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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.

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NiMet Predicts Three-day Rain, Thunderstorms From Monday

Published

17 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

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JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan

Published

22 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.

Details later…

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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

Published

23 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.