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HOMEF Organizes Reading Series, Wants Nigerians Pick Ideas From Books To Better The Environment

Published

8 months ago

January 31, 2025

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

In its pursuant to environmental justice, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), on Friday commenced a book reading series wherein short stories about the environment from a book co-authored by HOMEF team were read.

The eleven chapters and 93 pages book titled ‘A Walk in the Curfew’, and written during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown is a collection of short stories about the environment as it relates to man’s action, politics, challenges in the society, amongst others.

Speaking at the event held in Benin, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director, HOMEF, said the reading series was to make Nigerians appreciate books and more so to make them pick one or two ideas from books on how to make the environment better.

“We want Nigerians to pick up ideas from books, music, drama, movies, etc about what they can do to make the environment better,” he added.

According to Bassey, writing a book during a time the world was locked down is a reminder of the fact that the time of crisis is the best time to pause, reflect, and take real action.

He added: “Most often, when there is a calamity or there is a crisis, people tend to forget that they need to do something. People just panic, and forget about thinking to discuss what should be done.

“Writing a book in a time the world was locked down shows the fact that when things happen this way, don’t just ignore it, it is time to sit down and reflect.

“By writing the stories in the time of the pandemic, the writers show that emergencies are excellent moments for reflection on life.

“They also hold up the light on how to build resilience and overcome the most dire situations.

“The stories remind us of the power of human connection, solidarity, and creativity in the face of adversity.”

One of the co-authors, Kome Odhomor, said she was inspired to write her short stories after visiting a community in Rivers State where she saw fishes dead in the rivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Odhomor, the Communication Lead, HOMEF, who authored the chapter titled ‘The Fisher’s Pain’, said her story is a portrayal of the challenges faced by fishers in the Niger Delta and the need to protect the environment as humans.

“One would wonder how the fisherman copes at that particular time when the country was faced with lockdown and people are scrambling for survival.

“It brought to mind that we do need nature as humans, but not nature needing us, as we were made to believe,” she added.

Another co-author, Onome Etisioro, said the COVID-19 pandemic, which inspired fear in her, also made her come up with the thinking that for man to suffer from nature in that magnitude, man must have acted badly to nature in his day-to-day activities.

“The lockdown inspired fear in me in the sense that I saw nature as the opponent at that period. It was something that was scary; but it was also something that made me think that if nature is fighting us now, it means that we must have done something wrong to it, for it to fight back. So, it allows me to reflect on humans’ activities in nature,” she said.

News

BREAKING: Rev Uma Ukpai Is Dead

Published

38 minutes ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

Rev. Uma Ukpai, an international evangelist who is the founder and president of Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association, is dead.

Rev. Uma died at the age of 80.

News

ASUU Declares Two-week Strike, Orders Members To Down Tools On Monday

Published

14 hours ago

October 12, 2025

Editor

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced the commencement of a two-week ‘total strike’ and ordered its members to withdraw their services across the country, effective 12:01 a.m. on Monday.

ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday.

The development comes after the two-week ultimatum issued to the Federal Government to address their long-standing demands expired.

Prof. Piwuna expressed dismay that nothing significant had happened since it issued the two-week ultimatum. “Government has been asking for time with nothing concrete on the ground to resolve it,” he said.

According to him, the decision to embark on the total strike was reached after several rounds of meetings with government representatives ended without any tangible commitment.

He noted that the union had exhausted all avenues for dialogue and patience, emphasising that the strike action was the last resort to compel the government to fulfil its promises.

He further explained that the union had consistently shown restraint in order not to disrupt the academic calendar, but the government’s insensitivity had left them with no alternative.

“Consequently, all branches of ASUU are hereby directed to withdraw their services with effect from midnight (12:01 a.m.) on Monday, 13 October 2025. The warning strike shall be total and comprehensive as agreed at the last NEC meeting,” he said.

He also called on well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organisations, and the media to prevail on the Federal Government to address the lingering issues once and for all. The union warned that unless concrete steps are taken within the two-week period, it will not hesitate to extend the strike indefinitely. “This struggle is not just for university lecturers; it is for the soul of public education in Nigeria,” Prof. Piwuna declared.

The seven-point demands include: re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement; sustainable funding of universities; revitalisation of universities; victimisation of ASUU members in Lagos State University (LASU), KSU (now Prince Abubakar Audu University), and Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).

Others are outstanding 25–35 per cent salary arrears; promotion arrears for over four years; as well as third-party deductions.

News

Nigerian Engineers applaud Gov. Mohammed’s $5bn Investment Deals

Published

14 hours ago

October 12, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Bauchi state chapter has commended Gov. Bala Mohammed for organising the maiden international investment summit that recorded a 5 billion Dollars investment deal in the state.

It could be recalled that Prof. Murtala Sagagi, Chairman of the Summit Planning Committee, disclosed at the end of the summit that it recorded over 5 billion Dollars investment deals and 47 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed.

He said that the agreements signed covered agriculture, solid minerals, power, infrastructure, and ICT sectors, adding that one of the MoUs translated into a concrete investment deal worth 1 billion dollars, which would become operational before the end of 2025.

Speaking with newsmen on Sunday, Engr. Abdulkarim Hassan, Chairman, NSE, Bauchi state chapter, congratulated the state government for organizing and the successful completion of the economic and investment summit.

According to him, the summit has also showcased Nigerian engineers’ professional prowess to the world as the newly constructed International Conference Centre (ICC) where the summit was held was built by a Nigerian construction company.

He expressed confidence in the governor for engaging Nigerian engineers to do the job, saying “the feeling is mutual because if he didn’t have confidence in us, he would have engaged foreign engineers to do the work.

“We extend our profound
congratulations to the governor on the successful completion of the Bauchi
Investment Summit.

“This summit was not merely an event, it was a clear demonstration of his visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to transforming Bauchi State into a prime destination for investment.

“The quality of delegates, the insightful discussions, and the tangible commitments secured during the summit have set a new benchmark for economic engagement in the North-East and other
regions in Nigeria.

“As professional engineers, we were particularly encouraged by the strong emphasis placed on infrastructure, industrialisation, and technological development, which are key pillars that will
drive sustainable growth,” he said.

Hassan added that the success of the summit has laid a robust foundation for attracting the capital necessary to execute the ambitious infrastructural projects required for the state’s development.

He expressed the readiness of the NSE, Bauchi branch to partner with the state government by offering its professional expertise and technical support to ensure that the outcomes and MoUs from the summit translated into sustainable reality for the people of Bauchi State.