Nation
Global Warming: Expert Warns Against Food Wastage In Yuletide
A climate change expert, David Terungwa, has urged Nigerians to avoid food wastes during the Yuletide, as refuse generated from such can increase global warming and climate change.
Terungwa, Team Lead, Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP) gave the warning while addressing newsmen on the impacts of climate change in the environment, in Abuja, Wednesday.
Terungwa, who is also the Africa Coordinator, Citizens Climate International, said food wastes ending up in landfills produced a larger amount of methane greenhouse gas than even carbon dioxide (CO2).
According to him, excess amount of greenhouse gases, such as methane, CO2 and chlorofluorocarbons absorbs infrared radiation and heat up the earth’s atmosphere, thus causing global warming and climate change.
He said food wastes represented a waste of fresh water and groundwater resources, with agriculture accounting for 70 per cent of the water used across the world.
Terungwa further stated that in addition to money being wasted, discarded food had negative impacts on the environment, as it contributed to global warming.
He added: “Consider the energy and natural resources expended in processing, transporting, storing and cooking of food.”
The expert said that packaging of many food products were excessive, adding that there was a growing awareness that such packaging was not environmental-friendly and could land-up in landfills.
“The rate of food wastes during festivities is very alarming. For instance, many of the food prepared during the yuletide will never be eaten.
“Many of us don’t give a thought to the quantity of food we waste daily, weekly, monthly and yearly, with increased tons of food wasted during festivities, including Christmas and New Year.
“Food waste in this context refers to food left over; too much food prepared and not used, all generally land in dumpsites.
“Food wastage is a bad attitude, particularly in a nation where we have children who spend days with empty stomach. Our leftovers could be someone’s first meal.
“For every food you waste and throw away, there is a stomach that is hungry and going to bed without food,’’ he said.
Terungwa quoted the United Nations as estimating that one in every three people in the world does not have access to sufficient food to lead a healthy life.
According to him, in Nigeria, it is no longer news that the prices of food have skyrocketed majorly due to high inflation, effects of climate change, COVID-19 pandemic and widespread insecurity.
“Even with the situation, 40 per cent of food produced in Nigeria goes to waste, mostly during the production-to-processing stage of the food supply chain,” he said.
Nation
Gombe Opens Bid For Construction Of Three-Arm Zone Project
Gombe State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transportation has opened bids for the construction of three arms zone complexes within the Gombe Capital Special Development Zone which held at the Ministry’s conference hall.
Speaking while presiding over the bid opening proceedings, the Commissioner, Engr. . Usman Maijama’a Kallamu assured the bidders that the bid opening would be carried out using procurement process which is based on specific regulations that are credible, fair, and transparent.
The Commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alh. Idris Yambiu Buba said that the Ministry will continue to align itself for optimal results in the implementation of government policies and projects in line with Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s commitment to bringing development to the State.
While assuring the bidders of a transparent process, the SSA to the Governor on Special Project, Arch. Yakubu Mamman thanked Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for his foresight in infrastructural development of the State, adding that government is committed to ensuring that all bidders had an equal chance to participate and compete based on merit to maintain standards and specifications.
Nation
Gov Mbah Signs Bill To Establish Teaching Hospital In Enugu
Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, yesterday, signed the Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) Teaching Hospital Bill 2024 into Law, promising to expedite action to actualise the teaching hospital immediately to provide quality training and healthcare services in the Enugu North part of the State and the State in general.
Mbah, while commending the Enugu State House of Assembly for accelerating action on the processing and passage of the Executive Bill, said that establishing SUMAS Teaching Hospital was in line with his manifesto.
He said, “What we have done by signing into law the Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences Teaching Hospital Bill is that we now have in place a legal framework to immediately begin to put in place all that is required to upgrade SUMAS to a teaching hospital. This is part of our campaign promises and we are committed to delivering on that expeditiously.
“We believe that the importance and significance of siting a teaching hospital in our Enugu North zone can never be lost on us. So, we are not going to spend any time in making sure that everything that is necessary and required to upgrade and get the teaching hospital operational is put in place. With this Law, we are going to redouble our commitment and our efforts to achieve that.”
He assured the Governing Council and the Management of SUMAS of his continued support, adding that his administration would equally be counting on their pedigree and contacts to bring the teaching hospital to fruition in record time.
“We are going to continue to support you and we are also going to continue to count on your experience, network, and profile in raising resources to actualize the project.
“This year alone, we are going to spend 33 per cent of our budget on education. This underscores the importance of education to this administration. So, be sure to come to us whenever there is a need. We are going to support you because we are interested in education and we are investing heavily in it,” he said.
On his part, the Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu, who also spoke at the Bill signing witnessed by the Chairman of SUMAS Governing Council, Msgr. Obiora Ike, and the Vice Chancellor, Prof. James Ogbonna, and top hierarchies of the institution, commended Governor Mbah’s speed and faithfulness in delivering on his campaign promises. He assured that the House of Assembly was ever ready to fast-track every executive bill that would impact positively on the state and its people.
“We promised we are going to support this administration by doing our job expeditiously to ensure that there is no delay in your delivery of democracy dividends to our people. Therefore, the SUMAS Teaching Hospital Bill received expedited hearing and today you have the signing of the bill into law,” he stated.
Nation
Ododo Applauds Security Agencies Over Rescue Of 43 Bus Passengers
Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo has applauded security agencies in the State for their efforts in the rescue of 43 bus passengers.
The Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Ismaila Isah disclosed this in a statement yesterday.
The statement noted that the governor welcomed the news of the release of the abducted bus passengers in Okehi Local Government Area of the State and called for sustained collaboration between security agencies and local communities to improve intelligence gathering and prevent crime and criminality in all parts of the state.
Ododo commended the caretaker chairman of Okehi LGA, Mr Amoka Eneji, the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Professional Hunters, Ebira Local Hunters Group and other security agencies for their intervention, which led to the rescue of the passengers who were abducted outside the state.
“Governor Ododo also commends the response of security agencies to the robbery incidence in Felele area of Lokoja and called for more urgency in addressing cases of insecurity in any part of the state.
“The Governor reassured the people of the state that his administration will not relent in its efforts in deploying maximum resources to ensure that all communities in the state remain unsafe for criminal elements.”
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