By Victor Adeoti

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Victims Support Fund (VSF) Taskforce on coronavirus, on Wednesday donated Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities to three Secondary schools in Osun.

The WASH facilities, it said, is to help in curbing transmission of the COVID-19.

The WASH facilities donated to each of the schools included 4,000 solar-powered borehole, four hand wash stations, 2,000 pieces of reusable facemasks, five pieces of four-litre hand sanitisers, 120 bottles of 500ml liquid hand wash and five cartoon of bleach.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three Secondary schools that benefited from the donation are Okoyekola High School, Ijabe, Ansarudeen Grammar School, Iloro, Ile-Ife, and Baptist High School, Ikire.

Speaking at Baptist Grammar School, Ikire, Mrs Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, Chairperson for COVID-19 taskforce of VSF, said the donation is an intervention aimed at minimising the spread of coronavirus.

Akerele-Ogunsiji said the Chairman of VSF, Retired Gen.Theophilus Danjuman, was passionate about providing succour to vulnerable Nigerians as well as institutional support to agencies involved in the fight against COVID-19.

Akerele-Ogunsiji, who noted that the donation is part of the ongoing COVID-19 intervention by the organisation, said hand washing remains a singular preventive measure against the virus.

She urged the school management to ensure proper maintenance and adequate use of the facilities, adding that VSF monitoring and evaluation team will be visiting from time to time to ascertain the maintenance of the facilities.

Akerele-Ogunsiji said 54 Secondary Schools in 18 states across the six geo-political zones will benefit from the WASH donation by VSF, adding that this will cost the organisation more than N200 million.

” We commenced the VSF COVID-19 intervention in Abuja on April 14, 2020, on the instruction of Gen. Danjuma to go round the country to provide food, Personal Protection Equipment, medical items, testing kits, among others, to contain COVID-19.

“We have completed the first and the second phases of the intervention and we are now at the third phase of providing WASH facilities to schools in the country,” Akerele-Ogunsiji said.

She said VSF had donated 300,000 hand washing soap to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and vulnerable families in the country.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gboyega Oyetola, during the courtesy visit of the VSF team to his office, commended the organisation for the good gesture.

Represented by his deputy, Mr Benedict Alabi, Oyetola said the state government will continue to do its best to contain the virus. (NAN)

By Muhammad Nasir Bashir

Alhaji Adamu Fanini, Secretary to the Jigawa State Government (SSG), has disclosed that the government had inaugurated a nine-member flood control committee, with a mandate to assist in mitigating the menace of flooding in the state.

A statement issued in Dutse, on Monday, by Alhaji Isma’il Ibrahim, the spokesperson, office of the SSG, quoted Fanini as saying this at the inauguration of the committee.

He also stated that the committee’s Terms of Reference was to identify critical areas affected along the riverbank, as well as identify possible causes of the damage, within the affected locations, and advise government on the appropriate measures to check the menace.

He disclosed that the committee had Alhaji Hamza Muhammad, the Special Adviser to the State Government, on Community and Social Inclusion, as Chairman and Mr Bello Idris, Director, Flood and Erosion Control, Ministry of Environment, as Secretary.

According to the statement, other members of the committee included, Mr Sule Kiyawa, Special Assistant to the Government on Environment, Mr Kabiru Muhammad, Director Planning, Research and Statistics,  Ministry of Water Resources.

Also included are:  Mr Hussaini Muhammad, Director, Nature Conservation, Ministry of Environment, and Alhaji Yusuf Sani, Executive Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

Mr Muhammad Garba, Director, Irrigation, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Mahadi Isyaku, Assistant Director, Flood and Erosion Control, Ministry of Environment and a representative from the Jigawa State Road Maintenance Agency (JIRMA), made up the rest of the members (NAN)

By Vivian Emoni

Mr Seyifunmi Adebote, an environmentalist, has called on the Federal Government to involve the youth while negotiating on climate change issues, to help tackle environmental challenges in the country.

Adebote made the call while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

He said that other countries gave opportunities to their youths in the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) and negotiation on climate change issues.

Adebote said young people brought dynamic climate-responses and innovation that would help track effort of the government, industries and businesses; ultimately.

“Young people monitor and support Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) process ensuring the intended results were achieved in other countries.

“Nigerian youths cannot be bystanders in the global climate conversation. The youths must contribute actively to the process,’’ he said.

Adebote said that COP26 would be holding in Glasgow on Nov. 1 to 12, to discuss the commitment made by various countries in the implementation of their NDC.

He explained that NDC was a Paris Agreement by which about 190 countries including Nigeria committed themselves to the reduction in national emissions and adaptation to impact of climate change.

Adebote said that involvement of the youth was not about number of young people that travelled to Glasgow for COP26, but the tangible ideas that they could incorporate into the negotiation framework.

He made reference to the recent Climate Innovation Hub which brought together over 1,000 youth-led solutions designed to address climate change in Nigeria.

Adebote also explained how DEAN Initiative through its Road to COP26 project, directly engaged one million Nigerian school children with 2,000 volunteers in 4,000 identified schools in the country.

He advised the youth to participate and show more interest on environmental issues to enable government tackle climate change and other environmental challenges in the country. (NAN)

By Funmilola Gboteku

The UK Government, on Sunday said it would be working with Nigeria to address the challenges of climate change in the country.

The British High Commission in Nigeria made this known in statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

It said this was discussed on Feb. 11 and 12 when the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) President-Designate, Alok Sharma MP, visited Nigeria.

According to the commission, the President-Designate, met with leaders from government and private sector and civil society, stressing the need for urgent climate change action ahead of the UK-hosted COP26 Summit in November in Glasgow.

It said the COP26 summit would bring parties together to accelerate action toward the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The commission said Sharma held high-level talks with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the Minister of Environment, Muhammad Mahmood and the Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, among others.

Speaking at the end of his visit, COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma said, “As the incoming COP Presidency, the UK takes its role seriously and seeks to raise ambition to tackle climate change globally.

“I have come here to meet political and civil society leaders to discuss and see first-hand, some of the many climate change vulnerabilities Nigeria faces.

“These includes deforestation, rising temperatures and flooding, as well as the need to transition from oil to cleaner energies that will sustainably serve what is projected to be the world’s third most populous country by 2050.

“I commend President Muhammadu Buhari for the steps taking toward collective and sustainable efforts that will put climate change, biodiversity and nature based solutions first, and will enhance all Nigerians’ prosperity, health and security,” Sharma said.

He said that Nigeria’s urban areas were at risk from climate change impacts such as flooding.

He said the UK government was committed to championing action to avert, minimise and address the loss and damage suffered by communities vulnerable to climate change.

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, said, “Climate change remains a global concern that requires collective efforts, and this visit underlines the UK’s support for Nigeria in its battle against climate change.

“This is an all of society approach to meeting the most demanding challenges of our time and I am glad that Sharma, took the time to shine a spotlight.

“And raise the profile of young activists and entrepreneurs he met during this trip, “Laing said.

The Minister for Environment, Mohammad Abubakar, said that it was good to meet Sharma, to discuss a range of issues on Nigeria’s climate change agenda.

“We welcome the UK’s leadership on this critical global agenda and look forward to its hosting a COP26 this November.

“It firmly recognises the particular needs and circumstances of Nigeria’s and Africa’s climate change challenges,” he said.

Abubakar, however, said that Nigeria would continue to look forward to the support of the UK as the country rises to meet those challenges in ways that protect the environment while supporting economic growth. (NAN).

Rescuers pulled out nine more bodies from the site of a flash flood in a Himalayan region of northern India on Sunday, a week after the disaster struck.

This brings the death toll to 50 with more than 150 people still missing, officials said.

The flash flood in Uttarakhand State, triggered by what scientists said could have been a large avalanche of glacier ice, sent water, rocks and debris surging down the Dhauliganga river valley, destroying dams and bridges.

Rescuers were using heavy digging machinery in race to free dozens of dam construction workers trapped in an underground tunnel connected to a hydroelectric project being built by the government-owned National Thermal Power Corporation.

“We have not lost all hope yet. We hope to find more survivors,’’ the top government official in the region, Swati Bhadoriya said.

Authorities said 154 people were still missing.

Experts have cautioned that there could still be huge amounts of rock, debris, ice and water that could be dislodged, making rescue efforts risky.

Uttarakhand is prone to flash floods and landslides,the disaster has prompted calls by environmental groups for a review of power projects in the ecologically sensitive mountains.

A team of scientists are investigating if a piece of a Himalayan glacier did fall into water and trigger the flood.

There are about 10,000 glaciers in the Indian Himalayas, Uttarakhand itself has up to 1,495 glaciers and many are receding due to the warming climate. (Reuters/NAN)

By Gabriel Agbeja

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted sunshine and haziness from Thursday to Saturday.

NiMet’s weather outlook released on Wednesday,  predicted sunny and hazy weather conditions over the North and North central region throughout the forecast period on Thursday.

According to it, partly cloudy to cloudy condition is expected over the inland cities of the South in the morning while the afternoon period is anticipated to be sunny with patches of cloud.

“Rainfall activities, however, are expected over some parts of Edo, southern parts of Ondo and Ogun States.

” Coastal cities are expected to be in partly cloudy to cloudy conditions throughout forecast period but there are chances of rainfall activities in places like Calabar, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Delta state later in the day.”

The agency forecast sunny and hazy condition to persist over the North and the North central region throughout the forecast period on Friday.

It further forecast the inland cities to experience sunny conditions with patches of cloud throughout the forecast period.

NiMet envisaged coastal cities to experience partly cloudy to cloudy condition throughout the forecast period with , chances of weather activities in places like Port-Harcourt, Delta and Lagos states during the afternoon and evening period.

The agency predicted sunny and hazy condition over the North and the North central region throughout the forecast period on Saturday.

” Inland cities are expected to experience sunny condition with patches of cloud throughout the forecast period while the coastal cities are expected to experience partly cloudy to cloudiness condition throughout the forecast period, ” it said. (NAN)

By Gabriel Agbeja

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted sunny and hazy weather conditions from Tuesday to Thursday.

NiMet’s weather outlook released on Monday in Abuja predicted sunny and hazy conditions over the North and North Central region throughout the forecast period on Tuesday.

According to it, patches of cloud in sunny condition is anticipated over the inland and the coastal cities during the forecast period.

Excluding parts of Lagos, Warri, Portharcourt, Eket, Benin, Calabar, Yenegoa and southern Ogun where there are chances of localised thunderstorm during the afternoon and evening period.

“For Wednesday, sunny and hazy conditions are anticipated over the North and North Central regions throughout the forecast period.

“Inland and the coastal cities of the South will be dominated with patches of cloud in sunny condition throughout the forecast period.

“This with chances of localised thunderstorms over parts of Eket, Calabar and Uyo during the afternoon and evening period,” it said.

The agency predicted sunny and hazy conditions over the North and North Central regions throughout the forecast period on Thursday.

It envisaged the inland and coastal cities of the South to be predominantly cloudy with intervals of sunshine within the forecast period. (NAN)

By Clara Egbogota

The Delta State Waste Management Board says it will shut down all illegal dump sites across the state within the next two weeks.

The Chairman of the board, Mr Emmanuel Chinye, gave the warning during a tour with his team to some of the waste pilot zones in the state on Wednesday.

Chinye said the tour was geared toward enhancing the ‘Operation Clean Delta’ mantra of the state.

According to him, he is ready to reawaken the consciousness of Private Sector Participants (PSPs) in waste management in the state.

Chinye who noted that the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown slowed down the board’s activities in 2020, said it was time to strengthen waste management in the state.

“The board will embark on an enforcement programme as well as shut down all illegal dump sites across the state within the next two weeks.

“The PSPs should also be up and about in their task of regular evacuation of refuse.

“The board will not hesitate to revoke the license of any PSP found wanting,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the areas visited in the three senatorial districts are Ughelli, Warri, Uvwie, Sapele and Ika Pilot Zones. (NAN)