Environment

Rainy Season: FEMA Tasks Residents On Indiscriminate Waste Disposal

Published

5 years ago

March 29, 2021

The FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has urged residents to desist from indiscriminate waste disposal into water channels and rivers to prevent flood disaster.

FEMA Director-General, in a statement last Thursday Alhaji Abass ldriss, in Abuja also urged residents to guard against building on water ways, river banks and diversion of water channels.

Idriss said that residents have vital role to play as major stakeholders in emergency prevention and mitigation.

He noted that while waiting for Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency detailed outlook on floods for the 2021 rainy season, it was important for residents to join hands and complement efforts to prevent flood disasters.

“As the rainy season sets in FEMA advice residents to prepare for the rains and avoid environmental practices that can lead to flooding in the FCT.

“The agency particularly appeals to residents to desist from indiscriminate waste disposal into water channels and rivers; building on water ways and river banks as well as diverting water channels to prevent flood disaster,’’ he said.

The director-general noted that preparedness and sensitisation remained the key toward reducing disaster to the barest minimum in the FCT.

“Everyone is a stakeholder in this disaster prevention efforts and FEMA has created a high level of awareness amongst FCT residents through several media platforms to establish the consciousness of disaster prevention and mitigation rather than management’’, Idriss said.

He said FEMA, during raining season brought stakeholders together to review and take stock of cause of events, identify gaps and proffer solution to swing into actions.

He further said NIMET had predicted that the Northern part of country should expect rains between May and June while the coastal areas should expect rain from March, which would not last longer in the year.

The FEMA boss said that the FCT Administration was leaving no stones unturned to ensure no lives were lost to flood this rainy season, noting that residents also had a role to play.

“If you follow the trend of our response, you will discover that some of the 2019 flood issues did not re-occur in the same locations, except new ones that came up in different locations.

“Locations such as Area 1 and Lokogoma flood issues were taken care of after identifying the obstacles,’’ he said.

Idriss disclosed that FEMA mounted reflective flood warning sign posts at the flash points to sensitise and warn residents from driving or walking into running water.

He advised Agriculture and Extension Officers to sensitise farmers and provide crops that were suitable for the season to avert food insecurity which could also result to serious disaster.

He appealed to all residents that were in distress to call the Toll Free Emergency Number 112 to report any emergency for a quick and prompt response.

Environment

Nigeria, UAE to waive tariffs on some products

Published

13 hours ago

February 2, 2026

The Tide

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

Environment

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

Published

14 hours ago

February 2, 2026

The Tide

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.

Environment

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

Published

14 hours ago

February 2, 2026

The Tide

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.