The Director General of  Erosion and  Flood Control Bayelsa State, Omusco Omusco,  has said that the directorate  has all it takes to mitigate the challenges that will come with flood in the state.
He disclosed  the canals clearing was paused due to lack of funds admitting that immediately more funds are made available, work will continue.
Speaking in Yenagoa, the DG said that already the directorate had been working by clearing the canals before it ran out of cash.
They are preparing and intervening, and they are opening up channels.
He said that plans were on the ground for the state government to approve more money for them to continue the clearing of the canals.
According to him, the fund was not  ready because of the bureaucratic process involved in the civil service.
“All that  we need is good funding, and if good funding is available, we are ready to drive this process so that flood will be reduced to the barest minimum and it will not disturb human existence”, he said.
According to the DG, they are trying to open up the channels and the creeks and they are also studying where to allow this water to go.

Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), a non-governmental organisation has called on the Nigerian Agip Oil Company to address the ecological problem caused by its long years of oil exploitation before selling its assets to other companies.
The foundation said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt..
The statement captioned: “Agip must answer to concerns over ecological, health, economic and social impact in the Niger Delta before selling it’s assets said the oil giant should first of all adress the environmental problems caused by its operation before selling it’s assets.
According to the statement, “Our attention has been directed to a press statement issued on September 4th, 2023, announcing that Oando PLC has concluded a deal with Eni to acquire 100% of the shares of Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited.
According to the statement, the selling transaction is subject to the approval of the applicable authorities and other regulatory clearances.
“This transaction comes a little over two years after Shell, Chevron, Total Energies, and Exxon Mobil attempted to divest vital oil assets. International oil corporations operating in Nigeria’s Niger Delta have clearly agreed to sell off their onshore assets and depart the area.
“While we recognise that firms have the right to dispose of their assets as they see fit, we are worried about the way in which this transaction is being carried out, as well as the immediate and long-term ramifications for communities and the cause of ecological justice.
“We are particularly concerned about the following issues:
The statement signed by KOMO Odhomo media Director of the organisation  said the company ought to inform its host communities of its decision to divest its interest
“It is important to note that the so-called ‘host’ communities in which Agip has operated for up to six decades are unaware of the impending sale and have not been informed by the firm. They, like the rest of the population, just learned in the news that oil assets situated in their ancestral lands and rivers will be transferred to another company.
It further noted that the company’s operation for decades has left terrible ecological problem in the region.
“Agip has been operating recklessly for decades, leaving terrible ecological and socio-economic legacies.
“Several investigations have found the corporation and its collaborators responsible for environmental degradation that has destroyed livelihoods, poisoned communities, and created circumstances for human rights violations.
It further noted that  throughout its operations, Agip has consistently flared gas, wreaking havoc on the health, livelihoods, and environment of Niger Delta oil-producing communities.
According to HoMEF, “The United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, report on the impacts of hydrocarbon pollution in Ogoniland is a reference to the devastating impact of oil extraction.

The Director-General, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet),  Prof. Mansur Matazu says the agency is ready to advance its quality management system to improve the weather forecast across the nation.
Matazu said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
He said, such efforts in advancing quality of management system with relevant training will enhance the weather prediction accuracy and precision.
“The agency is exposing its operations to improved quality management systems and even traansforming to Safety Management Systems (SMS) across all its operations in the country.
“NiMet is striving to do more and is open to assist other Ministries,Departments and Agencies (MDA)s of government to pass through this process,” he said.
On the International Standard Organisation (ISO) Certification recently acquired by NiMet, Matazu explained that a rigorous quality management audit was followed.
According to him, NiMet has acquired the recertification of the International Standard Organisation ISO 9001:2015 and the International Standard Organization ISO 29990:2010 for the provision of aeronautical meteorological services.
“Also, for the capacity building at it’s Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Lagos and MBMIST in Katsina respectively.
“We took the challenge as far back as 2013 and we have been maintaining this 3 years certificate and we just acquired recertification of ISO 9001:2015 for aeronautical meteorological services in six major international airports.
“We are working hard to extend it to 10 more airports across the country, “ he said.
He further explained that the agency had acquired another recertification for ISO 29990:2010 for training, recertification and capacity training.
“Remember NiMet runs two training institutes like polytechnics, one in Lagos the RTC, which is a World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) accredited training centre .
“We also have the Muhammadu Buhari Meteorological Institute of Science and Technology (MBMIST), which is accredited by the National Board for Technical Education ( NBTE) as a training centre in Katsina and offers Diploma.
“So, we have acquired ISO 29990:2010 for training on all aspects of meteorology, applied meteorology including climate change,” he explained.
He said NiMet was the first meteorological service on the African continent to have acquired the certification.
According to him, the agency is serving as an auditor for some African countries like Malawi and Gambia presently.
“It is of note that NiMet has also been approached by Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to assist and guide them to acquire this certification.
“The implication of this recertification is like the stamp of standardisation of service delivery by an international organisation and gives a guarantee on the precision and efficiency of NiMe’s products and service,” he  said.