Grandiose Parlor

Child defecating in a canal in the slum of Gege in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria (Photo: Adebayo Alao, Sept. 2007)

It has taken some 30-50 years for the environmental abuse in the Niger Delta to creep into the consciousness of the nation and the international community. As sad as this may be, it’s even sadder that payback for this long wait is now being paid at huge costs to all.

Now, I’m wont to ponder if Nigeria is not already at the brink of another environmental disaster, which, this time, will extend well beyond the boundaries of the delta creeks. Nigerians have been getting high on waste, all sorts of waste and pollution — domestic and industrial in origin. From the innocuously discarded, non-biodegradable ‘pure water’ plastics — the ubiquitous, quarter-liter, mass produced, plastic water-in-sachet available everywhere in Nigeria, to the less visible lethal industrial waste waters, the obvious signs of failed — or nonexistent — waste management/environmental protection policy is clear for all to see.

Sadly, as the waste heaps is building up around the cities, the countdown to disaster is running down as well, surreptitiously bringing us closer to an explosive threshold. The truth is we are closer to the tipping point than ever.

Perhaps, this scenario isn’t all too obvious to many in the home country, who because of other ‘competing interests’ have become blunted to the sight of mounting roadside filth, the plastic bag-clogged gutters, or oblivious to what’s being flushed down the gutters and streams by the industries across the street.

I’m convinced this is the time for environmental angels — social entrepreneurs or better still ecopreneurs — to emerge and start the work of cleaning and saving our environment and societies.

The key words must be innovation, advocacy, and government backing. Their tactics must be bold, complementary and sustainable. These — plus government backing in policies formulating regulation enforcement — can guarantee tangible rewards.

As our colleagues in other worlds are exploring concepts that mitigate environmental distress, so must we pay attention, and be ready to tap into pockets of resources to create tangible value-adding ventures that halt the environmental decay and push back the blind sprint toward doomsday. Nigeria can’t afford another ‘Niger Delta-like’ mishap.

Some worthy areas to explore:

• Turning biodegradable municipal and industrial waste to organic fertilizer
• Use of renewable resources (solar, biofuel),and wastes to generate power, this is ideal for small scale off-grid power projects
• Production of biodegradable plastics; a promising though nascent technology that packs huge rewards.

And there several more can-work business/policy/public health ideas in the areas of municipal water supply, eco-friendly urban renewal projects, livestock/abattoir management, biodiesel production using industrial waste, etc.

Any ecopreneurs in the house? By the way, I know only of one

A caricature of the US Statue of Liberty at the palace of Ogbeh-Gbarana III Aketekpe Agadagba Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Council of Delta State in the Nigerian Niger Delta region.

Two other sculptures of Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, guard each of the entrances to the palace. Athena is also, in Greek mythology, the goddess of wisdom and warfare reportedly born from the head of Zeus, ruler of Olympian gods and their spiritual father. Source: The Nation Newspaper

Given the use of foreign iconic statuettes, I’m pressed to wonder if the Gbaramatu Kingdom has lost touch with its past. Has it?

Nigeria: A CNN video footage captures the challenges of governance in Rivers State…

“The Federal Government has said that it is ready to shut in oil wells and lose revenue if that was what would be required to achieve the 2008 gas flares out deadline”, in a statement credited to a senior official of the Department of Petroleum Resources, and reported by the Punch Newspaper.

“The time has come for us to decide whether we are a nation or not. And if we are, we need to take some painful decisions. We should be able to leave these resources for our children unborn if we cannot utilise them today.”

Finally, it appears the government is coming to its senses.

I’m all for this. Just in April, I called for all onshore gas-flaring wells to be shut down until the nation is ready to do what is right.

There will be a loss of revenue, no doubt, and the oil producing companies are quick to point this out: A shut down will “cut Nigeria ’s production by about 870,000 barrels of oil per day, amounting to a revenue loss of $12bn at the price of $40 per barrel.”

But this isn’t too dear a price to pay for doing what’s right. Nigeria shouldn’t put its people in harm’s way and endanger the environment, just for a couple of million of dollars! Simple.

The oil companies have proposed a 2012-deadline for zero flare. In 1993, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) started pursuing the gas flares out policy without success.

Finally someone got the memo that the only option to solving nagging problems is simply to bite the bullet and face the problem head-long.

Shut down the darn wells I say!

On the web: Punch: Gas flares out deadline: FG set to shut oil wells

On Grandiose Parlor: Gas flaring, Niger-delta crisis

Domestic waste disposal is a pain - any African knows this. Lagos state alone generates some 4,000 ton daily. Yet waste can be converted to electrical energy, a commodity lacking across Nigeria.

Globally, waste to energy (WTE) initiatives are quite common , and the technology is getting cheaper and better. There is none in Nigeria. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure why WTE ventures are needed in the country.

Check the benefits of WTE projects in the US, they are staggering:

How Waste-to-Energy Displaces Other Energy Sources and Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions in [USA]

• The energy produced by the nation’s 89 waste-to-energy facilities is the electricity generating equivalent of 30 million barrels of crude oil. (30 million tons of trash = 30 million barrels of crude oil)
• For every ton of trash disposed in a waste-to-energy plant, there is one ton LESS of carbon dioxide emission released into the air due to avoiding land disposal and fossil fuel generation. (One ton MSW = one ton CO2 equivalent)
• The energy produced by the nation’s waste-to-energy plants is enough to meet the energy needs of 2.3 million American homes.
• America’s 89 waste-to-energy plants displace 7.8 million tons of coal that otherwise would be combusted for energy each year.

There is even an electric plant in my state powered with turkey waste. Minnesota being the largest turkey producer in the US has to get rid of the over 2 million turkey litter generated yearly, efficiently, without harming the environment. The litter generate some 55 MW of electricity!

In addition to the 89 WTE plants in the US, Europe has about 400, and Japan 100. Some 70 more plants are scattered across Asia.

With less that 2000MW of generated output, isn’t it time the Nigerian state started its own WTE projects?

Imagine each state (including Abuja) building one 25MW plant each, suddenly there is a whopping 740MW!

Now imagine each plant servicing an industrial/commercial center of about 5sq. miles in each of the 37 locations…

Imagine the trickle-down effects…better sanitation, more jobs, increased productivity, declining crime, healthier community, etc.

AfricanLoft has a featured article on the Obama Nigeria Initiative being spearheaded by the legislator. Hon. Onibiyo Adelabu, the President Obama Nigeria Initiatives, is shown answering reporters’ questions at the press conference in Lagos.

If the Lagos State Legislators have assembled to pool and use their resources to advance a common social cause in their state, I would have been ecstatic. But they chose to gang together to support Obama, thousands of miles away from where the action is, and I’m confused!

I think those resourceful men of the parliament have found ways to deal with boredom by creating a website for Obama, going about recruiting volunteers and hosting press conferences. They are even asking for donations!

If you can come up with any logical reason why this initiative is necessary, or even reasonable, please have you say, here, or on AfricanLoft.

A private equity group (Emerging Capital and Notore) is about to make money out of the chaos in the Niger-Delta…”want to redirect natural gas to a more beneficial use: nitrogen fertilizer, of which natural gas is the main ingredient.”

“You cannot let this humongous asset waste away while Nigeria flares gas and imports fertilizer,” says Onajite P. Okoloko, Notore’s 41-year-old chief executive. The Delta native shakes his head as he recalls his father and uncle blaming God instead of tired soil when their maize and fruit crops wouldn’t grow for consecutive seasons. “Half of Nigeria’s economy is agriculture,” he says. And yet “70% of the country sits on arable but poorly used land. Do the math…”

Okoloko is looking to hire 1,000 locals. Having locked in a 20-year gas contract on favorable terms, Notore will produce its fertilizer at less than $100 a ton; the market price is $350 to $450. “It’s stronger and cheaper than much of what you find in the West,” says Sangudi. “An amazing opportunity.” “We want to compete internationally,” adds Okoloko. “But we have to take care of Nigeria and Africa first.”

Watch the story on Business Week: Creating Wealth out of Chaos.

Read the full text: Can Greed save Africa