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FG Forecasts ‘Weather Catastrophe’ for Lagos, Port Harcourt
The Federal Government on Thursday said a report by the inter-governmental panel on climate change revealed that many coastal mega cities including Lagos, Port Harcourt and others, would witness weather catastrophe by 2050.
It, however, stated that it was taking steps to mitigate this through the provision of information on future actions required by cities that projected to be affected by the climate change effects.
The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, disclosed this during a side event on “Scaling up Climate Change Adaptation in Nigeria”, organised by the Federal Ministry Environment in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, at the ongoing COP27 event in Egypt.
This minister’s remarks were contained in a statement that was made available to our correspondent by the FME in Abuja on Thursday.
The statement read in part, “Abdullahi, quoting the report of the inter-governmental panel on climate change, affirmed that by 2050 many coastal mega cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt and other low line coastal cities in Nigeria will in a century witness weather catastrophe every year affecting millions of people and properties and causing devastation.
“Consequently, Nigeria has taken bold step to develop the adaptation communication guided by the NAP (National Adaptation Plan) Global Network.
“The adaptation communication will play central role in identifying national needs and enable international follow up while informing future action, driving ambition and contributing information for the global stock taking.”
Abdullahi stated that it obvious that the challenges of climate change were enormous, adding that no individual ministry could confront the challenges alone.
“We are calling for joint and cooperative efforts to tackle the problem, it is therefore pertinent that we begin to take our pledges into action as take away from COP27,” he stated.
On her part, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, said the Federal Government would scale up climate change adaption in Nigeria through her ministry.
“Our communities are composed of the poor, elderly, children and persons living with disabilities, and the additional effect of climate change has rendered them more vulnerable than they already are,” she said.
Farouq said her ministry would work with the Nigerian Adaptation Plan to reduce the vulnerability of communities to the impact of climate change by building adaptive capacity and resilience.
She stated that the plan also advocated integration of climate change adaptation into relevant new and existing policies, programmes and activities, as well as developing planning process and strategies.
“The reason we are here today is to harness and discourse good practices, programmes and strategies that other countries are using to reduce vulnerabilities to climate change,” she stated.
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
