National News
FG Takes Strident Step on Plastic Waste Management
FG Takes Strident Step on Plastic Waste Management
By Michael Mike
The Federal Government has taken strident step on management of plastic waste in the country by inaugurating a Project Steering Committee (PSC) for Promotion of Sustainable Plastics Value Chains through Circular Economy Practices.
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi said it is instructive that this is taking off at a time the attention of the global community is focused on negotiating the establishment of a legally binding instrument for the environmentally sound management of plastic throughout their entire lifecycle.
He said: “As you are all aware, misuse of plastic and poor management of its wastes pose danger to human health and the environment as they leach toxic chemical constituents such as endocrine disrupting chemicals which have been linked to infertility, diabetes, prostrate/breast cancer, into foods, drinks and the environment. Also tonnes of improperly disposed plastic wastes litter our streets, clog up drainages in rural and urban areas leading to flooding incidents as experienced in certain parts of the country recently, contaminate the soll affecting farmlands and livestocks, littering the oceans thereby threatening biodiversity and Increase greenhouse gas emissions when burnt indiscriminately.”
The Minister disclosed that it was in response to these challenges that the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with relevant stakeholders took steps to address the plastic issue holistically by adopting circular economy model, stressing that: “In this wise, we have developed the national policies on solid waste and plastic waste management to promote environmental protection, resource and energy efficiency, circular economy practices and enhance the conservation of natural resources through sustainable production and consumption and currently implementing community based waste management projects with emphasis on recycling.”
He said: “It might also interest you to know that the Government of Japan funded a study on available sustainable alternative materials for plastic, innovative packaging and recycling technologies that meet market needs in Africa to reduce plastic leakages to the environment, in Nigeria. The study which was conducted in 2021, implemented by UNIDO in collaboration with the Ministry revealed the following: Low level of recycling activities in the country; Only 45% of waste are collected ‣ 80% of plastic waste goes to dumpsite while only 10% is recycled; Alternative materials to plastics are yet to be introduced in the market and recognition of bioplastics is low, amongst others.”
He noted that: “It is against this backdrop that this project was developed to address these gaps and is being funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by UNIDO in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment.”
The Minister said: “To kick start the implementation of the project, this multi stakeholder Project Steering Committee was established to provide technical assistance and guidance to the project towards achieving the aims and objectives. Membership of the Committee comprises of representatives from the following organizations: Federal Ministry of Environment (Co-chair); United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) – Co-Chair; The Embassy of Japan in Nigeria – Guest Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment National Environmental Standards, Regulation and Enforcement Agency (NESREA); Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA); Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA); Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN); Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA); Waste Management Association of Nigeria (WAMASON).”
In his goodwill message, the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Matsunaga Kazuyoshi noted that the Steering Committee is to oversee the Plastic Circular economy project through monitoring the project’s implementation progress, validate its overall direction and the work plan, and assist in mobilizing resources required for project implementation where necessary.
He disclosed that the Plastic Circular economy project was built on the study results conducted in Nigeria, aims to contribute to Nigeria’s inclusive and sustainable industrial development and reduce leakage of plastics to the environment through promotion of Plastic Circular economy principles and practices to be integrated into effective implementation of plastic management and strengthening plastic value chains,
He noted that: “This is the first project in which UNIDO has applied the concept of Plastic Circular economy to support policy implementation on plastic waste management in Nigeria. UNIDO has succeeded in bridging the gap between the diverse actors in Nigeria and Japan, and it is hoped that the knowledge and experience of UNIDO, Japan’s long- time development cooperation partner and the UN’s leading agency in the field of Plastic Circular economy, will be of use in the field of marine plastics.
“In addition to contributing to environmental conservation, this project is multifaceted and will contribute to economic growth by contributing to solving the problem of unemployment in the coastal areas, which is considered to be the root cause of the piracy problem: and promoting fisheries in the coastal areas by preserving the marine environment in the Gulf of Guinea. Through this project, Japan hopes to contribute to the enhancement of the value of the Gulf of Guinea, the development of the blue economy, and ultimately the prosperity of Nigeria.”
On his part, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Country Representative and Regional Director for West Africa, Mr. Jean Bakole
said: “Plastic litter is a major global environmental problem. Its production was drastically increased by more than twenty-folds between 1964 and 2015, with an annual output of 322 million metric tonnes. This figure is expected to double by 2035 and quadruple by 2050 if no global action is taken.”
He noted that: “Over the years, the mismanagement of plastic waste is not only contaminating the land ecosystem but it is also being released into the marine environment, thereby polluting it and threatening the biodiversity while also negatively impacting the blue economy.
“Mismanaged plastics and ineffective waste management is also a source of GHG emissions. According to the World Bank, plastic waste accounts for 12% of the total amount of municipal solid wastes generated globally, however, only 14% are collected for recycling while only 9% are recycled.”
He said: “As the most populated nation with the largest GDP in the African continent, Nigeria’s plastic waste problem is on the increase, this is based on its increased consumption from 578,000 tonnes of plastics in 2007 to about 1,250,000 tonnes. Therefore, the per capita plastic consumption has grown by 5% annually from 4.0kg to 6.5kg respectively. It is estimated that each citizen would consume about 7.5kg of plastics per year.”
NAN, AWALCO Partners to Promote ECOWAS Parliament
By: Michael Mike
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has pledged to partner the Association of West African Legislative Correspondents (AWALCO) to publicise the activities of the ECOWAS Parliament, particularly its 25th anniversary celebrations.
The Managing Director of the agency, Malam Ali Muhammad Ali,, made the pledge when the leadership of the association paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja on Thursday.
Ali while expressing appreciation to the association’s officials for deeming it worthy to pay him a courtesy visit, said as Africa’s biggest news content provider, NAN was home to all.
He said: “For deeming it worthy to come and pay us this courtesy call, the agency is appreciative.
“We hope that it will help the Parliament achieve its goals, and raise awareness, like you said, about its activities.
“On our part, the News Agency of Nigeria, like you know, is Africa’s biggest news content provider.”
He noted that the agency is the most authentic and biggest news hub in Africa, with a domineering influence and reach within the West African subregion.
Ali said: “So, with an association like this, certainly in the News Agency of Nigeria, you find a soulmate, a fellow traveler. You are welcome. We look forward to partnering and doing more, and the News Agency of Nigeria is your home.”
Speaking earlier, AWALCO President, Mr Innocent Odoh, explained that the purpose of the visit was to seek the collaboration and support of NAN, as the indisputable leader in terms of news credibility reportage, and viability.
He said that ECOWAS Parliament would be marking its 25th anniversary on November 16 and a series of activities had been lined up for it.
Odoh said that AWALCO, being the association of the parliament’s press corps, was fully involved in it by way of planning to give the occasion a media and publicity glitz.
He said this would help to propagate the ideals of ECOWAS in general, and ECOWAS Parliament in particular, and make the objectives of ECOWAS Commission and Parliament known globally, starting from the subregion.
He said: “In terms of viability, if we talk about the repository of news in all ramifications, in all dimensions, I think the News Agency of Nigeria comes first before any other one.
“So, what we are doing is in line with the media advocacy that we are projecting for the ECOWAS Parliament at 25.
“We can see that if the collaboration with NAN takes off as we planned it, I think it will go a long way in expanding the vision of the association.”
The AWALCO president further said that the partnership would determine how the regional bloc is run, especially at a time that so many things about ECOWAS needed to be interrogated.
“That is why we’re here, to seek that collaboration, to seek that support, how we can deepen that collaboration to ensure that the citizens of the Parliament understand what is happening around them.
“ECOWAS has a vision of 2050 but many people may not be aware of it, but collaborations like this can open up an opportunity for people to understand the vision of ECOWAS,” he added
on her part, Chief Communication Officer, ECOWAS Parliament, Mrs Uche Duru,, who was part of the delegation, in a remark, extended greetings from ECOWAS Parliament Speaker and Secretary-General to Ali and NAN’s management.
The spokesperson for the parliament said the association was beyond Nigeria, as its membership encompassed the entire West Africa, including even from member states that were threatening to exit or had already exited.
NAN, AWALCO Partners to Promote ECOWAS Parliament
National News
Nigeria, China May Head for Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Immigration Officer at Chinese Firm
Nigeria, China May Head for Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Immigration Officer at Chinese Firm
By: Michael Mike
Nigeria is not taking lightly the shooting of an immigration officer at a Chinese firm in Jos, Plateau State.
The Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo who narrated the story,
The federal government has threatened a serious diplomatic row with the Republic of China over maltreatment of a Nigerian Immigration Service officer shot by a Chinese company in Nigeria for asking for the company’s expatriate list.
Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who narrated the story on Thursday in Abuja at a stakeholders sensitisation workshop on the implementation of the Nigeria Visa policy 2025, said Nigeria is not handling the matter with kid gloves as it would be taken up as a diplomatic issue.
Tunji-Ojo lamented that the development alone is an attack on Nigeria. It will never be condoned.
He said the Immigration officer, who was on official duty, had visited the Chinese company in Jos, Plateau state, to check the list of the company’s expatriates, but the owner of the company ordered a security officer in the premises to shoot the government official.
Tunji-Ojo said: “I won’t go to China as a Nigerian, open a company and tell my security to shoot a government official in uniform. It’s never done anywhere in the world.
“These officers put their lives on the line. These officers serve this country with their all. And you will not come from anywhere and ask them to shoot them in their fatherland.
“It will no longer happen. We will take it up with you. Because that company, we (Nigerian government) have the power to withdraw their business permit Nigeria and declare them illegal.”
He wondered how it had become an offence for an Immigration officer to visit a foreign company and demand to see their expatriate list.
He said: “It will not happen again. So we’re going to be very hard. We will not stop your business. We will not overburden your business. But don’t make us inferior in our own land. No, please.
“And we’re going to be very tough on this. Because talking to you, I’m not just talking with passion on this topic, I’m talking with a lot of anger, because that guy that was shot is a Nigeria that we all swore to protect by virtue of the laws of Nigeria, by the constitution. That Immigration guy was not shot by a terrorist, is a father, he is a son to somebody. He is a husband to somebody. That cannot happen anywhere in the world.
“We will not tolerate it. Please, no agent, no company is above the law,” the Minister declared
Nigeria, China May Head for Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Immigration Officer at Chinese Firm
Nigeria Explores CNG Technology to Power Defence, Industrial Vehicle Fleets
By: Michael Mike
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar has led a high-level delegation on a tour of UROVESA—a renowned Spanish manufacturer of military and industrial vehicles.
The visit focused on exploring potential collaboration in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) technology for powering Nigeria’s defence and industrial vehicle fleets.
The minister was accompanied on the visit by key figures including the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo; Presidential CNG Initiative representative, Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi; Engr. Henry Oki; and the Special Assistant for Gas Business and Investment to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), where they all engaged in detailed discussions with UROVESA executives.
During the visit, Tuggar emphasized the longstanding trade ties between Nigeria and Spain, noting that Spain remains one of Nigeria’s top trading partners, with Nigerian crude oil exports reaching $3.64 billion in 2023.
He lauded UROVESA’s innovative approach to producing all-terrain, armoured, tactical, and logistical vehicles, and expressed Nigeria’s growing interest in and implementation of CNG-powered solutions.
Tuggar also highlighted Nigeria’s business-friendly economic reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, which have positioned the country as a prime destination for investment in clean energy technologies. The discussions provided a valuable platform for further exploration of future collaborations between UROVESA and Nigeria’s Ministry of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) in CNG-powered vehicle production and supply.
According to a statement by the foreign affairs minister spokesman, Alkasim AbdulKadir, the engagement not only reinforced Nigeria’s commitment to a green energy future but also laid the groundwork for modernizing the nation’s defence and industrial fleets with environmentally friendly and cost-effective energy solutions.
He said the promising outcome of the discussions sets the stage for a strategic partnership that is expected to foster sustainable innovation and drive economic growth for both Nigeria and UROVESA.
Nigeria Explores CNG Technology to Power Defence, Industrial Vehicle Fleets
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