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Ministry Urges Investment In Bamboo Production

Published

12 years ago

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The Federal Ministry of
Environment has called on both corporate bodies and individuals to invest in bamboo production.
The Desk Officer for Bamboo and Rattan Production in the ministry, Mr Adebayo Ibrahim, made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
Ibrahim said the industry had the potential to boost the nation’s economy in the area of non-oil production resources.
According to him, bamboo is a gold mine that can employ many people and also create wealth for many Nigerians.
He said that the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), in collaboration with the ministry and the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (IMBAR), had developed a white paper; for investing in a green future bamboo value chain in the country.
Ibrahim said the value chain had envisaged a development from nursing and seed raising, planting and harvesting to processing and marketing.
He said the value chain process, targeted farming communities where the entire production process would be carried out within plantation farms.
He said the document also developed a technical and business skill for private bamboo processors as well as improving capacities in harvesting and post-harvest treatment.
According to him, the document has also developed and improved the marketing skills for the people.
The desk officer, who is also an Assistant Director in the ministry, said that UNIDO had also pledged 150,000 dollars for the provision of expertise and machines for enhancing bamboo production in the country.
Ibrahim said the Federal Government, as part of its counterpart funding, had commenced the reactivation of the National Forest Utilisation Centre in Benin.
He said the centre, owned by the Federal Department of Forestry, had all the infrastructure required for wood processing.
“The Federal Government will renovate the centre, while UNIDO will bring technicians and machines for the processing of bamboo.
“UNIDO will also train artisans and rural farmers on bamboo processing.
“The UNIDO funding pattern in this case is not going to be in cash,’’ he said.
Ibrahim said the ministry had inaugurated a steering committee known as the National Bamboo and Rattan Development Programme (NBARDEP).
He said the committee had already identified stakeholders in the production of bamboo, adding that it was building synergies with relevant agencies of government as well as the private sector.
Ibrahim said the ministry was working hard to ensure that the production of bamboo commenced in a most robust manner, adding that the ministry was in partnership with many relevant agencies.
Reports say that bamboo production is the brainchild of the Federal Ministry of Environment.
The first national stakeholder’s sensitisation workshop on the sustainability and development of bamboo and rattan in Nigeria was held in Benin in 2012.

A building devastated by rainstorm in Rivers State, recently.

A building devastated by rainstorm in Rivers State, recently.

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Nigeria, UAE to waive tariffs on some products

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15 hours ago

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February 2, 2026

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The Federal Government has signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to remove tariffs on selected products.

Rep. Sam Onuigbo a member of the Governing Board of the North-East Development Commission, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.

Onuigbo said that the agreement signed in Abu Dhabi from Jan. 11 to 15, marked a major breakthrough for Nigeria-UAE economic relations.

NAN reports that Onuigbo, a member of the House of Representatives of Nigeria who represented Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency, served as Chairman, Committee of Climate Change during the 8th Assembly.

“Under the CEPA signed in January 2026, UAE will eliminate tariffs on 7,315 Nigerian products. This includes immediate duty-free access for 2,805 products (38.3 per cent).

” The rest will phase out over three to five years, covering agricultural and industrial goods.

“Similarly, under the Nigeria/UAE CEPA also signed in January 2026, Nigeria has eliminated tariffs on 6,243 products imported from UAE. That agreement creates these wonderful opportunities between Nigerians and the Emirates,” he said.

Onuigbo said that the agreement was massive as it would facilitate an environment for business owners in Nigeria.

He said the pact would enable verified Nigerian business owners to establish offices in UAE, operate for up to three months and return home with expanded commercial networks.

He commended President Bola Tinubu for the agreement, saying it aimed at repositioning the country while also creating an enabling environment for employment opportunities.

He reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness for business, noting that the country also unveiled its carbon market framework policy to attract climate-focused investments

”Nigeria is a nation of nearly 250 million people and has had, over the years, the challenge of enough energy or power to be able to attain its economic and industrialisation targets.

“And because of that, Nigeria has been engaging in different activities, for instance, the Energy Transition Plan, enactment of the Climate Change Act, and the Electricity Act which the President signed barely eight days after he assumed office in 2023.

“This shows the importance of addressing the energy gap having enough energy. Electricity is a fundamental point to developing industrially which Nigeria deems necessary,” he said.

Onuigbo lauded Nigeria’s participation at the Abu Dhabi summit saying that the summit would strengthen global economic opportunity for people.

He added that the President’s collaboration would address the challenges and devastating effects of climate change as well as boost economic growth in 2026

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HYPREP Completes Phase One Mangrove Restoration In Ogoniland, Warns Against Re-Pollution

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16 hours ago

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February 2, 2026

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The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, says it has achieved a major environmental milestone in Ogoniland with the full completion of Phase One of its mangrove restoration programme, even as it warned that renewed pollution could erase years of painstaking cleanup.

The announcement was made in Port Harcourt by HYPREP’s Director of Technical Services, Dr Damian-Paul Aguiyi, at the agency’s fourth-quarter 2025 stakeholders and regulators’ meeting, a forum convened to assess progress, identify gaps, and align partners behind the Ogoni cleanup mandate.According to Aguiyi, 100 per cent planting and restoration has been achieved under Phase One, marking a critical turning point in the ecological recovery of Ogoniland, one of the areas most devastated by decades of hydrocarbon pollution.

“We have completed Phase One planting and restoration at 100 per cent. We are now in the monitoring stage, with some sites already observed for up to nine months,” he said.

Beyond mangroves, Aguiyi reported significant progress in soil and groundwater remediation, describing the last quarter as one of HYPREP’s most productive periods since the Ogoni cleanup commenced.

He disclosed that shoreline cleanup has reached about 77 per cent completion, while access to safe drinking water has expanded across Ogoni communities.

“We have restored 100 per cent potable water supply to Ebubu, and reconstruction work has commenced at the Gwara Waterfall,” Aguiyi stated.

On infrastructure, he said key equipment for the long-awaited Ogoni Power Project has been procured and secured at the Wiyaakara substation, signalling movement toward energy support for the restoration effort.

Despite the progress, Aguiyi warned that re-pollution remains the single greatest threat to the success of the Ogoni cleanup.

“Our major concern is waking up one day to find areas cleaned with Ogoni people’s resources re-polluted by activities beyond our control,” he said, stressing that environmental recovery must be protected as much as it is delivered.

He attributed the sharp decline in illegal artisanal refining in Ogoniland over the past two to three years to sustained community engagement and alternative livelihood programmes, which he said have reduced economic dependence on destructive practices.

“We have not recorded incidents of artisanal refining in Ogoniland in the last two to three years, and that is the result of consistent sensitisation and viable livelihood options,” he added.

Aguiyi reaffirmed HYPREP’s willingness to collaborate with companies and partners operating in Ogoniland, noting that initiatives aligned with the project’s environmental and social objectives would be reviewed and adopted where appropriate.

He also said recommendations from recent independent and internal reports are already being implemented, underscoring HYPREP’s commitment to transparency, accountability, environmental recovery, and improved livelihoods for Ogoni communities.

 

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Over Six Million Benue Residents Exposed To Neglected Tropical Diseases – State Government 

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16 hours ago

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February 2, 2026

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The Benue State Government has warned that more than six million residents remain at risk of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) across the state, despite notable successes recorded in disease elimination efforts.

The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Ogwuche, disclosed this during a press conference to mark the 2026 World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, organised in collaboration with Sightsavers and themed “Unite, Act, Eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).”

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Beatrice Tsavmbu, the commissioner announced the successful elimination of blinding trachoma in Gwer East, Gwer West and Ukum Local Government Areas, attributing the feat to years of targeted interventions, strong community participation and sustained implementation of the state’s NTDs Control and Elimination Programme.

“I am proud to announce the elimination of blinding trachoma in three of our most affected areas—Gwer East, Gwer West and Ukum. No longer will these communities face the blindness that trachoma has long inflicted,” she said.

However, Dr. Tsavmbu noted that Benue State remains highly endemic for several NTDs, with all 23 local government areas experiencing overlapping disease burdens. She listed the diseases to include onchocerciasis (river blindness), lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), schistosomiasis (bilharziasis), soil-transmitted helminth infections (intestinal worms), leprosy, buruli ulcer and snakebite envenoming.

“These conditions collectively put over six million people in Benue State at risk,” she stated.

She revealed that the state had treated an average of more than five million people over the past five years through preventive chemotherapy, morbidity management and disability prevention, supported by Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives and integrated vector control.

Dr. Tsavmbu also announced a major breakthrough in the fight against river blindness, noting that onchocerciasis endemicity in the state had been reclassified from ongoing transmission to suspected interruption of transmission.

On lymphatic filariasis, she disclosed that 1,064 hydrocele cases had been successfully managed through free surgeries, while 442 lymphoedema patients received free management kits to prevent disease progression. She added that 44 trachoma trichiasis cases were also treated through free surgical interventions.

According to her, Ukum, Logo and Konshisha LGAs have passed Transmission Assessment Survey 1 for lymphatic filariasis, allowing for the cessation of mass drug administration in those areas. In addition, seven other LGAs—Ado, Apa, Kwande, Obi, Ohimini, Oju and Tarka—successfully passed epidemiological monitoring surveys in 2025.

She attributed the progress recorded to strong inter-sectoral collaboration involving agencies such as the Benue Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (BERWASSA), the State Universal Basic Education Board, the Ministry of Education, civil society organisations and security agencies. She also cited the inauguration of the State NTDs Advisory Committee and improvements in supply chain and logistics management systems.

In a related remark, Prof. Edward Omudu of the Department of Biological Sciences, Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, revealed that the National Universities Commission had recently approved Nigerian universities to offer degree programmes in Water, Sanitation and Health, describing the move as a critical step toward strengthening disease prevention and public health capacity in the country.

 

 

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