to food security and increasing incomes of rural households.

    According to him, the initiative attracted N4.9 billion private sector investment, N13.9 billion public sector investment and N52.9 billion worth of loans with 3,306,399 metric tons in volume of agricultural commodities sold by the benefiting farmers.

    Earlier, Managing Director, Market II Project, Harvey Schartup said the intervention was aimed to support rural farmers in 25 states working on seven agricultural commodities and its value-chains.

    The states include Sokoto, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, kebbi, Taraba, Niger, Nasarawa, Benue, Ebonyi, oyo, Imo, Rivers among others while the commodities are Maize, Cocoa, Cassava, Bee Keeping, Sorghum and the rest.

    He said with the intervention and adoption of improved seeds, participating farmers were able to engage in both wet season and dry season farming, especially in the area of rice.

    Schartup added that the farmers increased production to over 1.7 million metric tons of rice for the wet season and 429, 800 metric tons of rice produced for the dry season.

    He described the outputs as indications that dry season and wet season farming could help reposition the nation’s economy, adding that farmers do not have to be literate to succeed in the venture.

    He emphasized on the dry season farming, stressing that it was capable of achieving food security, mainly if supported with good policies and best agronomy.

    “We are optimistic about the prospects of agriculture. The future of Nigeria agribusiness is great. We have shown that small holders farming can be productive and profitable.

    “Farmers are smart, but they are also careful; they have to be able to provide for their families. If they see an opportunity, if they see their neighbours doing better, if they see that the methods and technologies are within their reach, they will seize it but they will; adapt and adopt,” Schartup added.

  • Agric Minister raises alarm over fake Facebook account

    Agric Minister raises alarm over fake Facebook account

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has raised alarm over impersonators defrauding the public through his name on Facebook social media.

    Ogbeh denied ownership of any Facebook account opened in his name.

    The Minister advised the public both local and international to disregard such account as impersonators had resorted to taking undue advantage of the innocent public using his pictures.

    In a statement by his Adviser, Media and Communications, Dr. Olukayode Oyeleye, on Thursday in Abuja, Facebook had repeatedly shut down such fake accounts upon request by the Minister.

    He stated that the fraudsters lured victims with deceptive offers of agricultural loans, grants and bogus or non-existent government programmes, aiming at defrauding the unsuspecting prospects.

    It reads: “The public, both in Nigeria and outside, is hereby informed and advised to disregard any Facebook account attributed to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh. This message is important as it has come to the attention of the Minister that some impersonators have been defrauding Facebook users with the name, photographs of the Minister.

    “It has become imperative to emphasise that, despite several earlier public warnings, some online impersonators have continued to open fake Facebook accounts using his name and photographs in desperate attempts to defraud unsuspecting people.An earlier statement, issued on May 3rd, 2017, to warn the public about this scam is hereby re-emphasised, that Chief Ogbeh has no personal Facebook Account. Accordingly, all Facebook accounts in his name are fake.”

    “An earlier statement, issued on May 3rd, 2017, to warn the public about this scam is hereby re-emphasised, that Chief Ogbeh has no personal Facebook Account. Accordingly, all Facebook accounts in his name are fake.”

    However, he listed the verified twitter handle of the Minister, @AuduOgbeh as the only personal social media account Ogbeh currently keeps.

    “It is a verified Twitter handle: @AuduOgbeh, this can be followed through the official verified Twitter account of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also, @FmardNg, can be followed thus: https://twitter.com/FmardNg.

    “The official Facebook channel of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, through which the Minister communicates, can be accessed by following this link: https://www.facebook.com/ fmardnig/ Those who have decided to be friends with counterfeit Facebook accounts purportedly bearing the Minister’s name are hereby advised to unfriend all of them,” he added.

    The Special Assistant to the Minister on Social Media, Aishat Onusi had earlier issued same warning to the public to disregard the fake social media account.

  • Frustration, government incompetence cause of agitations, Ex-Envoy

    Frustration, government incompetence cause of agitations, Ex-Envoy

    • As Centre calls for open, frank discussion over secession

    Former Nigerian Ambassador to Chad, Abdullahi Omaki has said frustration and incompetence of the Federal Government is responsible for agitations and continuous call for secession in the country.

    Omaki disclosed this during a briefing on policy monitoring dialogue on national unity, integration and restructuring, organised by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), yesterday in Abuja.

    He said some of those who called for restructuring were of diverse views, as the term restructuring could mean devolution of power from the government at the centre, creation of more states and local government or financial federalism.

    However, the former envoy who is the Executive Director of SCDDD called for urgent open and frank discussion in the interest of national cohesion and unity.

    “Disturbed by the heightened agitations in recent times, SCDDD finds it alarming and demanding of urgent deliberate actions in the form of dialogue. The centre is of the opinion that the recent wrangling in the polity is driven more by frustration at the perceived lack of effectiveness of governments, than by a serious desire by any part to secede.

    “One major source of disaffection has been the issue of restructuring, a concept that means different things to different people, as well as provokes different reactions. For some, it means devolution of power from the federal government to the state and local governments in the true interest of federalism; for others it means the creation of more political units such as states and local governments in some certain parts of the country; for other still, it means financial federalism in terms of more control over local resources,” Omaki said.

    Against this backdrop, he emphasised on constructive dialogue as a reliable solution to end the agitations.

    “This is part of our humble and modest contribution towards the national discourse and to find lasting solutions to the recurrent agitations for self-determination that have often put undue stress and strains on the cords of national unity with support from ford foundation,” he added.

    Omaki listed worries of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and clearer understanding of the term restructuring as some of the issues the dialogue was designed to address.

    Earlier, SCDDD founder, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari said the need for dialogue by prominent leaders from the six-geopolitical zones became important considering the level of agitations, calls for secession and ethnic crisis ravaging the country.

    He said the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Chief Emeka Anyaoku and other prominent dignitaries in the country will discuss issues regarding the nation’s unity and recurrent demands for restructuring.

    Other personalities listed for the two-day discussions scheduled for 13th and 14th July are former Vice-President, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, former Chief of Defence Staff, General Alani Akinriande (Rtd), former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, President General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo etc.

    The former Under Secretary General of the United Nations noted that the gesture should be continuous rather than being suspended after initial discussions with prominent leaders from across the regions by the Acting President.

  • FG unveils $300m home scheme

    FG unveils $300m home scheme

    The Federal Government has unveiled a $300 million World Bank loan facility to support new housing scheme known as the National Housing Finance Programme (NHFP).

    The initiative, according to the Deputy Director, Other Financial Institutions of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Adedeji Adesemoye is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme, designed to
    improve more access to financing housing projects in the country.

    Speaking at the unveiling yesterday in Abuja, he explained that the new structure was different from the National Housing Fund (NHF), stressing that it will encourage artisans, graduates and other low
    income earners to own personal homes with a guaranteed credit from the CBN.

    The International Development Association (IDA) loan is a credit facility with 40 years repayment period. Adesemoye added that interested individuals would get supports from nine accredited Micro-Finance Institutions (MFI) from across the country through the Mortgage Guarantee and Insurance component of the loan to fund their mortgages.

    His words: “It is designed to de-risk the sector through private partnership. We were opportuned to access an IDA facility which is a 40 years loan designed to assist in four different components. It is to help with a tier two capitals in NMRC. But for the institution to finance this kind of asset creation, we need to have institutions that will have access to a long-term debt capital.

    “So today, we are providing NMRC with a long term tier two capital. The total loan we got is $300m but $250m will be given to NMRC…. It’s a tier two capital, i.e a long-term debt with almost less than one per cent commission and interest charge.”

    Adesemoye said that the disbursement will be based on the performance of the loan, adding that about two tranches of the loan had been disbursed but left with four tranches.

    He noted that a mortgage guarantee and insurance scheme will be set up as well as housing microfinance system for the project.

    “Mortgage guarantee and insurance ought to address those who don’t have adequate equity. i.e young and elderly people who lack the 20 per cent required under the under-righting standard. So CBN designed the
    underwriting standard and hand it over to the NMRC.

    So we have completed the standard for the formal sector but we are currently working on that of the informal sector which is a larger part of Nigeria.

    “We are also working on non-interest mortgage underwriting standards for populations that want to get their mortgages through faith-based finance. These are all contributions of the CBN,” he added.

    Some of the participating microfinance banks include Lapo, Hazmal, Mpf, Ab, Wetland, Hasal, Fortis among others.

    In his remarks, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele described the initiative as an opportunity to transit home tenants to owners to guaranteed access to mortgage finance.

    Emefiele, who was represented by Mrs. Tokunbo Martins admitted that the sector had been bedeviled with several challenges including long-term credit to guarantee the mortgage.

    However, she called for more awareness on the initiative to assist prospective house owners benefit from the programme.

  • UK Envoy worried over carbon emissions in Nigeria

    UK Envoy worried over carbon emissions in Nigeria

    • Says Climate Change will drop Nigeria’s GDP to 30 per cent by 2050

    United Kingdom High Commission to Nigeria has expressed concerns over the influence of carbon emissions in Nigeria due to climate change impact.

    Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Harriet Thompson during the event to commemorate World Environment Day (WED), organised by the Federal Ministry of Environment in Abuja advised the country to strive and protect the environment to achieve sustainable development.

    The 2017 WED was themed, “Connecting with nature.” She noted that even though the country is endowed with good vegetation and human resources, “there are challenges about getting right-security, transport access, and facilities and protecting the nature will be key to sustaining it. As a tourist attraction -no one will want to come and see a decayed broken landscape.”

    While quoting the 2011 Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI), Thompson said the country could lose Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of between 6 per cent and 30 per cent by 2050 due to climate change. She further estimated the loss to an amount between $100 to 460 billion.

    “Agriculture and farming, which are the key focus for economic development in Nigeria, give daily opportunity to connect with nature. Nigeria’s focus on rebuilding its agricultural capacity growth would help to provide more employment and earning opportunities .“For 2017, theme could not have come to at a better time than this-

    “For 2017, the theme could not have come at a better time than this, time to rethink just how much time spend ‘in nature’, how much nature nourishes ‎us daily and throughout our lives.

    “Around the globe, billions are fed by nature itself, from the dependence on natural water to the fertile soils in the grounds in which our food are grown. Everyone and everything eat from the surplus of the ground.Unfortunately, those down the food chain are the first to suffer when ecosystems are threatened, from climate change, loss of biodiversity and policies,” Thompson added.

    “Unfortunately, those down the food chain are the first to suffer when ecosystems are threatened, from climate change, loss of biodiversity and policies,” Thompson added.

    She restated commitment of the UK government to tackling global climate change and the Paris Agreement ‘as strong as ever’.

    According to her, UK government would continue to play a leading role internationally and also in delivering her commitments to create a safer and more prosperous future for all.

    In his remark, the Environment Minister, Ibrahim Jibril admitted that the rural dweller that largely depends on nature for their livelihood are most hit by climate change impacts.

    He added that most times they are affected by pollution, and over-exploitation of the natural resources.“Even in the face of many environmental challenges that are confronting our dear country Nigeria; from desertification in the north to coastal erosion in the South East and

    “Even in the face of many environmental challenges that are confronting our dear country Nigeria; from desertification in the north, to coastal erosion in the South East and south- west and decades of Oil Pollution in the Niger Delta – We are reminded that when we come together as one people, collectively we can resolve to protect our environment and the resources we are blessed with,” he said.

    Earlier, Resident Coordinator, Mr. Edward Kallon‎, said the collaboration with Federal government had resulted into the signing of the Paris Agreement and its ratification by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said the UNDP Nigeria had commenced work with the ministry to develop the third National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

    According to him, this will assist in controlling emissions and the building of information and knowledge regarding national sources of the Green House Gasses (GHGs)‎, and the impacts of climate change on sustainable social and economic development.