Yusuph Olaniyonu
21 November 2008
column
Lagos — Each time I watch footages on television or read newspaper reports on a natural disaster in a foreign land, I usually say alhamdu lilahi silently, amidst my sympathy for the victims. I say this word of gratitude to almighty God for sparing Nigerians of these horrible experiences just because I know that my country and her people would probably have ceased to exist if we witnessed half of the natural disasters that happen in other nations like the United States, China, Japan, Indonesia and other south-east Asian nations.
This country simply has no capacity to handle the smallest or mildest accident of nature. In a country which could not manage simple erosion or oil spillage in the Niger Delta, how can we cope if we experience earthquake? I usually provide some spiritual explanation to excuse the poor judgment of the nation's leadership each time I hear he news of these natural disasters. My conclusion usually is that God knows we would not be able to survive it and that is why he has kept all these sad occurrences from us. At least, Allah himself said he would test our faith from time to time, but he will not impose on us any tribulation bigger than our strength can bear. Sometimes, I will conclude that despite the prevalent sins in this polity, some Nigerians are still genuine apostles of God and we are all saved from calamity because of the intercession by these beloved worshippers of God.
However, we should not stretch our luck too far. There are signs of environmental disasters spread all over this country and the government is not doing much to address these problems. One example of the case of environmental problems requiring serious and urgent intervention is in Jigawa State where desertification, typha grass invasion and gully erosion are combining to worsen the problem of poverty among the rural dwellers. I was moved by the environmental problem in that state after reading a report presented by some experts on the issue. According to the report, land area covering 2,600 square kilometres is now degraded and when compared with the 1,000 km2 which was the area covered by the desert in 1986, it becomes clear that the desert has been rendering useless 40km2 of land every year in the past 22 years. The local government areas worst affected by desertification are Kaugama, Kazaure and Karkana. The impacts of this menace include relative dryness, lateralised landscape, treeless terrain, non-productive land, dune remobilisation and very low/ deep groundwater tables.
The experts noted that desertification is as a result of low rainfall, land use intensification, poor farm practices and conservation management.
Typha grass invasion is another environmental problem in Jigawa State. Experts who did the study for the state government described the typha grass as an aquatic one. It is said to have crept into River Hadejia after the construction of dams and barrages at the upstream location. By 2006, the stubborn plant is believed to have occupied 800km2, which is about 9.7 percent of the area of the state. The grass has caused changes in river regimes from seasonal to perennial and permanent stagnant pools in some of the flood plains. This has manifested in increase in water levels of the Hadejia and Nguru lakes. It has also resulted in partial closing of some channels including the one linking the lower Hadejia, the Burum Gana River and the exit to Nguru lake. The consequence of the menace of typha grass is the fact that it has created problem for the agrarian population which is about 90 percent of the inhabitants of the state. Now, as a result of the presence of the grass on the rivers in the state, there are very low inflows of water into the Nguru lake, Burum Bana and lower Hadejia river. Fishing is now almost impossible while dangerous reptiles presently threaten human lives.
Gully erosion which is yet another problem in the state was described in the report as "a highly visible form of soil erosion that affects soil productivity, restricts land use and can threaten settlements, farmlands and roads". Its devastating effect is usually felt more on river channels, road culverts, reservoirs and ponds, all of which it tends to render useless. In Jigawa State, gully erosion is more threatening in Gwaram, Birnin Kudu, Dutse town, Kaugama and Gagarawa. Experts report that in these areas, heavy rains falls on shallow dry soils, leading to detachment of soil aggregates and concentrated flows at the rate that it moves the removed soil particles. It is said that 1,600 km2 is affected by gully in the state and that translates to reduction in available farmlands while the population of potential farmers continue to grow.
Jigawa is said to be facing other environmental challenges. For example, those destructive birds which make farmers work and reap nothing at the end of the day, Quela, are there in thousands. My interest in Jigawa environmental problems, as distinguished from other states, particularly in the southern part of the country, was gingered by a story told to me by my former colleague, Adagbo Onoja, who is special adviser to Governor Sule Lamido on media affairs. According to Onoja, the threat posed by Quela birds has escalated to the extent that children are now being withdrawn from schools by their parents who constitute them into a shouting army in the farms to scare away the birds. The farmers resort to using physical presences in the farms to scare away Quela birds because they have found out that the birds have developed immunity to pesticide sprays. In the same vein, the Jigawa farmers also face another battle from locusts. The expert report I mentioned earlier also noted that the problems of pest invasion may increase with time because of the increasing aridity of the Jigawa plains which makes it more porous and conducive for these pests and birds to operate.
In a state like Jigawa State where the capital, Dutse, is still largely underdeveloped in terms of basic infrastructure, the socio-economic problems posed by the environmental challenge may totally overwhelm a government. Already, the school enrolment is low. To now have to confront a situation where pupils are withdrawn from schools to go and chase away Quela birds and locusts, may pose some grave social danger now and in future. That is why I believe the federal government, international agencies and wealthy individuals should come to the aid of the government and people of Jigawa State to tackle these problems before they get to unmanageable proportions.
The federal government should be more serious and creative in the deployment and utilisation of the ecological fund and other money voted for the use of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). The neglect of natural disaster cases as it is happening in Jigawa State sends a wrong signal about government, particularly at the centre. Where there are certain problems that have grown beyond the capacity of a state government, the federal government should take the lead in offering assistance. The problem of desertification in Jigawa State as well as other parts of the North is the reason why the global food crisis will have more biting effects on our people. This is because most of our food crops are still grown by the aged, subsistence farmers and their children in these villages in the north. Their farmlands become open to afflictions like gully and desertification because they continue with age-old farming techniques which not only reduce their farm yields but also ravish the soil and their own physical ability. Yet, governments have not shown enough concern.
Similar environmental problems like the one in Jigawa State are prevalent also in Anambra, Enugu, Imo and Abia States where erosion is a major threat. Also, in the Niger Delta, the threat posed by oil exploration and gas flaring continue unabated. These are also disasters waiting to happen. The federal government really needs to put in place an environmental management policy which should be seriously implemented and well funded to ensure that we do not invite natural disaster by failing to take care of the vagaries of nature and its effects on our people.
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