Environment
Flood: IFAD Disburses $1.7 m To Farmers
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) says it will disburse 1.7 million dollars to support farmers affected by floods in nine states of the country before ending of the year.
IFAD Country Director, Dede Ekoue, said this on the sideline of the Federal Government/IFAD-Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) Mid Term Review (MTR) Mission Stakeholders Wrap-Up Workshop in Abuja.
Ekoue, who identified the total flood recovery response for 2022 as 1.7 million dollars, said the organisation had made an initial allocation of 600,000 dollars to farmers in some of the VCDP-benefitting states.
According to her, the distribution of the fund in support of VCDP beneficiaries has already started for dry season farming in Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Anambra, and Enugu States.
“The process will be accelerated this December and early next year.
“The 1.7 million dollars is coming from the regular funding of VCDP,” she said.
Ekoue explained that the gesture was in response to the yearnings of farmers in the course of MTR mission across the VCDP-benefiting states in the country.
She said, “what was important to farmers in the course of visitation is for them to adapt more to help them recover, while the second one is to continue to strengthen the marketing aspect, especially for cassava.
“We noticed that there are more opportunities to strengthen the market aspect for cassava producers; for rice producers, a lot of progress has been made.”
National Programme Coordinator, IFAD-VCDP, Dr Fatima Aliyu, said through the intervention, the organisation and the government will support each of the over 2,000 targeted farmers with 40kg of seed, four bags of NPK, and two bags of Urea.
The farmers, according to her, will also be supported with two litres of herbicides and water pumps for each hectare of farmland that will be rehabilitated, capacity building, and extension services.
“We are training them on good agronomic practices to be abreast on how to cultivate their crops in the dry season.
“We have been doing it but felt we should do more to enable them have a very bumper harvest,”
Director, International Economic Relations Department, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Aisha Omar, said that the MTR was purposely to assess the performance of the project, determine challenges impeding implementation, the relevance of different component and activities in view of current circumstances.
She said such will enable concerned organisations to decide “if there is the need to restructure the project”.
Omar assured that the department was committed to working with partners and project teams at States and Federal levels to meet the project development objectives and ensure value for money in those facilities obtained.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) on Thursday, launched an awareness campaign, aimed at educating residents on the increasing impact of climate change.
The campaign also seeks to enlighten residents on the urgent need for personal and community protection measures.
During the launch in Uyo on Thursday, the Akwa Ibom Director of NOA, Mr Mkpoutom Mkpoutom, said that the campaign aims at enlightening residents, about the changes in weather patterns.
He said that this includes unpredictable rise in temperatures, and how these changes threaten public health across the state.
Mkpoutom noted that the current weather was not harmattan, but an extreme form of air pollution, which is harmful to health as it could cause oxidative stress which affects body balance.
“Our environment is changing rapidly, and the effects are evident in the disruptions faced by our communities.
“It is paramount that every citizen of Akwa Ibom understands these changes and take necessary steps to protect themselves, their families, and their livelihoods,” he said.
He appealed to citizens to take the following precautions which include wearing of nose mask, drinking sufficient water, covering of food and water to keep away dust, washing fruits thoroughly before eating, among others.
He directed all NOA structures within the state to engage with local communities through town hall meetings and collaboration.
He also urged engagement with schools and community leaders, to disseminate vital information on early warning signs, as well as safety protocols during extreme weather conditions.
The Chairman of Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State, Ms Surah Animashaun, has urged traders of Aiyetoro and Oluwo fish markets to consistently ensure a hygienic trading environment.
She urged the traders to maintain cleanliness and observe proper environmental sanitation in the markets.
Animashaun said this during a visit to some of the market areas in Epe on Saturday.
She said that clean markets were critical to public health.According to her, poor sanitation could lead to the outbreak of communicable diseases, especially in fish markets, where waste management must be handled with extra care.
The council chairman urged traders to dispose of refuse appropriately, avoid indiscriminate dumping of waste, and ensure regular cleaning of stalls and surroundings
She noted that environmental hygiene is a collective responsibility, adding that everyone should be involved in this development.
Animashaun also warned that the local government would not hesitate to enforce existing environmental laws, including sanctions against defaulters.
She assured traders of the council’s commitment to providing adequate waste disposal facilities and regular monitoring to sustain a clean and healthy market environment.
The council boss also urged traders to desist from selling by the roadside, so as to avoid accidents, noting that several motor accidents had occurred along the Aiyetoro market area.
“We, therefore, urge traders to stop selling on the roadside,” she said.
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.
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