Connect with us

Environment

Nigeria Loses up to 400,000 Hectares of Forest Yearly – NCF DG

Published

on

Share

The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) says the country loses up to 400,000 hectares of forest annually to environmental degradation.

The NCF Director-General, Muhtari Aminu-Kano, disclosed this in Lagos on Thursday at a seminar to commemorate the Word Environment Day.

The theme of the seminar was “Ecosystem Restoration’’.

Aminu-Kano also used the occasion to appeal to Nigerians not to pollute the waters anymore.

“Our waters and lands have been destroyed by soil erosion and oil pollution and in all of these; we are doing damage to the natural environment.

“Nature is the basis for our existence, nature gives us air, fresh water, food, it also maintains our soil that we grow our crops in and it also regulates our climate.

“It will be crazy to destroy nature and we are doing this in Nigeria at a fast rate.

“We are losing between 350,000 to 400,000 hectares of forest every single year and you can count how many years it will remain for us to remove every forest in the country,’’ he said.

While appealing for the deforestation to be stopped, he also added that regaining the forest was also a major concern.

“If we don’t stop, then we are in trouble but it is not just enough to stop, the ones that have been destroyed, we have to try to bring them back.

“This is why the theme ecosystem restoration is apt and one of the best ways for restoration is to restore the nature on land by planting trees.

“This is why we embarked on planting trees in schools,’’ he said.

He added that tree planting had to be done right in the right way, place, quantity and right time

“If we are to restore the 350, 000 we are losing, then we have to do massive tree planting at a large scale.

“This is why we need partners especially from the private sectors and industries,’’ Aminu-Kano said.

The Director, Technical Programme, NCF, Dr Joseph Onoja, said that ecosystem restoration had begun by the foundation in the country.

“We are beginning the year (2021) with ecosystem restoration and that is why the theme is apt and this is why we are trying to restore what we can restore,’’ he said.

Onoja urged Nigerians to key into this initiative aimed at restoring the ecosystem. (NAN)

Environment

Prolonged Public Holidays Come with Negative Economic Effects on Citizens – Anambra Residents

Published

on

Share

Anambra residents have slammed the additional day approved by the Federal Government for the Muslim faithful to celebrate the 2024 Eid-Ei-Fitr, saying this will have negative effects on the economy.

The Federal government had early declared April 9 and 10 as Muslim-Ummah for the successful completion of a month’s spiritual rejuvenation.

Reports says that residents of Anambra capital city believe that the additional day which they did not plan for will result in economic hardship to the citizenry.

Most respondents believe that people had planned to resume their economic activities instead of wasting their time staying at home doing nothing..

Former Chairman, Awka Chamber of Commerce, Chief Felly Akosa, described the additional day to the two days approved earlier as “unfair to the economy of the country as people were unprepared for the additional day.

Akosa said that although it is right for the Muslim faithful to celebrate their holiday after a month-long fasting, the process needs to be carefully planned for in place of the additional rest day which could inhibit business activities.

Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, National Vice President of Igbo Apex Social Cultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said the policy would cause huge economic waste as businesses are put on hold,

He advised that, in future, a proper and well planned programme needs to be in place before declaring a public holiday for any celebration that will be national.

“Our economy and other sectors are not very healthy,” and it would, therefore be appropriate to plan well to avoid declarations that will hamper the citizens’ welfare.

Mazi Christian Beluchukwu, a business man in Awka, described the extension of the Eid-El-Fitr public holiday to Thursday, April 11, as an added hardship for the citizenry.

Beluchukwu said that any public holiday for three days, April 9 to 11, to celebrate any feast in the country is an economic loss to the nation.

He said that it was best to stick to the two-day national public holidays as this gives room for the people to plan their activities very well.

He stated that his wife went to a public hospital on Tuesday and was unattended to because there was no doctor on seat to provide medical attention.

“She resorted to visiting a private hospital which cost extra money which the public hospital is expected to handle at a reasonable cost. (NAN)

Continue Reading

Environment

World Bank Fund: Corporation Rehabilitates Treatment Plant, Reticulation in Jos South

Published

on

Share

The Jos Water Services Corporation (JWSC) has said that the World Bank fund received would be used to boost water supply to Bukuru and environs in Jos South Local Government Area.

Mr Apollos Samchi, the Managing Director of the corporation, said that N1.7 billion would be expended on the rehabilitation of water treatment plant, over head steel tank and laying of pipes to homes of consumers.

Samchi, who disclosed this on Friday in Jos, during a two-day capacity building workshop, said that the projects were expected to be completed in four months.

Reports says that the workshop organised for contractors has at its theme: “Implementation of Environmental and Social Management Plans for Projects in Jos South.

The MD said that the projects would ensure steady provision of potable water to residents in Gyel and Kurgiya in Jos South Local Government Area.

He said the treatment plant when rehabilitated would pump out 5,000 cubic litres of water daily.

The MD further stated that the reticulation exercise would cover residents who weren’t initially connected to public water supply in the area.

Samchi said that the essence of the workshop was to ensure that the contractors were trained to develop adequate measures and controls to minimise and mitigate potential environmental and social risks that could adversely affect the project implementation.

He called on all the contractors handling the projects to ensure that they adhered to the environmental and safety standards and deliver within the specified timeframe.

In his remarks, Mr Jonathan Malann, the Plateau Project Coordinator, Sustainable Urban, Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene programme (SURWASH), also advised contractors to adhere to the environmental and safety standards as provided by the World Bank.

The Federal Government had received $700m financing from the World Bank to ensure that all its people have access to sustainable and safely managed WASH services.

The seven participating states are Plateau, Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Katsina, and Kaduna.(NAN)

Continue Reading

Environment

Erosion Control Project: Gombe SEC Approves N389m Compensation for Residents

Published

on

Share

The Gombe State Executive Council (SEC) has approved payment of N389 million as compensation for residents that would be affected by the gully erosion control project at Federal College of Education (FCE) Technical and its surrounding communities.

The Commissioner for Finance, Gombe State, Malam Mohammed Magaji, stated this at the end of the SEC meeting on Friday in Gombe.

Magaji said the payment, which would commence immediately, would be for individuals and organisations along the gully erosion site.

He said almost 1000 persons were expected to benefit from the gesture.

According to him, the compensation is part of the requirements of the World Bank, which specifies that such payments be made to property owners.

Magaji said the payment would also be made to ensure seamless resettlement of affected persons.

“The beneficiaries are in hundreds, almost a 1,000 people; there is compensation for houses, and also for business premises.

“There is also stipends for the elderly living around that area so that they are able to have good livelihood,” he said.

The commissioner for Education, Hajiya Aishatu Maigari, also said the SEC approved upgrade of the five mega senior secondary schools in the state to sustain improvement in the education sector.

Maigari said the upgrade would be carried out based on the needs of each of the schools.

She stated that infrastructure in some of the schools were already being upgraded to global standards.

“We have seen construction of toilets, installation of solar-powered light, construction of roads, school clinics, boreholes and many more,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state government had on Nov. 23 signed a N12 billion contract with Triacta Nigeria Ltd. for a 21-kilometre gully erosion control work in six communities within Gombe metropolis.

The project is under ACRESAL project, a World Bank-assisted project to address the challenges of land degradation and climate change in northern Nigeria. (NAN)

Continue Reading

Read Our ePaper

Top Stories

NEWS7 hours ago

NDA Commandant Decorates Ombugadu, Others as Fellows of Solar Energy Society of Nigeria

ShareFrom Abel Zwànke, Lafia The 2023 gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State, His Excellency Rt....

NEWS20 hours ago

Yuletide: Bode George Urges Tinubu to Reduce Petrol Price

ShareChief Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged President Bola Tinubu to...

NEWS20 hours ago

Tinubu Set for Groundbreaking of Renewed Hope City in Lagos 

Share President Bola Tinubu, is set to perform the  groundbreaking of 2,000 housing units of the Renewed Hope City in...

NEWS20 hours ago

Gov. Alia Presents N550.1bn as 2025 Budget Estimate to Benue Assembly 

ShareGov. Hyacinth Alia on Wednesday presented the sum of N550.1bn as the 2025 appropriation bill to the Benue State House...

NEWS20 hours ago

Tax Bills: NASS will not Betray the Trust of Nigerians, says Akpabio

Share The President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, says the National Assembly will prioritise the interest of all Nigerians...

NEWS20 hours ago

Alia Has Demonstrated Capacity, Courage to Entrench Good Governance—Speaker 

Share The Speaker, Benue Assembly, Mr Hyacinth Dajo, has said that Gov. Hyacinth Alia has so far demonstrated capacity, courage,...

Economy20 hours ago

Investors Gain N183bn on NGX

Share The Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) continued its bullish trend on Wednesday, gaining N183 billion. Accordingly, the market capitalisation, which...

NEWS20 hours ago

Energy, Solid Minerals Top Priority, Tinubu Tells German Businessmen

Share President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, assured the German government and businessmen of Nigeria’s preparedness to expand frontiers for investors...

NEWS20 hours ago

Nigerian Who Wrote WASSCE 17 Times Bags Distinction from London School 

Share Dr Emmanuel Ahmadu, a Nigerian who wrote the West Africa School Senior Certificate Education 17 times, has earned a...

POLITICS20 hours ago

INEC Staff Welfare Association Warns Members Against Manipulating Election Results

Share The Abia Chapter of the INEC Staff Welfare Association (ISWA) has warned its members to uphold the integrity of...

Copyright © 2021 Daily Asset Limited | Powered by ObajeSoft Inc