By Constance Athekame

Stakeholders in the nation’s energy sector gathered in Abuja on Tuesday to brainstorm on ways of improving the energy transition plan, using green hydrogen to boost power supply.

It was organised by German Government, African Network for Solar Energy and Renewable Energy and Energy Sufficiency Association (REEEA) with a workshop on Nigerian Perspective of a Hydrogen Partnership with Germany.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that hydrogen if produced from renewable power sources is climate-friendly.

This is due to its ability to be transported over long distances and storable over long period of time.

Ms Gina Lagunes, Head, German–Nigeria Hydrogen Office said that German Government was dialoguing with Nigeria’s Government, the public and private sectors as well as academia to develop an enabling framework for hydrogen.

Lagunes said that one of the achievements of the German Government was that it was in the process of finalising a study on policy regulation framework for hydrogen in Nigeria that would include energy development.

“We are carrying out hydrogen potential for the country and we are working also on establishing a working group on development of national hydrogen strategy, ’’she said.

On his part, Prof. Daniel Egbe, President African Network for Solar Energy, said there was an existing partnership between Germany and Nigeria in green hydrogen area.

Egbe said that the workshop was also organised to seek the opinions of Nigerians as the German parliament directed.

“The opinion of the man in street is very important that is why we have people from different sector gathered together to brainstorm on the perspective of green hydrogen.

“We have stakeholders from civil society group, industry players, government to voice their opinion on Nigeria and German green hydrogen partnership,’’ he said.

According to him, the goal of the workshop is to equally develop recommendations for actions for international green hydrogen partnership.

“It aims to promote understanding of the perspectives of these potential hydrogen exporting countries by discussing and exchanging with stakeholders through an online survey and stakeholders workshops.

“If we have to interact or corporate, it should be a win-win situation for everyone on the street of Nigeria to voice their opinion on any aspect that concerns them,’’ he said.

On his part, Prof. Magnus Onuoha, National Vice Chairman, REEEA, described green hydrogen as an emerging technology important to serve as a critical component in Nigeria’s energy transition.

Onuoha said that the workshop was to build capacity and educate people on the partnership between Germany and Nigeria so as to bring about active participation.

According to him, the job opportunities in green hydrogen are huge and important that Nigeria keys in by providing enabling environment and right policies.

“When we are sure that the right policies are in place and an enabling environment to drive the policies by 2030, you will be amazed what the green hydrogen will be contributing into the Nigeria’s energy transition plan, ’’ he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kabir Muhammad/Julius Toba-Jegede

MACBAN and other stakeholders at a news conference in Abuja

By Kadiri Abdulrahman

Following the recent airstrike and killing of some herdsmen by the Nigeria Air Force, a coalition of pastoralists associations wants the Federal Government to take responsibility for the killings and compensate the victims.

The group, Coalition of Pastoralists Associations (CPAN), led by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), made this demand at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

Some herders were reportedly killed in airstrikes in Rukubi, Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State a border area with Benue on Jan. 24.

Herdsmen reportedly went to the area to retrieve 1,250 of their cows impounded by the Benue Livestock Guards.

The Nigeria Air Force was said to have carried out the airstrike based on intelligence report that some terrorists were gathered in the area.

Speaking on behalf of the groups, MACBAN President, Malam Othman Ngelzarma, said the killing of the innocent, law-abiding herdsmen by security forces was unfortunate.

He said 32 of the herdsmen died in the airstrike, while eight were injured and were receiving treatment in hospitals.

He urged the Nigerian military to immediately accept responsibility for the air bombardment and pay condolence visit to surviving victims.

“We, on behalf of the victims of these bombardments call for the immediate admittance of responsibility by the Nigerian military, unreserved apology and condolences to the families of the deceased pastoralists.

“We also call for the empaneling of an independent judicial commission of enquiry.

“The commission should identify and prosecute individuals and entities involved in the murder, cattle rustling, kidnapping and extortion of pastoralists in Benue and neighbouring states since 2017,’’ he said.

He urged the Federal Government to provide security for all innocent law-abiding citizens living in parts of Benue and all its neighbouring states.

Ngelzarma demanded immediate government intervention to release thousands of livestock and innocent herders illegally held captive in Benue.

The MACBAN president also called for the immediate restoration of dialogue and communal harmony between herders and farmers in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba as a panacea for future peace in the affected states.

“We are citizens not enemy combatants; we should not be killed by those who are paid to protect us,’’ he said.

NAN reports that other groups in the coalition are Tabbital Pulaaku International, Jonfe Jam Youth Development Association of Nigeria and Fulbe Development Association of Nigeria.

Others are Fulbe Youth Development and Rights Initiative and Farmers and Hunters Initiative for Peace and Development. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Alli Hakeem

By Fabian Ekeruche

The ‘Which Way Nigeria Citizens’ Scenarios team has organised a national dialogue to provide expert policy analysis on key sectors of the country.

The team, comprising of over 40 Nigerian Civil Society Organisations and international experts, said that the aim of the dialogue was to bolster citizens’ engagement with the forthcoming elections.

This is contained in a statement signed by Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, Director of the Center of Climate Change and Development at Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ebonyi, on Monday in Lagos.

Okereke, the co-initiator of the Citizens’ Scenario team, said that the dialogue was attended by Prof. Bell Ihua, Executive Director, Africa Polling Institute (API) and Prof. Afam Icha-Ituma, Vice Chancellor, Coal City University, Enugu;

He listed others as Dr Natalie Beinisch, Co-Founder/ Executive Director, Africa Circular Innovation Partnership, Mr Patrick Okigbo, Founding Partner, Nextier, Mr Osita Chidoka, former Minister of Aviation and Mr Valentine Ozigbo former Gubernatorial aspirant for Anambra State.

He quoted Okigbo as saying that the issue of security in the country needed to be addressed to boost growth and development.

Speaking on the area of security, Okigbo provided data on the various types of crisis and the need to categorise states according to the frequency of violence and the number of casualties.

“The rate of violence in Nigeria is bound to increase, and Nigeria can even implode if there are wide perceptions that the 2023 elections are unfair and stolen,” Okigbo said.

He called for improved governance and service delivery to address the worsening insecurity in the country.

Okigbo said that there was the need to fix the economic challenges, youth unemployment and criminal justice system.

“Change in political and economic realities will result in reduced incidents, casualties and humanitarian needs,” he said.

Dr Natalie Beinisch said that inflation, foreign currency controls and fuel subsidies were increasing risk and undermining business productivity.

Beinisch said that structural challenges, access to energy and ‘japa’ were choking business growth.

She said that that lack of confidence in Nigeria’s public institutions was leading to substantial capital flight.

She argued that to increase business confidence, the incoming administration should consider appointing reputable technocrats to key administrative positions.

Speaking on the state of education in the country, Prof. Afam Icha-Ituma said that there had been an improved ranking of the Nigerian universities from five universities in the previous year to 12 universities in the top band in 2023.

Icha-Ituma also decried massive exodus of top talents from the university system to foreign countries for greener pasture.

“If we must develop an education system that will lead us to green land, we must pay attention to access, quality and relevance of our actions,” Icha-Ituma said.

He also called on TETFund to expand its funding to private universities.

Responding to the experts’ analyses, Ozigbo, said it was important to address the problem of lack of leadership in the country.

He said that it was vital to change the political culture of the country to emphasise competence and character rather than ethnicity and money in choosing leaders.

“If we must solve the myriads of challenges in Nigeria, there are three things we need to prioritise as a country to experience growth – leadership, culture and competence,” Ozigbo said.

In his response, Chidoka emphasised the importance of building institutions rather than focusing on finding a “good man” leader.

“For the 2023 election, we need a leader that can bring the National Assembly together to make the government accountable and work with the executive to address the myriad of challenges facing the country,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

By Diana Omueza

The US Institute of Peace (USIP) on Tuesday in Abuja, urged the media to ensure thoroughness and due diligence in their reportage of the 2023 general elections.

USIP’S Interim Country Manager, Dr Chris Kwaja, said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the public relied largely on the media for credible information about the polls.

Kwaja said that it was the duty of journalists to conduct due diligence on news sources and contents before publication.

”The information we push out to the public can incite violence, it can also mar the electoral process.

”The media should be prepared to portray the truth and counter narratives capable of undermining the electoral processes.

”So the media should carry out due diligence, balance their reports and ensure that contents are not harmful to the society,” he said.

He further urged the media not to forget their critical roles in the electoral process, saying that they should mobilize, educate and correctly inform the citizenry.

”It is also expected that as a cornerstone democracy institution, the media should moderate political discourse and direct the path for peaceful engagements.

”Journalists should not allow themselves to be used as tools to cause division or incite violence within the system,” he said.

Kwaja said that the elections had saddled the media with the responsibility of promoting social cohesion and discipline among politicians and Nigerians generally.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Azubuike Okeh/Ismail Abdulaziz

By Olatunde Ajayi

The SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria in collaboration with the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria has called for increased women’s participation in electoral process.

The call was made at the training for women and other marginalised groups on peace building, mitigation, human rights, gender and participation, on Monday, in Ibadan.

The guest speaker, Dr Esther Sanya, the representative of the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), Oyo State chapter, said that there had been growing recognition of untapped capacity and talents of women in political leadership.

Sanya noted that women’s engagement in politics would help to advance gender equality.

“Research indicates that whether a legislator is a male or female has a distinct impact on his or her policy priorities.

“There is also strong evidence that as more women are elected to office, there is a corollary increase in policy making that emphasises quality of life and reflects the priorities of families, women, ethic and racial minorities,” she said.

Also speaking, Mr Lateef Ariori, the Director, Child Welfare Oyo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social inclusion, said that women should be given substantial consideration in the design and execution of political participation process.

Ariori charged women organisations in the state to work toward promoting gender equality among candidates, election officials, observers and other electoral participants.

“Women have a responsibility to oversee the electoral process because gender equality and true democracy fundamentally depend on women’s political engagement,” Ariori said.

Earlier, Mrs Catherine Ogwu, the Gender Desk Officer, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Oyo state, urged the women not to sell their votes or be intimidated during the forthcoming general elections.

She noted that the current Electoral Act and new technology from INEC would make 2023 general elections the most free and inclusive elections in the history of Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training featured lectures and presentations from different women groups in the state. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

News Analysis by Franca Ofili, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

According to experts cancer is caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in the body.

“Cancer arises from the transformation of normal cells into tumour cells in a multi-stage process that generally progresses from a pre-cancerous lesion to a malignant tumour.

“These changes are the result of the interaction between a person’s genetic factors and three categories of external agents, including: physical carcinogens.

“Such factors are ultraviolet and ionizing radiation; chemical carcinogens, such as asbestos, components of tobacco smoke, alcohol, aflatoxin (a food contaminant), and arsenic (a drinking water contaminant).

“They also include biological carcinogens, such as infections from certain viruses, bacteria, or parasites”, says World Health Organisation (WHO) report.

Apart from genetic factors, behaviour and consumption patterns can also expose one to cancer. Such behaviour include: tobacco use, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and air pollution.

There were an estimated 18.1 million cancer cases around the world in 2020. Of these, 9.3 million cases were in men and 8.8 million in women, says World Cancer Research Foundation International.

The Global Cancer Observatory said Nigeria has one of the highest cancer mortality rates in the world, with approximately 4 out of 5 cases resulting in death.

“Earlier diagnosis is a key part of improving survival rates further. If it is detected at an early stage, before symptoms even appear, it is easier to treat and there is a better chance of survival”, says National Health Service, England.

Health experts point out that early detection and treatment can minimise the impact of cancer on the victim. It is against this background that annually Feb. 4 has been set aside as World Cancer Day.

It is a day set aside for raising awareness on cancer and promoting early detection, care for victims and treatment of the disease.

The theme for the World Cancer Day 2022-2024 is `Close the Care Gap’.

The Registrar Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria, Prof. Mark Okeji said cancer had become a death penalty to many Nigerians due to the cost of treatment.

Okeji said that the rate of cancer diagnosis had was worrisome in spite of the huge the investment and interventions by governments and private organisations.

He, therefore, advised Nigerians to consciously take cancer preventive measures to lower the risk of exposing themselves to the disease.

He said although the country has the national cancer centre, and cancer registries across the country many cancer interventions come from the private sector and NGOs.

He described the efforts as `a little drop of water in the ocean` because of high cost of cancer treatment.

He said therapeutic radiography brings a ray of hope for victims because it is extremely cost effective accounting for 40 per cent of patients who were cured of cancer.

He said that diagnostic radiographers use complex equipment to produce images such as x-rays or scans while therapeutic radiographers use radiation to treat cancer and tissue defects.

“They play unique role in the delivery of diagnostic procedures and cancer treatment services’’ he said.

The Minister of State for Health, Mr Joseph Ekumankama, said government was putting all the necessary strategies in place to address the high rate of cancer diagnosis in the country,

This, he said, include the expansion of access to radiotherapy services, though he acknowledged that this faces some challenges such as dearth of manpower.

Ekumankama said the Federal Government would launch the Nigeria National cancer control plan from 2023-2027, to chart a way forward in addressing cancer challenges in the country.

“The Federal Government is doing much to make sure that cancer treatment equipment are installed in six teaching hospitals to give Nigerians adequate cancer treatment.

“I want to assure you that President Muhammadu Buhari is doing much to ensure that Nigerians are given adequate cancer treatment.

“Very soon, we will be presenting a bill to the Federal Executive Council to make provision of cancer centres at various political zones so that people will have easy access for cancer treatment,’’ the media quoted Ekumankama as saying.

He called on stakeholders to address the issues of dearth of experts in cancer treatment.

Mrs Oluwanife Osungbesan, the President of the Association of Radio Therapist of Nigeria, said for instance late presentation, few machines and paucity of funds as some of the challenges facing breast cancer treatment in Nigeria.

Ahead of the 2022 edition of World Cancer Day, expert say early detection and treatment remain vital in the management of cancer.

To achieve that, the atmosphere that encourages these actions is required from governments and other stakeholders.

Early detection and treatment should include steps that lead to increased awareness of first signs of cancer, among physicians, nurses and other health care providers as well as among the general public.

According to WHO, they should be improved accessibility and affordability of diagnosis and treatment services, and enhanced referral from first to secondary and tertiary levels of care. (NANFeatures)

Some items donated at the inauguration of a community project hosted by Princess Perpetual Ebokhasomi -Godwin and Priscilla Nnedinmah Agha.