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NGO Urges Buhari To Move Nation’s Economy From Oil To Renewable Energy

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President Muhammadu Buhari has been called upon to migrate the nation’s economy from oil and gas dependence to a renewable energy such as solar, wind and hydros.

Dr. Godwin Uyi Ojo executive Director, Environmental Rights Action, ERA, made the call in Benin on Wednesday, August 12, at the 3rd edition of Youth Environmental Camp Meeting with the theme: ‘from Extraction to Education’.

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Dr. Ojo noted that it’s high time Nigerian government leave the oil sector and make a commitment towards ending fuel dependence by divesting investments from oil and gas to research and development of embracing renewable energy sector, just as he added that a post petroleum economy is long overdue.

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” We encourage the Nigeria government to take more ambitious step towards moving from fossil fuel such as oil, gas, and coal to a renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and mini hydros. The government of President Muhammadu Buhari should embrace the agenda to leave the oil in the soil, make commitment and set an agenda towards end to fossil fuel dependence by divesting investments from oil and gas to research development of the energy sector. A post petroleum economy is long overdue for Nigeria,” he said.

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Cross section of youths that participated in this year’s edition

Dr. Ojo who lauded the nation’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions released into the atmosphere unconditionally by 20% and conditionally by 45%, said despite the commitment there is no clear blueprint to achieve this.

Quoting UNEP report of 2011, the Executive Director lamented the severe impact of oil extraction on the environment and that this is emblematic of the Niger Delta region, just as he added that the result of the severe impact is livelihood destruction, violent resource conflict, human rights violations, ill-health and untimely death.

READ ALSO: Edo 2020: Traditional Ruler Commends Ize-Iyamu’s SIMPLE Agenda Manifesto.

” The externalising of production costs and the unmitigated environmental and social consequences of extraction makes extraction of oil unviable as the entire Niger Delta pollution shows. Although Nigeria’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions reeased into the atmosphere unconditionally by 20% and conditionally by 45% is laudable, there is no clear blueprint on ground.

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He continues, ” Still, there is high rate of unemployment and poverty with a widening gap between the rich and poor. Electricity production and supply and supply averag hover around 4,000 megawatts and demands simply outstrip supply. The rate of deforestation and fuelwood consumption is one of the highest in the world accounting for about 500,000 hectares annually.

“There is environmental degradation and social discllocation from oil and gas extraction with frequent oil spills, persistent gas flaring and severe desertification in northern Nigeria that has destroyed rural livelihoods. According to the UNEP report 2011on the assessment of the Shell polluted Ogoniland, the impact of oil extraction on the environment is severe and the area is an ecological disaster zone, and this is emblematic of the entire Niger Delta. The result is livelihood destruction, violent resource conflicts, human rights violations, ill-health and untimely death.”

READ ALSO: I will Continue To Ensure Peace In Edo, Obaseki Assures Traditional Ruler

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Youths across the Niger Delta region attended this year edition of the programme.

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Bumper Harvest: Foundation Distributes 6,000 Fertilizers To Farmers In Bauchi

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A group, Wunti Al-Khair Foundation has donated 6,000 50kg bags of fertilizer to farmers in Bauchi state in order to have a bumper harvest.

Speaking during the flag off ceremony of the distribution of the fertilizers on Thursday, Mr Abubakar Mohammed, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Wunti Al-Khair Foundation, said the distribution was only for the indigent farmers in the state.

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He said the fertilizers would be distributed to farmers in underserved communities across the three Senatorial Districts of the state.

“We are gathered here to flag off the free distribution of fertilizers to farmers, especially the indigent farmers that don’t have the means to buy fertilizer for their farms.

READ ALSO: Fedpoly Bauchi Shut Down Over Violent Students Protest

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“That is the reason why the founder of this foundation bought the fertilizers and distributed them to the low income farmers in the state.

“We have gone round the nooks and crannies of the state to identify the underserved communities and those that deserve this particular gesture.

“We planned to distribute about 6,000 bags of fertilizer and due to the populous nature of the Bauchi LGA, they have the largest share but some other local governments too have hundreds of beneficiaries which we divided into Senatorial zones,” he said.

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According to him, today was the flagging off of the Bauchi South Senatorial District, adding that the extension of the gesture would commence in Bauchi North and Bauchi Central Senatorial Districts tomorrow.

READ ALSO: UNICEF Advocates Six Months Maternity Leave From Working Mothers In Bauchi

Mohammed explained that the only criteria used in selecting the beneficiaries were underserved communities and low income farmers, adding that “we know that a large number of the farmers in Bauchi state are low income farmers.

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“Those are the people that we identified, verified and they are our beneficiaries and we have warned the general public about the activities of some unscrupulous elements that go round to impersonate our foundation.

“Wunti Al-Khair Foundation is not charging a kobo for every part of its activities, be it education, healthcare, economic empowerment and community development”.

Responding, one of the beneficiaries, Emmanuel Samson, described the support as a timely intervention that would greatly enhance his farming activities and appreciated the foundation for the intervention.

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Another beneficiary, Salisu Maidawa, who was short of words for the gesture, said the gesture came at a time when he was in dire need of it.

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IYC Urges Tinubu To Sack NCDMB Boss

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Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Western Zone, has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately sack Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for allegedly not “keeping up to the fundamental mandate,” upon which the agency was established.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Nicholas Igarama, Comrade Ebi Joshua Olowolayemo, and Comrade Tare Magbei, Western Zone
Chairman, Secretary, and Information Officer respectively, and made available to newsmen in Warri on Thursday, August 14, 2015.

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According to the IYC, the call for Ogbe’s sack becomes necessary following his incompetence and ethnic bias, adding that Ogbe has turned the agency meant for the whole Niger Delta to his Itsekiri ethnic group alone.

The IYC, while noting that efforts to meet the NCDMB Executive Secretary to discuss critical issues as they affect the region and its people have proved abortive, said it can no longer fold it arms and watch while things go from bad to worse.

READ ALSO: FG Warns Of Flooding In Lagos, Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, 26 Others

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As Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Ogbe has consistently failed to input his supposed industry track record in the advancement of the mandate upon which the agency was founded.

“He has continually had a sectional engagement with his fellow Itsekiri Kits and Kin, thereby shutting all other ethnic nationalites in the Niger Delta region out.

“Repeatedly, he avoided critical youth engagement in the region while sponsoring that of his Itsekiri ethnicity through different human capacity development initiatives, while other ethnic nationalites are left unattended.

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“As Ijaw, mostly from the western flank where Engr. Ogbe also hails from, we will not sit and watch others benefit from the resources that we produce without our practical involvement to better the lives of our people as well.

READ ALSO: Bayelsa Warns LG Officials Against Pension Payment Delays

“It is on record that the leadership of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Western Zone has tried to establish communication with Engr. Ogbe, for the last ten months, but every medium of communication to get his attention has fundamentally proven to be abortive.

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“As youths, we can no longer have leaders in office who have now equated themselves to demi-god and have refused to attend to most significantly youthful issues in the Niger Delta Region.

“To this end, we therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinibu to immediately sack Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, who has consistently displayed disregard for critical actors in the Niger Delta and has also exhibited the highest level of gross inefficiency by not keeping up to the fundamental mandate upon which NCDMB was founded,” the statement reads.

The IYC also called for the probe Ogbe as Executive Secretary after his sack.

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Efforts to reach Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, NCDMB, for reaction proved abortive.

 

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I’m Being Impersonated – Goodluck Jonathan Disowns Social Media Account

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Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday said he is being impersonated by fraudsters.

Jonathan alleged that a fraudulent Instagram handle has been impersonating him.

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In a statement by his Media Aide,
Ikechukwu Eze, the former President insisted that he does not operate any Instagram handle.

READ ALSO:Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan Appointed Africa’s Ambassador For Agricultural Technology

The statement is titled ‘Beware of fake Instagram account impersonating H.E. Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’.

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“Our attention has been drawn to a fraudulent Instagram account operating under the handle goodluck_ebelejonathan, which is falsely impersonating former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

“This impostor account has been deceitfully posting content, some copied from Dr. Jonathan’s Facebook page, while pretending to represent the former President.

READ ALSO:How Former Konga CEO, Nick Imudia, Committed Suicide

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“We wish to emphasise that Dr. Jonathan does not operate any Instagram account.

“The media and members of the public are strongly advised to disregard, avoid sharing, or promoting any content originating from this fake profile,” the statement read.

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