“I BETTER PASS MY NEIGHBOUR”

It is no longer news that the Nigerian economy is mostly powered by generators, no matter how small a business is in Nigeria, it must be a proud owner of the popular “I better pass my neighbor” generator, even a one-room apartment must have a generator but apart from the negativity this has for Nigeria’s economy, what about the effects the exhume fumes from generator has on our environment and health?

These fumes contain gases that contribute to global warming. Global warming leaves us with nothing but Extreme weather conditions, Health problems associated with extreme weather condition, Increase in malaria as a result of warm weather which breeds more mosquitoes, respiratory problems etc.

I stay awake at night and am afraid to open my windows at night because of the fumes from my neighbor’s generators, and I wonder when did it get this bad? Nations have been successful with alternative and cleaner sources of energy and I wonder why we cannot adopt such safer means of generating power.

This is 2012 and we are yet to get our acts together, if a nation as small as Ghana can boast of constant power supply, then I wonders why Nigeria cannot, this makes me ask the question, are we really better than our neighbors? As at 2011 Nigeria ranked 156 out of 187 countries on the United Nations -Global Human Development Index, while Ghana ranked 135. Nigeria ranked low on life expectancy, literacy, education, standard of living etc

On a final note, a nation’s well being is beyond the economy or the GDP; it is about the human development and sustainable development.

Olaleye Taiwo @greenernaija #sm4cc

Engage us,Empower us and Resource us- YABA LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN PERSPECTIVE

UNFCC COP 15 was held at Copenhagen in 2009,more than 1200 local governments representative from 250 cities all over the world came together and their message was simple: do not underestimate our voice as local elected leaders ,our willingness and power to act and our ability to mobilize.we are government leaders representing billions of people in our communities who have long demanded action.Engage us,empower us and resource us:include us in agreements in our common fight against climate change.

According to the book: Mobilizing local government for climate action-raising awareness and building capacity by Community Conservation and Development Initiative ,yaba local government was assessed based on these issues.transport ,sea level rise, public health,fuel efficiency stove, waste management, enegy efficiency in buildings,food security and urban agiculture,urban greening and open space,waste management and eco budget etc

It is expedient to note that all these issues were extensively discussed at a workshop held by Community Conservation and Development Initiative,and one of the recommendations that  was made was that communication and coordination between the state government,its parastatal and local government must be improved .Local government should be more involved in decision making about state government and parastal activity within  the their community .

Yaba local government has some limitation for instance on transportation such as rail and jetty comes under the control of the federal and state government and this  limits the LG regarding income generation.

There is a need for public private partnership to construct a jetty within the local government specifically in Makoko .Assistance in fish farming ,purchase of boats and fishing gears and credit facility is also needed.This will help the local government generate more fund .

As i take a look some of these issues bothering on climate change in Yaba local government,i feel there is a need to echo the words of these community leaders at  Copenhagen 2009.Yaba local government needs to be empowered in order for the fight agianst climae change to be won at the grass roots level.
''Engage us,empower us and resource us''.

OLALEYE TAIWO- @greenernaija

QUESTIONS THAT NEEDS ANSWERS

The adverse effect of climate change on poor communities like Makoko community in yaba local government can only be imagined, This brings us to the question,how equipped is the local government in mitigating the effects of climate change on this community? Is there a way of securing the livelihood of these people? Is there a form of disaster management put in place in time of disaster? Are there ways of ensuring that health care services are readily available in these community?These are some of the questions we hope to answer in the course of using social media to create awareness about climate change.

The Rio+20  conference is coming up soon in Brazil and I believe more emphases will be laid on how local governments can make more impact at the grassroots level, this conference will focus on seven critical issues like jobs, energy, cities, food ,water, ocean and disaster.

In dealing with each of these issues, certain questions must be asked. Will there be considerable commitment on the part of government to help the local communities and local government officials combat  climate change in their own unique way?Will there be greater commitment in engaging the youth in local communities in combating climate change?

These are some of the questions that begs for answers and I hope rio+20 will have them.

Olaleye Taiwo @greenernaija #sm4cc #rio+20

DRAINAGES

I went to a particular street in yaba Local government of Lagos and this is what  some of the drainages looks like. The rainy season is here  and we cannot afford to have drainages blocked with all sorts of dirts,drainages that  breeds mosquitoes and causes havoc to our health.Lagos! our environment is important,Let us keep it clean. #sm4cc @greenernaija

LAGOS! STOP! WAIT! AND THINK…

Recently I lost my grandmother and I travelled with my family to the village for her burial, after being away from my family for about ten years, I didn't know what to expect but one thing I was looking forward to was to go to the river behind my grandparent’s house, I was eager to show my friends the river I grew up knowing but unfortunately when I got there, it was gone! The river had dried up! It was completely gone it was unbelievable that all I could do was stare at the empty space right in front of me.

These are the seemingly minor things that climate change has caused and those of us in the city are just too busy to notice, Lagos is a very busy city and everybody is too busy trying to make ends meet to pay attention to things that happen around us .It might be really hard to grasp the effect of climate change on us, at least not until the road that leads to our homes are flooded, these things might seem less important at the moment but we needs to stop! Wait! And think… think about our environment and how our human activities affect our environment, are we too self indulged to see that we need to sustain our environment?

It is time to take a moment ,to stop and think about our environment.

Olaleye Taiwo-@greenernaija

SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN LAGOS

The fight against climate change can only be fought and won with effective political will and people’s will backing it, that is why the use of social media is important as a tool for sensitization and awareness so that every Nigerian, every Lagostians will know and be informed about the effect of climate change on their lives, health, livelihood and their entire existence as a whole.

Lagos is undeniably the fastest growing city in Nigeria, Lagos is just six meters above sea level, with the population estimated to be about 12 million by 2015(UN Habitat), Lagos as a coastal city has been struggling to stay afloat and fight the challenges posed by climate change, with global warming, Lagos faces a huge challenges such as rising sea level, flooding, effective waste management, food crises, creating effective transportation system etc.

Lagos is surrounded by water and this makes the city very unique and remains the pride of Nigeria, Lagos serves as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria accounting for over 60% of Nigeria’s income, Lagos is precious and we love her, but we must keep Lagos afloat and not close our eyes to climate change.

The importance of Lagos makes it expedient for the use of social media among young Nigerians to create awareness and help in the fight against climate change that is why the effort of Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS) and Community Conservation and Development Initiative (CCDI) should be applauded.

In response to challenges posed by climate change, Community Conservation and Development Initiative (CCDI) in collaboration with Heinrich Boll Stiftung have decided to create awareness on disaster management, waste management, disaster management, urban farming etc by working with various Local governments in Lagos, with the aim of creating a Local government that is responsive to the environmental needs of their community.

We intend to use social media to support their goal and further create awareness about climate change with the hope that you will add your voice to ours, together we can create a Lagos with a sustainable environment, free from the effect of climate change, with citizens and government sensitive enough to protect their environment from harm.

 Olaleye Taiwo-@greenernaija

ENVIROMENTAL DEGRADATION IN NIGERIA

I would always wonder and ask why things are the way they are, and if there can be true change, inspired by the people, by people’s desire for true change, world issues evolve around diverse issues and one cannot be isolated from the other, I will look at Environmental degradation and how it has affected Nigeria. Environmental degradation refers to deteriorating God-given resources like the atmosphere, water, soil, and forests.

Environmental degradation has led to increase in poverty rate in Nigeria because people whose livelihood is directly related to degraded natural resources will suffer, the average Nigerian lives on less than a dollar a day, for instance a fisherman in the riverside of Nigeria will have his livelihood cut off if there is any form of oil spills, even farm produce will be affected by such an occurrence affecting food supply, water supply, Lack of clean water etc. These Leads to all sorts of diseases like malaria, cholera, malnutrition.

A fisherman father in the riverside that cannot afford to provide basic livelihood for his family might end up daughters will have to sell their bodies to expatriate for survival and sons that will take to kidnapping thus leading to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases and crime rate.

The question that should be asked is when oil spills occur, is there any measures taken by the Nigerian government to cushion its effects? Are there measure taken to make sure these things do not repeat it? Is there a form of responsibility taken by those responsible for such acts?

We have leaders that won’t ask the right questions and the concept of due process and accountability is alien them, then achieving the desired change will be difficult. All this brings me to the Arab Spring which is a testimony to the fact that people can desire change and achieve change with a united purpose and determination. Let’s join our voice together and speak against environmental degradation in Nigeria. Let your voice be heard today! Let your voice be known for Environmental Sustainability!

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