Seasonal rains have sent water flowing over riverbanks again in Nigeria, picture from Lagos suburbs. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
I wonder why their demeanor does not correlate well with the hopelessness of their situation. Not only is their house flooded, the whole neighbor is under water, from the rains. Is this a form of adaptation to hard life?
This is what I see: Continue reading…
A Lagos slum
It is a pity that the government and some Nigerians would rather not have the documentary shown; there are reports of protests from the government and pockets of Nigerians living in UK and USA.
The government states the documentary is “an attempt to bring Nigeria and its hardworking people to international odium and scorn”, saying, It’s a “deliberate distortion of life in Lagos, and totally unwarranted.” Very strong words to describe an excellent piece of work, I think. Continue reading…
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:
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
One of the fantastic qualities of blogs and other social media is the wealth of information — or should I say the chain of information –it create via hyperlinks. OK, check out this example of turning waste to wealth: plastic bags sorted from garbage are being used to make road pavestones (paving stones or paver stones) in Mali.
The process is simple: plastic bags and other plastic pieces sorted from garbage are burnt and mixed with sand. The resulting paste is poured while hot into a special mold and compressed. After a few minutes a pavestone is ready.
Aside from the unhealthy fumes from the plastic combustion, the idea is a fantastic way of using and turning what normally constitutes environmental nuisance into something useful. Pavestones are great way to control erosion, and are quite appealing when laid properly.
Hat-tips to Sociolingo’s Africa for starting the chain of information, and Timbuktu Chronicles and AfricanLoft Lounge (video of the process) for propagating it further. Original story from France24.
I would love to lead or see an experiment that implements this idea on a larger scale in Nigeria, particularly Ondo State. With the perpetually rising cost of cement, the tar resulting from the combusted plastics makes a great and cheaper alternative to making paving stones.
“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