Environment
Ogoni Clean-Up : Stakeholders Worry Over Non- Compliance With UNEP Templates.
By Gom Mirian, Abuja
Some stakeholders in the on-going Ogoni environmental remediation process, have again raised concerns over alleged non-compliance with laid down procedures and standards by the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP)
Their concerns came as six 6out of 21 contractors engaged for the remediation process have commenced close out in the sites allotted to them, preparatory to hand them over to the implementation body HYPREP.
Part of fears being raised by the stakeholders drawn from a coalition of civil society organizations and environmental Experts are the the absence of independent monitors as well as the non – compliance with the template provided by the United Nations Environment Programme in the ongoing remediation process.
Beyond these, they said the burning issue around the emergency measures – provision of potable drinking water, health impact assessment amongst several others that should precede the bio-remediation exercise, continue to remain a source of worry three years down the line in the Ogoni clean up, as people continued to suffer the impact associated with these concerns.
They also alleged that the ogoniland project, which was supposed to be handled by the Ministry of Environment and HYPREP as a humanitarian intervention and ought to enjoy some waivers for the work to gain mileage, the project and process unfortunately was being managed and subjected to the bureaucracies that is often the bane of Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) of government, hence putting a lull in the clean up process.
All these worries were voiced out Tuesday at the end of a one-day town hall meeting organized by the African Centre for Leadership, strategy and Development (Centre LSD) on the Ogoni Clean-Up with the theme “Ogoni Clean-Up :Where Are We?” held in Portharcourt.
Speakers at the forum also bothered that the Project management consciousness in the exercise appeared to be at a low ebb as there was dearth of information around project milestones, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that should aid monitoring and tracking.
They said the situation was made worst with the nonexistence of Project Monitoring Consultants (PMC).
According to the group, chaired by HRH. Baridam Suanu, chair, conference of Ogoni Traditional Rulers Association (COTRA) among others suggested that to advance the remediation process, all stakeholders on board most be taken along in the process.
“Government and HYPREP should redouble their efforts to clean-up Ogoni land bearing in mind that the emergency measures and some of the programmes planned for are expected to be carried out to a logical conclusion in the first five years of the project.
” Government through HYPREP should ensure that it ascertains the quality of bioremediation work done on the six sites by contractors handling them to conform with acceptable standards before their hand over.
“The Central Representative Advisory Committee (CRAC) must work in the over all interest of the Ogoni people by ensuring that conflicts emanating from communities are attenuated and kept at bay.
“The leadership of Ogoni under the aegis of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), should initiate a process of backing HYPREP with a law rather than it continuing to be the product of a gazette.
“MOSOP by this resolution should link up with National Assembly members of Ogoni extraction for an agenda setting meeting that will culminate in the drafting of a bill for consideration by the legislature.
“Ogoni leaders should liaise as quickly as possible with HYPREP and consider the establishment of a quarterly accountability forum for update on the clean up,” he said.
Environment
Prolonged Public Holidays Come with Negative Economic Effects on Citizens – Anambra Residents
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)
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)
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)
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