Take Open Defecation-Free campaign to grassroots – FG

The Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, has called on all stakeholders to take the Open Defecation-Free (ODF) campaign to grassroots.

Adamu who made this call at his valedictory meeting with newsmen in Abuja, said all sensitisation campaigns ought to be people-centred.

According to him, current efforts to rid Nigeria of public defecation will gain more momentum when they are community-based.

He said there was need to move from conventional media channels of television and billboards, to traditional channels of radio and town criers, especially in rural communities.

“The ODF blueprint is ongoing, and we want the campaigns to be in the grassroots, using radio and other means.

“The ODF message must be community-based and peoplecentred, this will make current efforts have lasting impact”.

Speaking on his eight-year tenure at the ministry, Adamu said he had no regrets whatsoever, adding however, that his challenge was lack of insufficient revenue to carry out his mandate.

According to the minister, there is need for political support from states to cascade Federal Government’s policies to the people, who are the direct beneficiaries.

He also called for collective responsibility and ownership from all stakeholders, so that the huge investments in the sector would not go to waste.

On the National Water Resources Bill pending at the National Assembly, the minister said some people chose to politicise the provisions of the bill, adding that there was nothing new in its provisions, as 96 per cent of the contents were already existing.

He said that innovations in the reviewed bill included; the institutionalisation of an independent regulatory body to help reposition the water sector, to aid cost recovery and improve the irrigation sector.

“As a government, we are committed to our job to improve the lives of Nigerians, it’s on that basis that we are aggressive about the passage of the water bill”.

He however, expressed optimism that the 10th Assembly would pass the bill into law as it was targeted at repositioning the water resources sector in the country.

He stressed the need for alternative sources to fund the sector and its projects, saying they were capital-intensive and that the Federal government could not fund that alone.

The Director of Press and Public Relations, with the ministry, Kenechukwu Offie, who is also exiting along with the minister after 35 years of service, said leadership was not about title, but getting resources for the benefits of citizenry.

Offie thanked the minister, as well as her colleagues for their cooperation and support during her period in service.

Highlights of the event was the formal presentation of a book, ‘The President’s Water Minister 2015-2023 Milestones of Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu’, authored by Mrs Kenechukwu Offie. (NAN

Collaboration: Panacea to solving challenges in Nigeria’s aquaculture- Experts

Experts in the aquaculture industry in Nigeria have identified collaboration among stakeholders as a panacea to solving challenges in the industry. They stated this at the stallholders’ engagement workshop in Ibadan on Tuesday. The programme is with the theme: “Implementation of Best Management Practices in Aquaculture and E-Technology Platform Adoption for Sustainable Aquaculture Development in Nigeria”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project is funded by USAID, hosted by University of Ibadan and the International Centre for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM). Prof. Olanike Adeyemo, the Principal Investigator, FIL Aquaculture Biosecurity Project, University of Ibadan, said the project was one of USAID-funded projects under the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish. Adeyemo said that Nigeria was the host Country, and the project sites are Ogun and Delta states.

According to her, the theme of the workshop is focused on disseminating Best Management Practices in Aquaculture. She stated that it was developed as an outcome of the project with the hope that the uptake of BMP by farmers would lead to a significant reduction in the incidences of diseases in aquaculture. “We should also be presenting a justification for a collaborative development and implementation of a National Aquatic Animal Health and Governance Strategy (NAAHS). “We strongly believed that communicating our findings will in no little measure assist Competent Authorities with jumpstarting the processes involved in having a NAAHS enacted, implemented, and monitored.

This is to ensure performance sustainability and resilience of the Nigerian aquaculture industry,” she said. Adeyemo said the workshop would showcase best examples of electronic technology platforms for aquaculture development in Nigeria. This, she said, would include demonstrating the improvements of E-Aquahealth Solutions, that was developed to bridge the identified gap of inadequate veterinary and disease diagnostic support to the Industry. Also, Prof. Gabriel Ogundipe, Head, Department, of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Ibadan, stated that the industry in Nigeria was growing and Nigeria was depending on it for animal protein supply.

So, many people are in the industry either as fishermen or as fish farmers, whereas a lot of people are also involved in marketing the products of the aquaculture industry. “So, we need to sustain the industry to be able to feed the multitudes of Nigerians. “We also need to sustain the industry to maintain the people who are employed by the industry. “And, we also need to maintain this industry because of the consumers who depend on fish for their livelihood,” he said.

In his presentation, Prof. Larry Hanson, Principal Investigator, Aquaculture Biosecurity Project,

Mississippi State University, USA said from the background, the key findings from the survey were lack of records of losses and production,. Hanson said that there was also lack of biosecurity measures between production and stocking and between farms and within farms. He stated after outbreaks, farmers rarely consulted veterinarians, adding that management had been the best defence, for disease prevention and to reduce losses, improves growth and reduces the use of drugs and chemicals. He stressed the need for management-optimizing the environment, fish defences and minimizing the pathogen.

Others who spoke at the event, Dr Ganiyu Oladayo, Chief Executive Officer, Aquapet Ventures; Mr Bisi Oni of Fund Quest and Mr Lanre Oyedepo of Safeguard Insurance Brokers Ltd highlighted the challenges and way out of financing in the industry. They also talked on the need to upscale to meet the future demands of the industry. (NAN)

Stop genital mutilationMrs Mimiko tells Nigerians

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

Wife of fomer Governor of Ondo state, Mrs Olukemi Mimiko said female genital mutilation must be stopped outrightly in various communities across Nigeria.

She said :”We must shout out message loud. We must campaign in our offices, public places and our communities for everyone to know that female genital mutilation must be stopped ”.

Mimiko made the call at a book launch of OGORIRE(Our Blood, TheirBond), by Kunle Awojemila on Thursday in Abuja.

She explained that female circumcision is a horrible experience and no female children should pass through that devastating experience.

“It has a serious disadvantage to that female child, ranging from difficulty in childbearing, infections and poor sexual intercourse”.

She reiterated that, “There are some stories of women that have killed theirselves because of severe pains.

“We are advocating, it is not just a play book, it is a content of message that should be passed to various communities.

“OGORIRE reminds us all that the war against genital mutilation should be won in our communities. No girl child should be left behind. Let the message be clear to us.”

Also speaking, Director Special Duties office of Head of Service of the federation, Olowoofoyeku Olusojio noted the book, OGORIRE, is very important adding that the message should go beyond here, inorder to stop the practice.

“There is a need to educate the circumcisers on the consequences and they she be empowered economically to stop the dangerous practices”.

Meanwhile, the Author of the book: OGORIRE, Kunle Awojemila, stated that, female circumcision is a barbaric culture that needs to be stopped.

“We hoped that people will read the book, and change the culture.

Awojemila revealed that the next stage is to introduce the books in secondary schools.

“We will also hit tertiary institutions and also the youth copers.

“We intend to partner with ministry of health and hospitals. We will commence campaign on various social media handles to to educate the public”, he said.