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Showing posts with label States. Show all posts
Showing posts with label States. Show all posts

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Floodprone: NIHSA says Anambra, Rivers, Bayelsa 10 other states on watchlist - NaijaAgroNet

The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has listed Anambra, Rivers, Bayelsa and 10 others states as floodprone and warned residents to be watchful, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Other states on the watch list as gathered by NaijaAgroNet include Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Adamawa, Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa.

Disclosing this, the Director, Engineering Hydrology, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Engr. Clement Nze, informed NaijaAgroNet at the weekend, that the riparian states and communities by the banks of Rivers Niger and Benue and their floodplains, due to systematic daily rise in the water levels on both rivers Niger and Benue, ought to be watchful.

 “Records from our measuring stations in Lokoja (River Niger) and Makurdi (River Benue) clearly show this,” he declared.

This situation, he also said, calls for watchfulness on the part of the riparian states as there is still likelihood of occurrence of river flooding, noting that Shiroro Dam has already joined Kainji and Jebba Dams in spilling water, which has contributed to the steady rise in the water level.

As at Thursday, 6th September 2018, NIHSA’s hydrological measuring station downstream the confluence in Lokoja recorded a stage height of 9.89 meters and a discharge value of 21,326 cubic metres/second as against lower values of 9.43 meters and 19,762 cubic metres/second recorded on the corresponding date of 6th September 2012.

“From the foregoing, it could be said that all the indices that caused the 2012 river flooding have manifested, Except Spillage of Water from the Lagdo Dam. For the records, it was on 29th September 2012 that the maximum flood level of 12.840 meters and the corresponding discharge of 31,692 cubic metres/second were recorded at our station in Lokoja, downstream the confluence in 2012,” Eze pointed out.

Additionally, he said that by NiMet’s 2018 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) released earlier in the year, 28th September is the earliest cessation date of rainfall in Sokoto and Katsina, while December is the earliest cessation date for the southern coastal cities.

The implication of this, Nze explained, is that the Northern part of the country should be expecting more rains in the next three (3) weeks. High flows are still being expected from the upper catchment of the Niger Basin. The River Benue is equally rising, though the level of water as at today has not attained the level witnessed at this time in 2012. This rise in water level should not be attributed to any release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon. 

The Dam, he said, is still impounding water in the reservoir. The localized urban flooding incidents being witnessed in some cities and communities in the country are expected to continue due to high rainfall intensity of shorter duration, rainstorms, blockage of drainage system and poor urban planning, as well as coastal flooding resulting from sea rise and storm surges. States and Local Governments should endeavour to remove structures built within the floodplains, clear blocked drainages, culverts and other waterways.


In the light of the above, the following states that are contiguous to Rivers Niger and Benue should be on alert in the event of river flooding.

Ozo Nweke Ozo/GEE

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Friday, November 3, 2017

FG, States pledge matching fund for rural sanitation, promotion


The Federal Government and some implementing states have committed to a matching fund of $5million as counterpart contribution to the Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN), reports NaijaAgroNet.

Director, Press and Public Relations Unit, Margaret E. Umoh, in a press statement available to NaijaAgroNet, said that Nigeria secured the grant for the project through the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS), which is a coalition of relevant government ministries, departments and agencies, development partners and civil society organisations working in the sanitation sub-sector.

The Honourable Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu, was quoted as saying this during the meeting with State Governors on the Rural Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN) in Abuja.

“As we are all aware, access to improved sanitation in Nigeria has declined over time. As a result, there are over 70 million people without access to improve sanitation and more than 45 million 
people practicing open defecation in Nigeria,” he said.

Recognizing the public health risk, he pointed out that the Federal Government called on states and development partners to invest in the water, sanitation and hygiene sub-sector as Federal Government cannot fund it all alone.

Adamu said further that the RUSHPIN project which is going on in 6 Local Government Areas of Benue and Cross River States is a good example of government’s efforts in mobilizing resources to the sector in view of the limited resources available.
The Minister added that the Federal Government through the instrument of Partnership for Expanded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) programme and the roadmap of ending open defecation by 2025 in the country, has demonstrated commitment in addressing the issues of water, sanitation and hygiene in Nigeria.

Adamu thanked the Executive Director of Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), Dr. Chris Williams for the support given to Nigeria through the Global Sanitation Fund grant. While thanking Ondo and Sokoto States for their interest in the RUSHPIN project, he called on other states to key into the project as investing in water, sanitation and hygiene would protect the health of the people.

Present at the meeting were the governors of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

Responding, the Executive Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom said that in conjunction with the Federal Government, Benue State has paid 5million into the RUSHPIN Project in the state. While his counterpart from Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal said that the state counterpart fund will be captured in the 2018 budget proposal. The Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu said that the issue of open defecation in the state is a big challenge, and that they are ready to partner with the Federal Government and other development partners in addressing the issue.

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Monday, October 16, 2017

Northern States Governors, GE partner to boost healthcare

The Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) has selected GE Healthcare, a leading global provider of transformational medical technologies and services, as a long-term partner to revitalize healthcare infrastructure in the Northern States, with the signing of a one-of-a-kind strategic partnership agreement at the weekend in Abuja, reports ITRealms.

The framework agreement, ITRealms gathered was designed to bring GE’s global capabilities in improving health system and patient outcomes across the globe, NSFG and GE will explore several areas for collaboration across primary, secondary and tertiary care facilities including: the establishment of new diagnostic medical centres; primary and referral care offerings such as relevant technologies to modernize health clinics; training and skills development for health workers and operations and evaluation support.

ITRealms also gathered that the deal was in line with the 2016 Federal National Health Policy and reflecting NSGF’s mandate to accelerate sustainable healthcare across the nineteen Northern States, the alliance will explore a range of public-private partnership models.

Speaking at the signing, Borno State Governor and Head of NSGF, Governor Kashim Shettima said, “Today, we execute the framework agreement between the Northern States Governors Forum and GE for the transformation of the healthcare sector in northern Nigeria. We are proud to have a partner like GE, a leader in the healthcare space and we look forward to reaping the benefits of this partnership soon. We appreciate GE’s commitment to increasing accessibility and affordability of healthcare in Nigeria”.

Eyong Ebai, General Manager for GE Healthcare in West & Central Africa said, “We are delighted to partner with the Northern States Governors Forum on this landmark agreement that sets the path towards a range of efforts that will contribute towards the attainment of universal healthcare coverage in Northern Nigeria. Over the past five years, GE Healthcare has executed on its localization strategy by building a strong local footprint, capacity building and several initiatives to help healthcare providers in delivering better, more holistic healthcare for the people of Nigeria. We look forward to delivering on the next stage of our growth plans in Nigeria.”


With over 40 years in Nigeria, GE is focused on partnering with public and private health providers to increase access to affordable and quality healthcare. In 2012, GE Healthcare and the Nigerian Ministry of Health signed a 5-year agreement for the government to leverage GE’s technologies, solutions and domain expertise to help upgrade the country’s medical facilities and contribute towards health infrastructure modernization. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, GE remains firmly committed to deepening these collaborations to strengthen Nigeria’s health system.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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