The Nation Newspaper

Tag: UNESCO

  • LASU fees: Calling on Fashola

    LASU fees: Calling on Fashola

    In the last couple of years, students of the Lagos State University (LASU) have had to contend with increment in tuition fee. But by calling for superior arguments and proposal in order to reduce the fee is, however, a testament to the fact that the state government is not inflexible to change.

    Following series of crises that rocked the school, the Lagos State House of Assembly, in 2011, passed a resolution, which led to setting up of a Visitation Panel by the state executive to look into all issues that nearly tore the state-owned institution apart.

    In its report, the panel made far-reaching recommendations that could help the government take the school to the next level. Unfortunately, in the implementation of the panel’s report, the government carefully selected those recommendations that favoured it alone.

    For instance, in Section 4, Term of Reference (iii), and Section 4.0.2 paragraph (g), where the panel recommended that there should be an “increase in the budgetary allocation to the university, using the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) benchmark of a minimum of 25 per cent of annual budget of the state to be expended on education”.

    Given the social status of the panel members, the “outrageous fee” we are asked to pay could be afforded in multiple folds by these people. None of them belongs to the so-called middle class; their children are studying in world top universities. Meanwhile, LASU is a school for the average man’s children.

    The law setting up LASU stipulates in Section 3 (f) that the school must “provide access for citizens of the state in particular to higher education regardless of social origin or income”. It is suffice to say that the law, in effect, states that LASU must be a school for all manners of people, without prejudice to social status or economic income.

    With the increasing population of Lagos, we have more than six million prospective undergraduates every year, even when the tertiary institutions cannot accommodate more than 700, 000 students. LASU is out of the reach of the people because it is not affordable for the poor.

    I want to consider everything that was summed up before they arrived at N193,750, N223,750, N248, 750 and N348,750 for students of Arts and Education, Social and Management Sciences, Law and College of Medicine respectively.

    Going by the breakdown, the fees cannot be justified. For instance, Teaching Practice, which students of the in Faculty of Education will undergo, is fixed for N15,000. This is a service to be rendered by students to public secondary schools in Lagos. It is just like house job which medical students undergo after their training. They are paid during the period. This same thing should apply to students taking Teaching Practice; they meant to be paid for rendering the service to the state. But government says the students should pay it.

    The University of Helsinki in Finland is ranked first in the country and 76th in the world; yet it is tuition-free for student. Maybe the state government wants to tell us it is subsidising education of students in LASU with N 700,000.

    If a private university can charge N450,000 to include feeding and accommodation for a year, then LASU is expensive at N350, 000 tuition fee without benefit of accommodation and feeding. However, LASU is not a private institution. It is a public facility that is meant to serve the people and not to be profit-making. Therefore, the fee hike is unjustitiable.

    On enrolment trend, before now, LASU used to be a university of first choice. At present, the reverse is the case. The enrolment trend has dropped drastically from 4,570 in 2006 to 1,416 students in 2014.

    In 2013/14 enrolment list, only one student applied to study Physical Education. The same thing goes for French, Fisheries and Aquatic Biology and Physics, which had less than three students applying. This trend can reduce students’ population in the school from 24,000 to 6,000 next session.

    From the above analogy, the government will pay dearly for it. Resources that can be used to effectively train 4,500 students are used to train 1,000 students. As studentship drops, it doubles the cost incurred per student. Assuming the government spends N700,000 on 2,000 students, the cost will increase to N1.4 million, if the number of students drops to 1,000. Whereas, the school is entitled to 5,000 students from National Universities Commission (NUC) quota.

    Abraham Lincoln said: “If you run away from responsibility, you will be held responsible.” For Lagos not to be held responsible for impending illiteracy, the government must stand up to the responsibility of making LASU affordable for Lagosians. With the outrageous fee, dreams of thousands of youths have been shattered. One day, these youths would ask for their rights; so Lagos State must begin to invest heavily in security system.

    The Students’ Union as the representative of the students, wants the progress of this great citadel of learning. But we say “no to fee increment” because Lagos is the third largest city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa; and the sixth emerging mega city in the world. With this, it is richer than many African countries.

    Mr. Bode Augusto, the Pro-chancellor, said: “The increment is not enough to pay salaries for three months because LASU needs N900,000,000 a month to survive.” Also, when Dr Obafemi Hamzat, Commissioner for Works, was on campus to inspect on-going projects, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof John Obafunwa, noted: “The infrastructural development in LASU has nothing to do with the fee hike.”

    Now, why the fee hike?

    Wilfred Pareto famously noted that a change that makes at least one individual better off and makes no individual worse off, is an improvement in social welfare. Making LASU a school for the rich must not deprive the poor access to higher education. To this maxim, we submit.

     

    Nurudeen is the Students’ Union president-elect, LASU

  • UN, Lions Club celebrate

    The District Governor, District 404B, Lion Gbolagade Adebisi, has hailed the partnership between the club and the United Nations (UN).

    Speaking at this year’s Lions’ Day with the UN, he said: “During the years, the two organisations have cooperated on many humanitarian ventures. Lions have provided aids and manpower for the UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Educational Fund), World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) projects.”

    The event, according to the organisers, was meant to count the gains of the relationship Lions Club established with the global body immediately after the Second World War. The bond was established between the UN and Lions’ founder, Melvin Jones, past International Presidents Fred W. Smith and D.A. Skeen.

    The UN resident coordinator, Mr Daouda Toure, said: “The UN continues to benefit from the efforts of Lions Club members around the world who are supporting our work to prevent diseases, end poverty, promote education, empower women and protect the environment. You have been a worthy partner for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals since its declaration.”

    Saying that Lions clubs had fulfilled the aims of MDGs, he urged other corporate bodies to intensify efforts at achieving the targets set for MDGs.

     

  • Physical exhaustion, fatigue of back muscles and lais·ser-faire; bane of academic excellence in secondary school children

    Physical exhaustion, fatigue of back muscles and lais·ser-faire; bane of academic excellence in secondary school children

    In the past five years, Nigerians and stake holders have wondered why across the country ,performances in NECO ,WAEC and UTME exams have remained poor, despite the geometric dimension in the number of private secondary Schools and the availability of various types of computer aided learning resource materials . Many of the factors responsible for the situation have been identified and discussed; and the issues that have been debated can be classified into those coming from governments at the federal, state and local government levels, problems involving the teachers, students themselves and others arising from the environment where learning is supposed to take place. Some of these include , poor funding below the standards recommended by UNESCO, poor classroom teacher motivation, fragmented continuing teacher education programs, policy instability , policy summersault , conflicts and other natural disasters, juvenile delinquency , the negative side of social media etc. Opinion experts have argued that after very many different attempts at getting a robust policy for our secondary education ,it was time we did away with the Dog and meat mentality. When someone in America proposed that America could benefit from the Japanese system of secondary school education where parents took lessons any time kids fell ill, a study was conducted and it showed there was no difference in outcome. It was simply thrown out. For Nigerian Children, excessive use of cell phones may be part of the reason why they are not doing well in their studies but they don’t burn half as much time on phones compared with children in Japan and China ,who are currently ahead of the rest of the world in Maths. They also play video games but not when they are in school .

    So what really? are the problems?

    Surprisingly in all the considerations, the health status of our children take the back seat .The physical well being of the child is of particular importance because everything else depends on the physical involvement of the child in school work. Unlike what used to be the case, children on the average are now entering secondary schools relatively younger ; when the bones that make up their skeleton , the muscles that hold the skeleton together and the organs enclosed and protected by the skeleton and their muscular attachments are still developing . In some states, mainstream authorities have begun to harmonize rules and regulations ,to decentralize oversight functions so officials can more closely supervise activities taking place within their provinces. Unfortunately, this has not been vehemently pursued as a country wide policy. The situation is therefore quite different with the Federal institutions. The unalloyed vitality or vigor demonstrated by the current supervising Minister for Education, stretching himself to the limits in order to reach underserved communities in need with regards to specific aspects of secondary education is quite remarkable .The country however is very large and Human beings the most complex living entities to understand and so many policy decisions and instructions are internalized ,interpreted and translated in an attitude of lais.ser-faire ,and sometimes bothering on impunity.

    It is not humanly possible for the Minister to be everywhere at the same time and so the gauntlet rests with the various boards and PTAS to ensure that Children are not forced to become, manual laborers, hewers of wood and drawers of water. Many cases of Lichen simplex chronicus, mixed fungal and bacterial dermatological conditions ,Typhoid , Hepatitis A and Bronchopneumonia have been seen in Boarding school children who have been made to clean gutters and earth holes filled with sewage.

    It is left for the appropriate authorities to find out what goes on behind the gates of many Nigerian secondary schools, and why in some situations rules that prevent even mothers from visiting their daughters are very ruthlessly carried out.

    The health of a child as it is of an adult is the totality of his mental, physical and social wellbeing. Paramount along the continuum of health and illness is the physical component. A child in the boarding house with a small tear in his shoulder muscle unlike an adult very quickly becomes incapacitated. He goes into a shell . He is gripped with fear because Mom and Dad are far away . As long as he is in that situation, he is likely to keep away from what ever can make the pain get worse, even the effort of putting food in the mouth. The rest can be imagined.

    Manual labour inappropriate for age.

    Some physically demanding activities are capable of living their stamp of strain, sprain tear and breaks on the musculoskeletal system of children . No child should actually be allowed to carry out tasks considered inappropriate for age. The problem is that school health programs are not functioning and people simply do what they like. There is no supervision. Some of the physical activities that have the potential to cause harm to the back bone, break down the child and cause illness include Carrying loads in back packs, Lifting, dragging, pushing of loads

    Falls, overuse fractures, and lipped epiphysis are possible consequences, but damage to the vertebral column (backbone ) can take many forms including Scoliosis(bending of spine to one side). The condition can develop slowly and remain silent. Spine may bend to the right side in right hand children ,vice versa, forward or backward. The condition may remain silent for many years without symptoms .What may be inevitable is the laying of foundation for spondylitis(inflammatory condition of the vertebra, It’s attached disks and ligaments) and later in life to spondylosis(degenerative condition of the spine causing pain in the lower back(lumbago) and leg (sciatica)

    A visit to two or more schools when they reopen will reveal how rigidly some authorities abuse policy meant to help students . Coming weeks or months after children will have had short or long breaks from more than average level physically demanding activities, they and their parents are made to go through unnecessary extremes of punitive physical exhaustion ,while designated staff watch with reckless aloofness. Most disheartening is when some certain other individuals come by and are allowed to drive in while others watch helplessly as their children walk back and forth several times carrying their bags of provisions, cupboard etc through log distances .No provision is made to assist the children and parents, even mothers are not allowed to assist their kids , feeling the pain of motherhood as tender kids pass through one ordeal and another

    What we have to bring to our common awareness is that in some schools, these children are being worn-out. They carry out physical activities that have the capacity to bend their back bone either to one side depending on what loads they are forced to carry, how they carry them and the distance they have to travel. What ever loads they are made to carry, as long as the load carrying events occur over long periods, sooner or later the backbone will suffer a critical damage. Most importantly, the damage being done to them may not manifest immediately(silent cumulative), but will affect their ability to sit down, pay attention , learn, commit learned information to memory and recall. In other words, they suffer diminished attention span akin to those diagnosed with attention deficit disorder.

  • Let that child speak his local language

    Let that child speak his local language

    Not long ago, I read a story in the media about the effort of the Bayelsa State government to ensure Ijaw language does not die. The government has earmarked money to sponsor Nollywood films done in Ijaw language.

    The initiative brought back to the fore the sorry state of our local languages. From Yoruba to Igbo, Hausa and others, damage has been done to these languages. Line up children between the ages of five and 15, from any of our ethnic groups, and ask them to speak their language, chances are that they cannot. In fact, not a few children have been known to react to their local languages when spoken by others as ‘nonsense’.

    The foundation for the mess that our languages have become was built in schools, where natives languages were barred and regarded as vernacular. Students were even punished for speaking their mother tongues. The practice is still prevalent today. Schools still forbid mother tongues. It is even worse with the private schools, where Yoruba, Igbo and others are not even taught. Only few private schools teach these languages. English is the better for it. Some even teach French.

    As if speaking in mother tongue is a plague, many parents have stopped speaking to their children and wards in their mother tongue, thus helping to swell the number of endangered languages compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). A directive from the National Education Research Council (NERC) has further harmed indigenous languages. NERC, citing the need to reduce the number of subjects students offer, ruled that indigenous languages should be removed from the list of compulsory subjects at the secondary school level.

    UNESCO recently warned that if nothing is done, about half of the over 6,000 languages spoken in the world will disappear by the end of the 21st century. Nigerian languages are among the endangered ones.

    Already, according to UNESCO, eight Nigerian mother tongues are extinct. They are the Ajawa (Bauchi State); Auyokawa (Jigawa State); Basa-Gumna(Niger and Nasarawa states); Gamo-Ningi (Ningi Local Government, Bauchi State); Kpati, Kubi, Mawa (Bauchi State) and Teshenawa (Jigawa State) languages.

    Interestingly, the emphasis on English language has not reflected in the number of candidates who pass the language in terminal examinations, such as the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE). The 2012 result shows that 771,731 candidates, representing 46.14 per cent,  obtained six credits and above; 952,156 candidates, representing 56,93 per cent, obtained five credits and above;  while 1,107,747, representing 66.24 per cent,  obtained credits in four subjects.

    But, only 649,156 candidates, representing 38.81 per cent, obtained credits in five subjects and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

    The results of the two previous years, as regard passing English, were worse. May be the students would have done better if they understand their mother tongues better. Some experts say there is a correlation between this.

    But there is hope in the sense that outside of Nigeria, local languages, especially Yoruba are being taken seriously.

    As a result of a requirement that makes every American college undergraduate to gain proficiency in at least one international language before being certified worthy in learning and character, there is a partnership between the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, and the American Council for International Education (ACIE), Washington DC, US. The agreement, which dates back to 2009, encourages American students who wish to learn Yoruba language and culture. Known as the Yoruba Language Flagship Programme (YLFP), which gave birth to the Yoruba Language Centre (YLC), the programme has helped Americans to learn Yoruba, which our people are ignorantly avoiding.

    Also, the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, through an initiative called Foreign Language Teaching Assistants, is aiding young speakers of Yoruba and Hausa languages who have educational background in English or language arts. They are recruited as teaching assistants to teach their languages and cultures to American students in the US universities and colleges. Many American universities and colleges, such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Cornel University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Massachusetts, Indiana University in Bloomington, Ohio State University, Michigan State University, Ohio University, University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Florida, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaig and Howard University run full-fledged degree programmes in Yoruba language, which we are running from.

    But charity must begin at home. It will not augur well for us to get to a situation where foreigners will be more proficient in our languages. That is why I applaud the initiative to promote Ijaw language. We need more of that. We should also end the era of Yoruba films, with diluted English.

    The NERC must urgently make the offering of at least one local language compulsory for students. Parents also have a role to play here. Let your children or wards learn English in school. Speak your language to them at home and let them know it is not nonsense or ‘jagajaga’ as many of them see it.

    The time for action is now.

    • Fadun, an Insurance Executive, writes this piece from Lagos.

  • Eyo Festival for UNESCO’s list

    After a heated debate, the Lagos State’s Eyo Masquerade Festival has been referred at the 8th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Baku Azerbaijan. It was nominated by Nigeria to be inscribed on the Representative List of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. According to a report by the subsidiary body on its work in 2013 and

    examination of nominations for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the nomination satisfied four, but did not satisfy one, out of the five criteria for inscription, adding that it described no concrete safeguarding measures at the community or State level to ensure the viability of the element, particularly in the wake of inscription.

    However, the body was convinced that the Eyo nomination satisfied criteria one and two, for its inscription on the Representative List, because rooted in the social and cultural fabric of Lagos and passed on from generation to generation, the masquerade festival is an event expressing profound spiritual beliefs that integrates all members of the community; and that the inscription of the Eyo masquerade on the Representative List could promote dialogue between Eyo communities and others, as well as foster cultural appreciation and mutual respect.

    According to the report, the nomination satisfied criteria 4 and 5, in that, Eyo groups and custodians of the festival participated in the nomination process, represented by the traditional Prime Minister of Lagos, Head of the Adamu Orisha in Council, as well as the Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture and the Oba of Lagos, who gave their free, prior and informed consent; and that Eyo masquerade festival is included in the National Inventory of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage, maintained and regularly updated by the National Committee on Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage for Nigeria.

    Reacting to the decision of the Committee, Mr. Augustus Ajibola, Deputy Director, Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, who is in charge of the UNESCO Desk in the Ministry, said though the referral was devastating, it was a learning process, and that the nomination will be repackaged by Nigeria for further necessary action.

    He noted that, on the other hand, it was good the decision did not come the previous day, when the nomination was to have been discussed, being that it was his birth day and such an unfavourable decision on his birth day would have been a very bitter birth day gift.

    The Eyo masquerade festival of Lagos is celebrated in honour of the deity Adamu Orisha, regarded as the conduit through which departed souls may enter the spirit world and it is considered an important rite of passage and is usually held to mark the burial rites of a prominent chief.

    It is opened by a notable public figure carrying a white pigeon in the hand, just as Eyo costumed dancers then parade through the city, attired in flowing white gowns that symbolize purity and represent the spirits of the dead; and all the dancers carry a staff for magic prayers and wear a large, decorated, fully veiled straw hat whose colour and design indicate the extended family compound to which they belong.

    The festival brings the community together, integrates all strata of society and pays obeisance to the ruling Oba (king) of Lagos; and all adults belonging to Eyo households can be bearers of the masquerade and each compound or group is duty-bound to transfer and improve the intricate designs of staff, straw hat and clothing.

    The poetry recited during the festival is also particular to each compound or group and is handed down through the generations (both orally and in written form), with modifications and improvisations.

    By this referral, which was at the instance of the Committee, Nigeria has an opportunity to represent the nomination file in 2014, after providing the necessary information to meet criteria No. 3; an outright decision not to inscribe would have meant waiting for four years before a representation of such nomination.

  • Menace of child labour

    SIR: According to year 2000 report by the National Bureau of Statistics, more than 15 million Nigerian children are victims of child labour. Similarly, according to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Nigeria has the highest figure of out-of-school children in comparison to other countries in Africa and Asia. Erstwhile minister of education, Professor Ruqayyatu Rufa’I also confirmed the unfortunate situation when she noted that, “In terms of the number of out-of-school children, we have 10.5 million, which is one-sixth of the world’s out-of-school children”.

    Based on the above, it is apparent that the future leadership of Nigeria lies in the gloom, except some urgent and drastic steps are taken to correct the maladies plaguing its educational system. If today’s children are truly the leaders of tomorrow, then, those out-of-school children must be protected by legislative measures and institutions germane to their total well-being.

    It is incumbent upon the government to fulfil Section 18 (1) and Section (3) (a-c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Section 18 (1) of the 1999 states that: “Government shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels. Section 18 (3) states that “Government shall strive to eradicate illiteracy; and to this end government shall as and when practicable provide (a) free, compulsory and universal primary education; (b) free secondary education; (c) free university education.”

    Studies have shown that poverty is one of the major causes of child labour. Therefore, job creation and the enabling environment that will foster economy growth and business activities is indispensable to the future success of Nigerian children. If the present Nigeria leadership truly desires a brighter and greater future for Nigeria, then, it behoves on them to take every school age child off the street. If Nigeria truly aspires to be the hub of economic growth in Africa by 2020, then, it is crucial that the over 10.5 million out-of-school children be taken off the street. If the future of Nigeria would ever be great in the comity of nations, then, the social and metal well-being of children and women must be inclusively institutionalised in the process of governance. As the general saying, the future is meant for those who prepared for it in the present. Women and children are indispensable group for rapid economic growth and social stability.

     

    • Olumide Bakare,

    University of Lagos

     

  • Celebrating world science day

    Celebrating world science day

    As the world celebrates this year’s World Science Day for Peace and Development (WSDPD), UNESCO has dedicated the day to underscore the importance of water in all aspects.

    This year’s theme is Science for Water Cooperation: Sharing Data, Knowledge and Innovations.

    In her message to mark the day, Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, said even though there is enough water in the world, the challenge is to share and manage it sustainably and together,  “We believe that sharing data, knowledge and innovation is key to the sustainable management of water. Cooperation brings new ideas, it catalyses innovative solutions and it fosters new ways of working,” she said.

    Speaking further the UNESCO DG said; “Together we will continue to strengthen the link between science and policy, in order to make the most of scientific cooperation as a force for peace and development. Water resources pay no heed to borders – our cooperation must be guided by the spirit of solidarity. Together, we can harness the full power of water to strengthen human dignity and build a better future for all. This is UNESCO’s message today.”

    She added that one of the reasons behind the theme is that, in Africa, drought is one of the leading impediments to development, “The continent is heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture and hence affected by climate variations. Recurring drought conditions in many regions of Africa have had devastating humanitarian impacts and impose significant reductions in gross domestic product for countries whose economies are tied to agriculture,” she explained.

    The WSDPD was established by UNESCO in 2001 and celebrated worldwide on November 10 each year. The celebration offers an opportunity to demonstrate to the wider public why science is relevant in our daily lives, by throwing bridges between science and society, the aim is to ensure that citizens are kept informed of developments in science, while underscoring the role scientists play in broadening our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home and in making our societies more sustainable.

    The purpose of the WSDPD is to renew the national, as well as the international commitment to science for peace and development and to stress the responsible use of science for the benefit of society. The World Science Day for Peace and Development also aims at raising public awareness of the importance of science.

    The WSDPD’s objectives are: to strengthen public awareness on the role of science for peaceful and sustainable societies, to promote national and international solidarity for a shared science between countries, to renew national and international commitment for the use of science for the benefit of societies and to draw attention to the challenges faced by science and raise support for the scientific endeavor.

    Every year, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, scientific research institutions, professional associations, universities, municipalities, the media, science teachers, schools and others are encouraged to organize their own celebration of World Science Day.

     

  • World Day for Audio Visual Heritage

    World Day for Audio Visual Heritage

    Today commemorates 12 years of the celebration of the world day for Audio Visual Heritage which is annually observed on October 27 to build global awareness on preserving audio visual materials and documents.

    The world day for audio visual heritage explore the world of sound recording, moving image, audio visual document such as films, radio and television programs and other audio visual materials.
    The audio visual heritage document contain the primary records of the 21st centuries, which help to maintain the cultural identity of people, but countless documentary treasures have disappear since the invention of image and sound technologies.

    Audio visual heritage proposal was approved at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) general conference in 2005 as a mechanism to raise this awareness.

    The first world day for audio visual heritage was held on October 27, 2007 with the commemoration of the adoption in 1980 by 21st general conference for the safeguarding and prevention of moving images.

    But the celebration of the world audio visual day seemed strange to many Nigerians.

    Mr. Femi Osuntoki a senior lecturer in Nigerian Institute of Journalism and a radio presenter in Eko FM said;  “it is very strange to me, this is my first time of hearing this; am not sure they are observing it in Nigeria.”

    Osuntoki said it will be good if the day is popularized in the country as it would help to maintain our culture and also reminds us of great Nigerians that have done good things in the nation, person like Obafemi Awolowo, Nnmadi Azikwe and many others.
    He said it will be an avenue to create awareness and improve what is ongoing in the society and it can also serves as documentary to review a long time event that happen in the past, present, and that of the future.

    The world day for audio visual heritage is a global observance and not a public holiday, countries that previously observed the day include Canada, Thailand Dan Mark and United State.

  • Towards a safe water regime

    Towards a safe water regime

    Experts in the water sector and the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission gathered to deliberate at the first-ever summit on waste water management. Their findings showed inherent dangers in the neglect of the sector by stakeholders. SEYI ODEWALE reports.

    What happens if 18 million residents of Lagos defecate daily, using the water closet (WC) facility that empties it’s content into the septic tanks or if 900,000 people defecate into gutters, drains and streams?

    Where these solid human wastes go and how they are managed were some of the posers that caught the attention of water regulators, engineers, scientists, lawmakers, estate owners/managers, fast food operators, abattoir operators, pharmaceutical companies, businesses that generate or provide water and the public at the one-day summit organised by the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LSWRC), recently in Lagos.

    With a population of about 19 million, Lagos, today, generates about 1.5million cubic metres of waste water daily from industries and human activities. With a projected population of about 25 million by 2015 and a growing rate of eight per cent, waste water management, no doubt, would be taxing for Lagos as a megacity. This was paramount on the minds of those who attended the summit.

    The summit, which had four papers delivered by experts in the water sector, among other things, shed light on the ongoing reform by the state government in the sector, government policy on regulation and management of foul water, commonly called waste water generated from homes and businesses, and how the water should be properly collected, stored or transported, treated and disposed.

    Chief Executive Officer, Quantum Utilities Mr Adegboyega Andy Daramola who presented a paper on Understanding Waste Water, defined waste water as any type of water that has been utilised in some capacity that negatively impacts the quality of the water. According to him, the term waste, means a material, object or substance that is no longer required and is to be discarded. He added that waste could take many forms, which include gaseous emissions, solid refuse, waste packaging, waste effluent, waste oils, solvents and liquid residues in drums.

    Daramola said waste water comes from municipal sewage – household, similar commercial and institutional wastes, agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture, forestry, food preparation and processing, human or animal health care and/or related research – hospitals.

    Other sources, according to him, include effluent from boilers, chemical processes – organic and inorganic, refrigerants, propellants, coatings, leather, fur and textile industries, power stations, petroleum refining, natural gas and treatment of coal, small businesses – photographic industry, oil spills, surface water and wastes from waste management facilities, off-site waste water treatment plants.

    He said the need to treat waste water and protect water environments is vital because it constitutes source of drinking water and vibrant rivers that provide habitat for fish, birds and other animals, leisure and recreation, important resources for many industries and help to protect public health.

    Waste water streams, he said, contain pollutants such as pharmaceutical wastes, phosphates, mercury, lead, nitrates, metals, acids, alkalis, fat, oil, grease, dyes, insecticides/pesticides, radioactive materials, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds, lubricants, hot water and pathogens, noting that in the United States of America (USA), the industries contribute to more than half of the total water pollution.

    “Another important pollutant, that can endanger marine life, is the oil spilled by oil tanks. United Nations estimates, 1.3 million barrels of oils are spilled annually into the Persian Gulf, and about 285 million gallons are spilled into the oceans every year.

    “In many countries, industrial water is not treated adequately before discharging it into rivers or lakes. This is particularly true in the case of small-scale industries that do not have sufficient capital to invest in pollution control equipment,” he said.

    Effects of such pollutants on humans, he said, could be devastating. He noted the Bangladesh experience, when in the 1970s, up to 250,000 children died yearly from drinking dirty water, noting that today’s experience in other parts of the world, particularly, Africa, can be more fatal. The World Health Organisation (WHO), he said, described the Bangladesh experience as “the largest mass poisoning of a population in history… The scale of the environmental disaster is greater than any seen before; it is beyond the accidents in Bhopal, India, in 1984, and Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986”.

    Water pollution, he said, occurred as a result of sudden release of a strong effluent, sudden release of a large volume of effluent, discharge of substances that inhibit wastewater processes, high or low pH discharge (>11 or < 5) and very high temperature discharge.

    The best way of transporting waste water, he noted, is through conventional means, which he said, are septic tanks (STs) and reed beds, submerged aerated filtration (SAF), anaerobic reactors, activated sludge systems, drum filters, rotating biological contactors (RBCs), dispersed air flotation (DAF), sequential batch reactors (SBR), moving bed bio-reactor (MBBR), bio-filters – (also called trickling filters, percolating filters and bacteria beds).

    Other speakers such as Pedi Obani gave reasons why waste water must be regulated.

    Obani, a lecturer from Faculty of Law, University of Benin (Nigeria) and Research Fellow, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education and University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), said waste water is regulated for accountability and good governance; efficiency of production and prices; sustainable development; improved access to basic services; sustainability of service delivery; fairness and rule of law.

    The way forward, according to Obani, is for the state to carry out a satellite imagery of Lagos and a topographic map; conduct studies on the existing waste water treatment structures available in Lagos to know the level of treatment carried out by each and categorise them; carry out a waste water master plan with a phased development; conduct feasibility studies on the system to use; conduct an environmental impact assessment; embark on sensitization exercise for residents on the proposed waste water system to be introduced and ensure that there is efficient water supply to operate the system.

    Others include ensuring that new districts/estates commence the use of the central sewer system, ensure that a good laboratory is setup for testing of treated waste water before discharge into water bodies; set up a team of experienced sanitary professionals for approval and regulatory services and commence enforcement of regulation of waste water treatment to prepare users on time prior to take off of the proposed new system.

    Present at the gathering were the House Committee Chairman on Water, Hon. Abiodun Tobun, who chaired the occasion; Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Parastatals Monitoring, Gboyega Salvador; Lagos State Waste Management Authority, (LAWMA)’s Chief Executive, Ola Oresanya; representatives of Lagos State Waste Water Management Agency; representatives of the Ministry of Health; Fast food owners; private water service providers; sanitary inspectors and the summit host, Lags State Water Regulatory Commission (LSWRC)’ Executive Secretary, Mrs Tanwa Koya and her crew.

  • Educating girls could prevent two-thirds of child marriages

    Educating girls could prevent two-thirds of child marriages

    If all girls went to primary school, one-sixth of child marriages could be prevented among girls aged under -15 years in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia.

    This was one of the findings of the UNESCO’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report released on the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11.

    The report also indicated that if all girls got the chance to go to secondary school, child marriages could be reduced by two-thirds in these regions, saving almost two million girls from becoming child brides.

     Mariam Khalique, Malala’s teacher from the Swat Valley in Pakistan, and spokesperson for the EFA Global Monitoring Report said: “Every hour counts– we must educate girls to help bring about changes quickly in our society. Education gives girls dignity. How can you change your life if you don’t know how? If girls and women are empowered they can take control of their own lives and their bodies. That is why education is priceless and important for girls and women not only in Pakistan but all around the world.”

    The new EFA GMR analysis, ‘Education Transforms’, shows that one in eight girls is married by the age of 15 years in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia.

    It also shows how education can empower girls to find greater confidence and freedom to make decisions that affect their own lives. In Ethiopia, for example, 32% of girls with less than primary education were married before the age of 15 years, compared with less than 9% of those with a secondary education.

    “Educating girls is one of the best investments we can make”, said Pauline Rose, director of the EFA Global Monitoring Report, “and yet 31 million girls of primary school age out of school, and 17 million are expected never to enter school at all. This situation desperately needs addressing.”

    In addition to preventing child marriages, the EFA GMR’s new analysis shows that educating girls can also prevent them from becoming mothers themselves when just children, risking their own, and their babies’ health in early childbirth.

    ‘Education transforms’ shows that one in seven girls has given birth by the age of 17 years in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia. Yet 10% fewer girls would become pregnant at an age when they should be in school if they had a primary education. There would be 59% fewer pregnancies among girls under 17 years if all girls had a secondary education.