Bwari Area Council presides over one of the six Councils which land areas combine to
make up the total land area occupied by the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. The Area Council plays host to a large fraction of the civil service population in the Territory. More than 85 percent of residents of the Area Council, including the indigenous people, rely on their land and other economic infrastructure provided by various tiers of government to etch out the daily needs of their dependants and themselves. This is why the various forms of the negative effects of Climate Change on the living standard of the people of not only Bwari Area Council, but all parts of the country need to be properly researched and documented. They are very relevant economics impacts data that must be frequently brought to the forefront of governance for it to be properly interpreted and utilized. This is more so in view of the highly depleted quantum and value of federally and internally generated funds available to the government for the mounting development needs of the people.
Global Warming, the primary cause of Climate Change, is the reason why desertification is galloping from the northern region of the nation towards its southern part at the speed of 1.6 square kilometers per annum, taking gigantic tolls on the animal rearing aspect of the nation’s economy and occasioning massive migration from the north to the south with its national security implications. It is the reason why ice-mountains around the world are melting, triggering coastal flooding and torrential rain falls which have come with devastating impacts on the surface of earth. The most surreptitious aspect of the devastating effects of Climate Change on the living standard of nations and peoples, especially on the African continent, is that it has made economic infrastructural development more expensive to put in place and maintain. This is due to the vagaries of the depletion of the Ozone Layer, which absorbs 97-99% of the sun’s incoming ultraviolent radiation from hitting earth’s surface. Its depletion exposes road works, buildings, vegetations and other living organism to early perishing and degradation.
Alh Isa Musa
Head of Administration, Bwari Area Council.
These nature of Environmental Crisis presenting in the forms of land and infrastructural degradation across the nooks and crannies of Bwari and other Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory and other parts of Nigeria need to be urgently identified and put on the Development Agenda lists of all extra-governmental components of the society in the spirit and letters of the United Nations Agenda 21, which Nigeria and almost all countries of the world are signatories to for very good reasons. Section 1, chapter 2.4 of the Agenda states, in part ‘…..there is a new global effort to relate the elements of the International Economic System to mankind’s needs for a safe and stable natural environment and it is the intent of governments that consensus building at the INTERSECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AREAS will be on-going in existing international platforms as well as in the Domestic Policy of each country“.
At the 2024 International Press Freedom Day event on 3rd May, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) passionately persuaded all parties involved in the noble annual event to select an all-time relevant objective mission of THE PRESS FOR THE PLANNET as the focal objective for the event. The reason for the choice of this objective was to encourage The Press worldwide to use the coming years to join National, Regional and Local Governments to tackle Environmental Crisis that seek to degrade the quality of lives of peoples all over the world but much more so in Africa. The continent is however on record to be contributing less than 4% to the global greenhouse gas emission responsible for Climate Change.
Hon Eli Peter Kadanya,
Council Secretary, Bwari Area Council.
To worsen the situation for African nations, there exists a high prevalence of lack of awareness of the multifaceted implications of these environmental crisis and the economic setbacks they represent among political leaders and Civil Service Technocrats on the continent. This has led to avoidable slow down of activities that should combine to mitigate and ameliorate the menace whose combined negative impacts on a nation are as bad as that of a frontal warfare.
Environmental crisis in the forms of land and infrastructural degradation that prevail in Bwari Area Council and the noticeable economic implications they have brought to the grounds, as covered by our Research Team include the followings, but not restricted to them.
BARANGONI COMMUNITY
Constant torrential rain falls whose frequency and volumes have increased in recent years due to Climate Change effects, have turned the one and half kilometer road all residents of the community must use to commune with other parts of the Area Council into a near flood zone, leading to extensive gully erosion , according to residents who spoke to our team. This usually ground economic activities that require free movements of goods and people for days. The Community Health Center the Area Council built for the purpose of attending to their primary health needs usually gets under the pressure of having to offer secondary health services it is not equipped to offer to the sick and residents in its neighborhood. This has led to untimely breakdown of the Health Center’s equipments such as the borehole due to pressure from usage by community members and exposure to intensive radiation from the sunrays, a Climate Change effect. Arising from the combination of similar problems prevalent in other parts of the Council Ward, residents of the community and the Area Council lose as much as 65 million naira per annum to unrealized taxes and deprived personal incomes amongst the people, according to analysts who were presented with the facts and figures of the menace. The Community Health Center’s borehole had broken down as at the time of our visit and needed urgent rehabilitation to enhance adequate supply of clean water, a primary need for patients, workers and neighborhood residents.
Hon Dogara J Ahmed, Speaker, Bwari Area Council Legislative House.
Chief Danlamin Nana, Chief of Barangoni Community and Hon Ephraim Elaisha who represents the community on the Legislative Council of Bwari Area Council lamented the economic setback the situation poses to the residents of the area and the Area Council’s revenue. They appealed for extra-governmental assistances from development minded quarters in view of the scarce financial resources available to governments at the various tiers and the ever-mounting developmental needs of the people in other areas of life. The 1.5 kilometer road needs urgent construction, possibly to asphalting level and would cost over a billion naira, according to estimates from informed parties.
GUTO COMMUNITY
The egalitarian structured community with respectfully defined cultural and socio-political leadership structure is a semi-urban community with the potentiality for economic prosperity waiting to be tapped. The sprawling community is linked to the headquarters of Bwari Area Council by a three kilometer road along which economic prospect-enhancement and empowerment structures such as residential buildings, private schools and orphanage homes are located. An abandoned Community Health Clinic project initiated by a former National Youth Service Corpse member which walls had been built up to the lintel level before the lady-sponsor ended her service-year had remained uncompleted many years after the event. The Justice Charonghe Family Empowerment Foundation, a multi-dimensional charity organization’s modern edifice taking care of a multitude of needy children’s educational and upkeep needs is situated on a muddy road and unapproachable environment.
Alh Ahmed Saleh,
Head of Works, Bwari Area Council.
conomic losses per annum suffered by residents of Guto Village as direct results of Agricultural investment losses, annual onslaughts of flood waters on the three kilometer road which condition had worsened over the years and the inability of the people and government to complete the Community Health Clinic to attend to the health needs of the people, were put at between 68 to 70 million naira. Elder Adamu Ibrahim, Chief of Guto Village and Hon Abdullahi, who represents Kuduru Ward (under which Guto Village exists) on Bwari Area Council’s legislature, appealed to various levels of development-focused non-organizations to please come to the rescue of residents of Guto Village in view of the prevailing astronomical costs of economic infrastructural development in Nigeria.
PWAMBARA COMMUNITY
Inhabitants of the densely populated community which is at the receiving end of most of the known negative effects of Climate Change such as incessant flooding arising from ever worsening effects of torrential rain falls, fast expanding gully erosion and constantly rising costs of major farm inputs have continued to count their economic losses to the menace. Days of interactions with residents of the community enabled our team members to discover the wide ranging scope of the economic deprivations the low income earning members of the community have lived with for years. The breakdown of the community’s borehole which was put in place and maintained by the Area Council constituted a major source of economic deprivation for residents as those who could not afford to resort to alternative sources of clean water have had to contend with constant water-born deceases with its attendant costs. The Area Council, which prioritizes the people’s health-care needs, according to our findings, is burdened with other urgent needs of the people even as the borehole’s rehabilitation awaits its attention. Annual economic losses suffered by the residents of Pwambara community and the Area Council in the form of depreciation in internal revenue collection is put at between 67-70 million naira by experts who were availed with the relevant data.
IGU COMMUNITY
The community is known as one of the densely populated communities in the Area Council. It is populated by cultural, spiritual and political leaders who are quick to admit the fact that the present administration at the Area Council has the will to put in place economically uplifting infrastructural development for all parts of the Area Council.
Mr Matthias Makama,
Director of Finance And Council Treasurer.
They point at the asphalted high quality constructed road the Area Council has completed which links the community to Bwari town, the administrative headquarters and the rest of the world. However, the community’s primary school structure which were also constructed with high quality building materials have suffered severe degradation and dilapidation from Climate Change aided high radiation from the sun, resulting in quite a number them falling apart. They also suffer severely from the high costs of farm inputs they said they can no longer afford. This is in addition to the increasing number of farmers who could no longer access their far-flung farm ands due to insecurity occasioned mainly by migrating inhabitants from around Lake Chad shores since its near-total depletion due to Climate Change effects. Residents of Igu community and the Area Council suffer economic losses put at about 70 million naira per annum from investment losses by the people and failed tax returns.
SHERE COMMUNITY
The community’s main economic activity is farming. Almost all the economic disadvantages associated with the hash elements of Climate Change affect the hard working people of Shere community. Highly eroded rural community roads, insecurity around the farmlands to dilapidated school buildings and homes are all prevalent in Shere community. Their annual economic losses was put at between 55-60 million naira by analysts who were presented with the facts and figures.
DEI-DEI COMMUNITY IN KUBWA WARD.
Shagari quarters situated in Dei-dei community of Kubwa ward is blessed with almost all the trappings of a community endowed with the natural gift of hard work and economic resourcefulness.
Mrs. Mercy Adeyanju,
Director of Agriculture
The 5000 people populated community is however at the receiving end of multidimensional negative effects of Climate Change. Economic returns to the government and residents of the area have plummeted in recent years. Water supplying borehole put in place by the Area Council years ago which had served them satisfactorily and prevented them from the debilitating effects of water-borne diseases broke down a long time back. Since then, they have continued to bear the brunt of its damage in view of obvious depletion in quantum and value of financial resources at the disposal of government. The 8 kilometer road that links the area with the rest of the world was also in dare need of construction. The people also cried out about the steadily declining returns from their farms due to rising costs of inputs and insecurity that prevail around farm lands situated far away from the suburb. Economic losses suffered by the combination of residents and government due to the largely Climate Change induced degradation was estimated at between 55-60 million naira per annum.
FEDERAL HOUSING JUCTION AND MAMA CHARLIE AREAS OF USUMA WARD KUBWA.
Infrastructural development damages unleashed on the internal roads in this part of Kubwa over the years due to the hardly comprehensible effects of the harsh radiation from the sun is the major problem of the area and its residents. Diverted business opportunities suffered by business owners and man-hour losses during high vehicular movement hour in the area was the main lamentation amongst the people. Continued high losses from agricultural investment by the people was prevalent. Economic losses suffered by the people and government due to the level of infrastructural degradation in the area is put at about 70 million naira per year.
BMUKO COMMUNITY IN DUTSE WARD
The community situated at about 4 kilometers from Bupma, along Dutse-Bwari road is populated by citizens whose main occupation is farming. The four kilometer road that links the community to its administrative headquarters in Bwari and the rest of the world was a beehive of activities when Wind Sound Africa visited. Bmuko road served as the major link road to quarry sites that are daily overwhelmed by heavy trucks that come to carry away tons of building and road construction gravels along the road that needs urgent construction. Bmuko community residents is estimated to be losing as much as 60 million naira annually from the combined effects of land and infrastructural degradation as well as plummeting financial returns from their farms.
BYAZHIN WARD AREA OF KUBWA
Byazhin ward is a thriving suburb in Kubwa where all encompassing potentialities for rapid development are evident on the ground. The densely populated town possesses a noticeable ambience for rapid socio-economic development. A visit to the area and interaction with the people however revealed the prevalence of developmental setbacks that are prevalent in all typical African settlements. They exist in the forms of Climate Change aided challenges that the ordinary man on the street can hardly articulate.
Mrs Laraba Zagi,
Director of Education.
They range from portable water scarcity, increased costs of building and other infrastructural developments as well as extremely low returns from Farming Investments which an estimated 85 percent of Nigerians engage in irrespective of their other occupations. Water supply borehole projects put in place by political leaders and governments at two points in the area had collapsed under the increased population usage and were awaiting rehabilitation as at the time of our visit. The totality of economic development losses suffered by residents of the area and the government due to non-accruing taxes was put at 70 million naira per annum by experts who were availed with details on the ground.
KAWU COMMUNITY
The community is populated with a strong willed people whose main stay of economic activity is farming. This explains why the land and infrastructural degradations which the negative effects of Climate Change have brought upon the community and most other African communities across the continent is quite debilitating. While the Area Council government has tried to avail Kawu community and its people with difficultly funded economy-enhancing infrastructural projects, they still heavily burdened by debilitating set backs such as good roads, agricultural losses due to ever rising costs of inputs and migration related insecurity which has deprived them of safe access to distant farmlands. Community dwellers pointed at the road linking the Government Secondary School to the community and on to Sabon Kawu as their most urgent desire for construction if they could have their way.Annual economic losses suffered by residents of Kawu community were put at between 65-70 million naira per annum by relevant analysts.
CONCLUSION
The Economic Implications of the environmental crisis prevalent in the areas visited by our team is only the tip of the icesbag of the totality of the problems in the Area Council. Bwari has other devastated areas that were not on our list.
It is for this Africa-concentrated reason that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) prevailed on all concerned parties to choose the focus-point of 2024 World Press Freedom Day to be: “THE PRESS FOR THE PLANET”. It represents a timeless call for The Press to join the International Community, Nation States, States and Local Governments world-wide to tackle Environmental Crisis whose devastating impacts are threatening to become worse than that of frontal wars.
