How Tikau Emirate planted 1.4 million tree

 

 

Culled from DailyTrust

Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar ibn Grema, the paramount ruler of Tikau Emirate, is an educationist and the Chancellor of Yobe State University.  In this interview, he  speaks on why his emirate has embarked on community based  annual tree planting campaign and successfully planted over N1.4 million trees, among other issues. Excerpts

 

Can you tell us about yourself?
My name is Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Grema, born in the early fifties in Nengere town, I later moved to Potiskum where I had my junior and senior primary school. Then  I proceeded to Government Craft School, Maiduguri. After finishing there, I joined Government Teachers College, Gombe where I finished my Grade 11. I taught for some years under Fika Local Government Authority, later I went for my NCE certificate at Advance Teachers College Maduguri, I taught for about six to seven years, and then proceeded to the University of Maiduguri where I graduated in 1990.
When Yobe State was created, I was posted to Government Secondary School Nengere but was later transferred back to the Teaching Service Board Headquarters in Damaturu, and I was reposted back to Nengere as principal until up to 2001 when I was asked to come and ascended the throne of my late father as Emir of Tikau.
 * I think Emir of Tikau should be commended. see more after cut

Agrieved Nasarawa Flood victims return to disaster-prone Areas

We are already in the rainy season and soon heavy downpours will intensify. The fear of another stretch of devastating floods is in the air as NIMET has already disclose the 2013 seasonal rainfall prediction Here and NEMA has given stern warning to LGs to relocate vulnerable communities Here. It is quite disheartening to hear that  persons displaced in not less than 200 communities in Nasarawa State have returned to the same flood prone areas while government looks the other way.

Satellites will brighten Nigeria’s future

 

 

Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State has said the launch of satellites into space by the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) would brighten the future of the country and boost its revenue base.

Wada, who disclosed this on Monday when he paid a visit to the space agency in Abuja, said space technology is the way to grow the economy.

The governor said his state would collaborate with NASRDA in the area of Geographic Information System to help in tax collection and land mapping. He urged the agency to help set up space technology courses in the state owned tertiary institutions. Earlier in his presentation, the Director General of NASRDA Dr Seidu Mohammed said satellite would be launched on Nigerian ground in 2030.

Teen Drowns In Lagos River

culled from SaharaReporters

A teenager and JSS2 student of Ikosi High school in Lagos drowned in the Oniyanri river in Owode-Ikorodu area of Lagos.

According to National Emergency Management Agency operatives,  15-year old Feyipitan Owonifari drowned around 10: 30 AM Nigerian time, but help did not reach his grief-stricken family until 4:30PM  after his mother successfully reached NEMA and the merchant Navy.

Feyisetan mother lamented that emergency officials in Lagos state refused to come to her aid as soon as the teen fell into the river until NEMA was reached.

The body of the teen was recovered today by the merchant navy and NEMA. It was later deposited in the morgue. Feyipitan would have turned sixteen this week.
so sad! see effect inefficient emergency response

Effects of Lead Poisoning in Children

Lead poisoning is one of the most common preventable poisonings. Lead is a potent poison that can affect individuals at any age. Children with developing bodies are especially vulnerable because their rapidly developing nervous systems are particularly sensitive to the effects of lead and it is devastating to the human body, inhibiting oxygen and calcium transport and altering nerve transmission in the brain.

Nigeria Lead Poisoning Treatment Commences

 

Remediation (environmental clean-up) of the lead poisoned Bagega commenced in february, 2013 where population of about 7,535 where 1,500 children were expected to be treated for lead poisoning in Zamfara, Northern Nigeria. The remediation was the necessary stage before the treatment could commence.

On 23rd April, 2013 Doctors Without Borders (MSF) begun treating children exposed to the worst-ever lead poisoning epidemic, after long-delayed government financing to clean up the area was finally delivered.

The lead poisoning crisis in northwest Zamfara state that first came to light in 2010 was "the worst outbreak ever recorded," MSF said, with an official death toll saying 400 children were killed and thousands were poisoned across the state.

SECURITY AWARENESS

 

 It has become expedient to highlight on the need for personal security awareness as a counter measure..      

1.       The most important thing about security awareness is to be aware of your surroundings no matter where you are, and no matter what you are doing. This puts you in a position of confidence and power, and enhances your security and that of your immediate environment. People that appear to be observant and aware of their surroundings and what they are doing are far less likely to become victims of personal crime 

2.      When entering an unfamiliar place, take a moment to familiarize yourself    with.· other people in the room, your position relative to other doorways and exits, crowds of  people, skirmishes, noises, or  things to avoid. This is basically the first step of a security threat assessment in any situation.  

3.      The key is to be proactive - look first and be aware of what and who is around you before there is a problem. Identify who may be a threat to your personal security by their actions. Stay on well-lit streets at night, and be with a group whenever possible while moving on foot, otherwise take a licensed cab to avoid walking around alone. In general, use common sense whether you are alone or in groups. 

4.      Passwords of all kinds need to be protected.  Not  only  for  your computer at work or email account, but your bank code, PIN number on phone calls, anything that requires a password. Don't be ashamed to cover your hand with your wallet or free hand while punching in a code and hunching in towards the bank machine to block unwanted eyes is a good thing.                                                                                                  

So here are 5 additional ways of improving your security consciousness at home, at work and in transit (between home and work). Don't: just read, please share with others!   more after cut

Trees and Your Enviroment

When was the last time you planted a tree? Or are you one of the millions of people in the world that delights in felling of trees to gratify their immediate needs and wants? I think this information is for you.

Planting trees in your neighborhood is one of the best things you can do for the local environment and for the planet. It’s no secret that trees help the environment, but you may be surprised by all the benefits that planting trees can provide. Besides producing oxygen and removing carbon dioxide and contaminants from the air, trees have many other social, economic, and environmental benefits.

Future Consequences of Global Change

 

According to the IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the extent of climate change effects on individual regions will vary over time and with the ability of different societal and environmental systems to mitigate or adapt to change.

Below are some of the regional impacts of global change forecast by the IPCC:

Heavy Downpour, Flood, Storm Expected in Ondo Communitites NEMA Warns

The resulting floods may have a negative impact on the social and economic lives of the people.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned communities in Ondo State of the looming downpour in some parts of the state which may lead to serious flooding.

The South West Zonal Coordinator of the Agency, Iyiola Akande, who raised the alarm at a one-day workshop on ‘Strengthening Mechanism for Community for Community –Based Disaster Early Warning’ held in Akure, Ondo State, said the heavy rains may have a negative impact on the social and economic lives of the people.

Carbon Monoxide: The Silent killer

In have read several stories on dailies and blogs about how Carbon monoxide inhalation has killed families in their sleep. After observing repeated recurrence of such tragic deaths, i think some of us needs to educated on this Silent Killer 'CARBON MONOXIDE' 

What is carbon monoxide?
CO, is a colorless, odorless, toxic gas. It is produced by the incomplete combustion of solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels. Appliances fueled with gas, oil, kerosene, or wood like Generators, Charcoal grills, Kerosene stoves, Water heaters, Automobiles run in closed garages, Fireplaces, Wood burning stoves, may produce CO. If such appliances are not used properly, it may lead to dangerous and deadly levels in cars, homes, or poorly ventilated areas. However, electrical heaters and electric water heaters, toasters, etc., do not produce CO under any circumstances.

EXCLUSIVE: 3 new planets could host life

culled from CNN
In the midst of chaos here on Earth, scientists are finding hope for life on other planets.

Scientists announced Thursday the discovery of three planets that are some of the best candidates so far for habitable worlds outside our own solar system -- and they're very far away.

NASA's Kepler satellite, which is keeping an eye on more than 150,000 stars in hopes of identifying Earth-like planets, found the trio.

Two of the planets -- Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f -- are described in a study released Thursday in the journal Science. They are part of a five-planet system in which the candidates for life are the farthest from the host star.

The host star -- the equivalent of Earth's sun -- takes the name Kepler-62, where the individual planets are designated by letters thereafter.

A third planet that's potentially habitable, but not included in the Science study, is called Kepler-69c. A study about it and its system is published in The Astrophysical Journal.

BREAKING NEWS!!! Major earthquake strikes south-east Iran

A major earthquake has struck south-east Iran, with tremors felt across Pakistan, India and the Middle East.

The US Geological Survey said the epicentre of the 7.3-magnitude quake was 86km (53 miles) from the city of Khash, near the border with Pakistan.

New U.S Drone To See Everything, Everywhere

U.S. agency DARPA has launched a new program called Node. The purpose of the program is to develop small-sized aircraft capable of carrying up to 600 pounds of payload. The projected range of the aircraft is from 600 to 900 nautical miles from the point of takeoff. The size of the new UAV will fit the size of smallest vessels.

Lagos State Expects 275 days of Rainfall in 2013

Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial and industrial hub, is expecting between 249 days and 275 days of rains this year, Mr Tunji Bello, the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, has said.

Bello announced this on Friday in Lagos at a media briefing to mark the second year of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s second term in office.

He said the rains will not cease until 17 December

Shell Returns To Ogoniland For Clean-Up

Shell on Thursday said it had launched a review of its oil and gas assets in Nigeria’s massively polluted Ogoniland region, resuming work in the area two decades after unrest forced the company to pull out.

The Anglo-Dutch oil major said the move was not part of an attempt to restart oil production in Ogoniland, describing it instead as a bid to comply with a 2011 UN report that called for one of the world’s biggest ever environmental clean-ups.