CLIMATE CHANGE; THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE, BY PROF. DAUDA ISHAYA OF FED. UNIV. GASHUA.

BRIEF ABOUT PUBLIC LECTURE ON CLIMATE CHANGE; THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE BY PROF. DAUDA ISHAYA, THE DIRECTOR CENTRE FOR IRRIGATION AND DESERTIFICATION STUDIES ( CIDS ), FEDERAL UNIVERSITY GASHUA, HELD TODAY 11TH MAY, 2016 AT FUGA LECTURE THEATRE:

 PROF. DAUDA B. ISHAYA is a Professor of Agronomy and a one time Representative of the Academics at the National Constitutional Conference. He hailed from Kaduna state. He attended several conferences and workshops across more than 25 countries in Africa and overseas. He is currently, The Director of the Centre for Irrigation and Desertification Studies ( CIDS ), Federal University Gashua. During the lecture.

He break down in details the causes of climate change; the evidence of climate change; the impact of climate change in Nigeria; and ways of combating such menace in the following ways:

CAUSES:
1. Gas flaring
2. Green House Gas emissions
3. Gas emissions from fuels
4. Oil spillage
5. Deforestation
6. Desertification
7. Overgrazing
8. Bush Burning.
9. Rise in sea water level resulting from glacial accumulation
10. Lack of excess water drainages
11. Population explosion
12. Land grabbing for Bio fuel production

EVIDENCE:
1.  Increasing temperature
2. Increasing evapotranspiration
3. Decreasing or increasing rainfall
4. Desert Encroachment
5. Increasing frequency and density of an unusual weather
6. High intensity of thunderstorms and lightening
7. Landslides
8. Erosion

IMPACT:
1. Droughts
2. Bush fires
3. Desertification
4. Irregular rainfall
5. Reduction in Agricultural production and lack of food security
6. Deteriorating health condition
7. Drying up of rivers and causing water scarcity
8. Constant loss of forest cover and biodiversity
9. Environmental hazards
10. Land and soil degradation


COMBATING:
He suggests three ways;

A. ADAPTATION METHOD, such as;
Production of irrigation facilities; Water harvest; Building of river barriers; Multiple cropping; Mjxed farming; Mulching; Composting; and Seeds banks.

B. MITIGATION METHOD, through;
Gas flaring reduction projects; Capture and delivery of natural gas from existing flares; Guard against oil spillage.

C. INTEGRATED APPROACH, such as;
Agricultural and livestock development; Water resources management; Foredt law and conservation; Diversification if income and livelihood; Awareness and education through SOCIAL MEDIA; Proper utilization of ecological fund; Partnership with private sectors.

BRIEF ABOUT NEAZDP

                                       Yahaya Mato – GIS and Web2forDev Specialist.

                                                                   APRIL, 2016

BRIEF ABOUT NEAZDP:

Know by Its acronym as NEAZDP, The North East Arid Zone Development Programme is an integrated rural development project established in 1990, during the regime of Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida; The head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in collaboration with the then European Economic Community (EEC) now European Union (EU), FGN and old Borno state Government, now Yobe state.

The Headquarter of NEAZDP is located at Garin Alkali, Bursari Local Government of Yobe state. The programme covers the arid zone areas, consisting nine local governments out of the seventeen local governments of Yobe state, Namely; Bade, Bursari, Geidam, Jakusko, Karasuwa, Machina, Nguru, Yunusari and Yusufari Local Governments.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF NEAZDP:

NEAZDP was established to achieve the following objectives identified on basis of philosophy, method, project and encouragement, to motivate and assist the rural population to improve their standard of living by the proper use and management of natural resources.

Philosophy: NEAZDP facilitates rural development.

NEAZDP supports the rural development work of local government and state government.

NEAZDP gives credit to productive projects.

NEAZDP gives technical assistance and advice.

NEAZDP provides support to social projects.
Projects: Productive projects in villages generate cash and goods which are reinvested to the villages.

Encouragement: Technically and commercially sound production system, self employment and improved employment opportunities in primary production. Strong and efficient local institutions such as Local Government Councils, Traditional ruling system, Schools, Health facilities, Commercial enterprises, hygienic and reliable water supply. Improved nutritional and health standard.

NEAZDP has recorded a significant number of success and achieved most of its objectives in terms of Agricultural and Rural development, and control of desertification among others. EU withdrew its support in 1995, while Federal Government of Nigeria follows EU in 2002 and withdrew as well. Since then, the Yobe State Government continued with funding the programme.

Before the EU’s withdrawal, the mid-term review report of 1994 had rated NEAZDP activities as the most successful rural development in Nigeria with the ESPO (Procurement services for the public sector) evaluation of the EU funded programmes. In 2006 EU had equally revealed that NEAZDP was the only programme that had structures and sound extension system after the departure of its Initiators.

The exit of FGN and EU had greatly affected the performance of NEAZDP, yet it doesn’t weaken its spirit for agricultural and rural development. Despite the challenges such as recession in the riverine areas that is being inflicted by shortage of water and manifestation of Typha grass popularly known in local language as “Kachala” which have greatly affects the arable land and reduced its proportionate agricultural production, NEAZDP still engaged in its activities through introduction of land reclamation, sand dune fixation and stabilization, and Oasis development.

In 2009, Yobe state Government under the leadership of Gov. Ibrahim Geidam had began to review the activities of NEAZDP by injecting fund to resuscitate the programme and equally gave a standing order N9million monthly to fund the programme, through partnership where N1million each from the 9 LGA’s within the programme. NEAZDP has achieved a lot through the partnership programme, notably are the following among others:

Rehabilitation of Primary and Secondary schools

Distribution of instructional materials to schools

Support to physically challenged persons

Support for the vulnerable such as widows and IDPs

Ecological support through yearly production of seedlings at its central and satellite Nurseries to check desertification.

Soft loan to farmers to be repaid by grains of same value on period time, more than just a year or two depending on the outcome of the crops yield. If by nature drought affects the proportionate production, NEAZDP in its wisdom supports those farmers with its stocked grains to carter for their domestic needs and forge ahead.

Supply of medicine to primary health care centres across the programme area to carter for the children and maternal care.

Rehabilitation of Health centres and installation of power Generators and Solar powered inventers to support the cool chains.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF NEAZDP:

NEAZDP is structured by four components and units, inta-alia:

PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT UNIT – PMU; is the administrative component. The Programme Manager being the Head of NEAZDP as well as the PMU. Under PMU, there number of unit such as;

Administrative Unit

Finance and Audit unit

Credit and Loan unit

Store unit

Hotel and catering unit

Engineering services unit

Workshop unit

Appropriate Technology unit

Monitoring and Evaluation unit

Sports and Recreation unit.

Field Team Coordination unit

Development Area Promoters (DAPs) and Village Development Promoters (VDPs)

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION COMPONENT – AP; this is in other words called Arid Zone development centre which is concerned with agricultural activities as well as desertification control unit. It have the following units;

Agronomy unit

Horticultural unit

Forestry unit

Veterinary and Medical Laboratory unit

Hydrology and Meteorology unit

Geographical Information Systems GIS unit

Aquaculture Unit

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMPONENT – CD; is the component that renders the affairs of community development through rural development interface. It consist the following units;

Man power development and training, also known as Human resourses development

Primary Health Care management unit

Mass awareness and social mobilization unit

NEAZDP Nursery and Primary school

Library unit.

VILLAGE WATER SUPPLY COMPONENT – VWS; is one of the component that NEAZDP through it affects the supply of portable drinking water to the rural and urban centres within the programme coordinating area.

NEAZDP APPROACH ON DESERTIFICATION.

SIMPLE TECHNIQUES FOR DUNES FIXATION AND STABILIZATION IN THE ARID REGION OF YOBE STATE, NIGERIA

INTRODUCTION:

Sand dunes are physical hill of fine sand occurred in desert areas as a result of continues uplift and deposition of soil particle. This continues deposition often leads to environmental threat where greater proportion of arable land are overtaken by the dune and making it out of Agricultural Production.

SIMPLE TECHNIQUES BY NEAZDP:

NEAZDP, in its attempt to control the shifting sand in Northern part of Yobe state, it came up with the following methods:

1. Sand Dune fixation, using;
a) Mechanical Method
b) Biological Method
c) Chemical Method
d) Technical Method.

MECHANICAL METHOD:

This is very important and reliable method of stabilizing the progression of sand dunes. In this process, shrubs such as Leptadenia and some drought resistant species of trees are placed perpendicular to the wind blowing direction as Mechanical Barriers. Between the mechanical barriers, drought resistant so species of seedlings such as Acacia Senegalese, Prosopis Chilensis are now broadcasted.

BIOLOGICAL METHOD:

This method involved planting of trees especially the drought resistant across the affected area by criss-crossing the entire area under work. This is done during raining season so that the plants and seedlings will have better water take up.

CHEMICAL METHOD:

This is simple, but it only reduce the further progression of sand dunes but transform the soil infertile. In this, only the affected area and most importantly at the fringe of the area under project. Here, Chemical particles such as used engine oil are used to tied and compact the fine sand, making it a bit harder, and cannot be carried away by wind.

TECHNICAL METHOD:

This involves the disposing of waste garbage along the wind blowing direction so tha it can stop the sand from moving further, and also help to make the soil rich through the decomposition of some debris. This helps to the biological method.

Some the photographs show how sand dune fixation and stabilization trial is being applied by NEAZDP over the years.

Picture showing Alh. Ahmed Barde: Head of Agric Production Component and Yahaya Mato: GIS Specialist NEAZDP on Sand dune at Yurandi Village Yusufari LGA.

Picture Shows Malam Haman: Head of Agro-foresttry unit NEAZDPwith his team weeding on the plant seedling at central Nursery.

Muhammadu Dikau with seedlings ready for planting across the dunes heap.

Image showing the successful plantation in Bulatura Yusufari LGA, Yobe state.

NEAZDP central Nursery at its Headquater, Garin Alkali, Yobe state Nigeria.

                                   Seedlings Ready for plantation at central Nursery, NEAZDP.

Mechanical method for sand dune fixation