The Sa turday Newspaper, August 27, 2011
THISDAY, Vol. 16, 1\10. 5969, Page 65
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Clima te Change and Flooding le first tcmplation that hils one when asked to addre>s III Subject ;J:ii sa:!ITIinRiy tllChnic.ll as climo1lc change is to delVE': ifllil definit:iclM. \.\\i all know thai climate refers 10 average weather ronditions of an area O\'a'" a period cJ time. at leasl 35)'ea1S. 111is would indude such Ihings as the r~ and intensity ol stonns. rains. cold spells, w;um 01" hOt wealhetamongst otIU!fS. In other wOf'ds, tt\e dintate a region refer.; to U'le patti!ltl olbehaviorof ulea~here around u.s.d"l.1tal..'ler'-ized by WInd, rains, douds and or COUf'SII!: tt!mp!JallW. Climate change then.-hw as the name sugge;lS is simply the dcstabilizmg of our atrno::>--phere, or betll."l" pul a departure from the normal pattern of behavior ollhe atmospht;re azound us. Sometimes 01eSe dWlge5 could be as a ~t of nature's variability or because of the oegati\<e impact of human activity. It is for this reason thai climate ~ 15 sometimes refened to as Global \ VamUng.. U1eOll1tinuing nse in tile a\'eage tempera~ of £anh's ao~ and oceans. Clobal wamul\g is caused by inl:n!ased concentrations of S"-'t!Il house gases In the atmOSphere re."ulting from human activities Sldi as delOrestabon and ~ 0( fOSlSil fuels. Greenhouse ~ can stay in the aonosphcn!lor an amouI'I101 yews ranging from deaides 10 Illmdreds and thousands 01 yi!alS. No IMtto!f" \\'ha t we do, global wannlng is going 10 N\'e 9Ofl"Ie effect on tWth. and even more pertinent for me as gover-nor or Rivers. a largely roastal SLlte, a lot of effa:t in my jurisdicrian. Flooding is perhal;'5 top on the Iislof thedeo.'a<>taling e£redsof dima te change. Agaan lei me repeal the obvious; G1obaI 1l'fllperntures are on an upward ~ with the \VOf5t increases havmg ocrurred in the 20th ~tury. ScientistsSily that most of tile warming lX'CU1"red in two periods in the last Q!I'Ilu-ry; 1910- }9.l5andl976 - 2OOlGlObal temperatures in this period rose by 0.6 per cent. A~ of that rise was the ineltingolk:e. S1teUitedata showed likeIydecn!ases of about 10 per cent in Ule extent of Sl1O\" cover sinoe the 1960s. 1hen:! has iJ50 been an indication of two weci;s reduction in the 1UV\ua1 dwation of lakeand river icI! (I)\'er in the mid atId high altitudes of the North.::m "-'~ Added to thai;~~sPread retreat 01 mountain gbciers in non Redons of the wOrld. Theresu.lt-rArise in ~sea levels and an increase in ocean heat ttlntl!nl Now this is where it hits us. Oimate change is closely associated with the burning 01 fuels .such as oil. coal or gas. Gas flaring affects Ule envifmrnenl atId is not economic:al
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tis! remain pMinenL Stales in the roastal region ~ Ni~ can atti51 to an illcmw! in rainfall and U\L' atteridant IJocx1ing Ulilt wnrl:ed ha\'OC in tile COWSl.' ol the "e&il. The ~ report made it dear U\8t the rainfalls )'eM would bi! ltnpn.'(rdented withsea IevelsbillOO Iilrise byastnudtas twoperreru. ii, Septemberl G.:'IOber. ln L:lyman's terms thai wouklll"llSUl ~I rivers would flood U1eir banks and e.ode the land. In Nigo:ria much of our land is flat making many our cities, toIvns and ,ilJages flood prone. 1n the Niger- DeJut It is; e\'en lYOrSe as much 01 tile land is not only low land but belcA'I' se.a level Annual rain£all in the Niger Della, is between laD 10 DJ) mill.imetas, and with its criss - 0'05lS of es:tuarif's. riVplec!.,.creeksand stIeaIru,. thai cn~ w.,1H surface and low lands man only one lhing. multiple f1cxXting.. V.Jorsc is the fact that wt-a-. tb!' river.;; O\'liJflow, it muses salt WOller 10 flood the land making it un~ i"or agri· 0Il1ure, ulm!fore we \VOfSi'J\ the already Oebililallng challenge of rood serurit}~ The damage on the I!nvin:Jnmen1 would affect food prt)Ciuction, ~ poverty Cilla aime and Icnsion. The pcxlt will be more impacll'd. On Ule whole it is not a pretty picture and we all know Ulis, and SO the CJl.1I!5Don is, what 00 wedo? Oimate change can be halted with everya1e help. ~y mused by human behavior the fU'Sl :Aepi 10 take would lie a change in the way and II'W"LR!I WE- IreIiI I our environment. Nigeria is signa tory to all the various conventions asking (or a change in hOw we Ire.ll our world. Nigeria rernains tho! k!.xting gas I13n! natim in the world and our cooununilies are heavily un~ by the oil ~tion that goes m in ourcountry. The Umted Nabons Fnvirontnent al Prote:tion (UNEP) ~ report showed evidencr of 50 ye.'U5 or oil splUage in Ogoni land, ram sure if similarstudies are conducted ci.-.ewl-oere Ule SIOiy may not be much diffurenl. Consisu!nlly thI! mullinationa~ refuse lU be good te cilizew and are still ~ gas despite 5eYI!I"al
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C/,ibuik~ Amaecl,;
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iscunmUythe world's worst wlpritsofassocia ted gas IlaMg. On the average. aboul !CD) albic 01 gas is prochmt in Nigeria with every baJ:reI 01 oil The oil companies U\ Nigeria appear only mmmHted to our gas flare Ol.Itdates in the brc.ldt. Wilh whal might ~ a slap on the wrist they get away with the grave injustices inflicted on our people and our mvironment by paying paltry penalties within a hUgely mmpromised system. I always \ViJrider- if perhaps the urt--WJeIding nature 01 our federaUsm mi&ht be the re.ison we are unable to effectively polia! our envuonmenl Might it not perhaps be a more CD"t-structive a roac:h to encoura· .sustainable development if we allow ~ II"IC6t im~the mvironmenl monitor its safety. [)e,.'clopmmt is not only physicaJ but also SlructwaL As wecontinue in our quest IOrmnstltUtional rt!Vieo.o.-s. taking matlefsoi such dired imp;Kt as the environment out 01 the exdusive
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Shifts ~ Governmenl al anlevel5 must. am begin to ronsider alternative energy soum:s or dean eneJgy t i U1I:)' IU\!
called. \'ok mllSt also n!VJeW our ~isl.1tion ancr·er\9..Ile strict mmpliara! by all stakeholders1 This15 our world and we halle a ~ty to ~ it safe. As \\Ie dEliberate on some ollhe issues J have raised here atId others as they may cop up, let me ~ everyone to be part c:i the movemenl to stan thI! tide of cfimale change. ·17ris f'IIIJ6 Tuns dlth1nvf by GO'VOIIQr .411111«111 0/ R~ S'a lr dumlg 'lit but a lilioll a/ tJlt S' a ' ('.j CUI/lAte aUllI.~ Dialogm rt:aJ1tl!l otganiud by l/~ fRill! Stille Gowm or; Dr. f mnUUUltl llduagluuJ.
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W. yO. , (rlend! and coll •• gue, w ~r",ly r.HeI\a,' and join other frlend,_ admirer! and well wtstlUS tQ re joice with y O\l olllb e auspicious octastoti of your Investitu re as a
SENIOR AOVOCATE OF NIGERIA, SAN by the lega l Prac titioners prlvUedges committee_ We pray Al mIghty Cod to contin ue to gUide, guard and shower his bless ings and mert ies upon you in the years ahead.
PROF. PETER TERKAA AKPER, (SAN) Signed:
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TaTOO Austin-Odigit Ike Udunni Beatrice ]edy-Agba Emmanuel N.O.Omonowa Blessing Azorbo Godwin lh,abunib Obi Itgusiobo
• /.k, K. fhich,oy. • • • • • •
St,". Aburim, Chinw, Uwandu Pius Ot,h S.m C.E. Obong Robi Ojdod, Prince Chisonu 1.0kpoko
• lfun.nyo Nw.j.gu • P.C. Okori, • Ony,m. Om,nuwa • Mlduhl Anigbogll • Victoria Umortn • Letici. Ityool.-D.ni,ls Bol. B"imoh-Toku"