1

2Greetings and a warm welcome to the very first issue of Nature On Our Watch (NOOW) e-magazine. NOOW is not a noun, its a move-ment, and as such we couldnt be more ex-cited to have made it to this point. When we set out to create an e-magazine that would promote awareness on issues related to the environment, one thing we agreed on right away was to steer-away from the glossy images of the too-perfect, product-driven magazines that we all sometimes read, but pursue one with a content stuffed in originality. Only recently, the issue of climate change started mak-ing headlines on the news arena, thus stressing the need for all and sundry to imbue with keen regards issues that relates to the environment. Yet, people hardly talk about their city of residence/domicile, even when there is a lot to talk about. Is it the traffic? Rental value? Housing/ac-commodation? Or social services/amenities? The list is somewhat lengthy. In line with the recently developed platform, Urban Oc-tober, we are pleased to introduce an urbanely-led maga-zine aiming at compiling thoughts, photos, and narratives from cities across the world. This is to further generate the awareness of places in people, in pursuance of the New Urban Agenda. Therefore, what you will find in the pages of NOOW magazine is a collection of inspired and instructive articles written by real and honest individuals who saw the need to champion the course of environmen-tal protection and sustainability by the act of storytelling.Since our roads are not as ply-able as they ought to be, our environmental laws are only papered declarations that holds no water, our streets adorned with expensive tar/bi-tumen, our houses are not as perfect and befitting enough to be called our home, and the deep sense of patriotism has eluded the governors of our society. On that note, we are honoured to share the work of these committed and thoughtful people. By all means, check their bio at the end of each article, be abreast with the issues that matters most so that you can do something about them NOOW!

Warmest thanks,Ajobiewe Tolulope.

EDITORS NOTE

The future will either be green or not.

- Bob Brown

IN THIS ISSUE . . .

Editors Note

by Ajobiewe Tolulope

Environmental Protection Lawsin Nigeria

by Othman Yahaya

Interlocking Paver Blocks asEffective Paving Material in Nigeria

by Immanuel Galadima

An Exclusive Interview with Prof. Mrs. M. T. Fubura

by Adebayo Caleb

Innovative Financing for Adaptation to Climate Change

by Shaibu Success

NOOW Special:Why the Preference?

by Adeleye Oluwaseyi

The Never Ending Jam

by Shaibu Mohammed Lawal

Lagos: Africas Dubai

by Sanni Hussein

Good Governance: Complementary Patriotism. The Planners Role

by Ajiboye Jesugbemi

Ajobiewe Tolulope lives in Oyo State, Nigeria. He concerns himself with how much attention people pay to environmental issues and discourse in Nigeria and the world over. Travelling, reading, writing, soliloquizing, and public speaking are some of his hobbies. You can find some of his works at wordsinthebucket.com and climatereporters.com to mention but a few. He balances his remaining time between volunteering, writing a blog on ecoofreak.com, and spending as much of it as he can indoors.

3A Mere Rhetoric

Nature, like sucklings must be nurtured. We practically get everything from its abundant resource - wood, medicine, clothing, food, and even life itself. Rewind some very long years ago, nature was un-sullied, untainted, and undefiled. It was free from the shackles of over activity and senseless manipulation by the inhabitants of the earth. But, the reverse is the case today because progress in science and technology is also leading to environmental degradation and serious ecological imbalance which, in the long run, may prove disastrous for man-kind (Sharma, 2002).The future is grim and bleak if we do not act Noow. This is now the reality that greets us.In 1987, Koko, Delta, about 3,880 metric tons of toxic and hazard e-wastes were dumped by a foreign firm in collusion with some businessmen. This singular act caused so much fuss in the country and opened the door for a flurry of environmental protection laws. A year later, the Environmental Protection Act was established. Twenty-seven years since that incident, little or nothing has been done to effectively and efficiently curb this problem. Rather, environmental pollution has reigned most supreme in the country. Some common type of pollution have main health effects on humans. Adverse air quality can kill many organisms, including humans. Ozone pollution can cause respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, throat inflam-mation, chest pain and congestion. Water pollution causes approximately 14,000 deaths per day, mostly due to contam-ination of drinking water by untreated sewage in developing countries (Kallman, 2008; Lorenz 2007; Eneh 2011c).It is trite that laws are formulated to govern current reali-ties in society. The environment and all that comes with it is now our reality: our rivers are soiled with waste, the soil is infected, and our once ebullient wild life has been stretched

beyond its limit. Therefore, the government, related agen-cies, and the citizens must be proactive in taking deliberate steps to protect our environment. Over the years, there has been increased participation by both foreign and local or-ganizations, including the government of the Federationin environmental protection. To this end, numerous instru-ments have been promulgated to achieve this arduous task. However, it is sad to say that environmental issues that have bedevilled the country and the incessant disregard on en-vironmental safety standards have gone unabated. This is largely due to the lethargy of regulatory bodies in enforcing these regulations. The problem is not in the want of laws, but in their enforcement. The 1999 constitution of the Fed-eral Republic of Nigeria; the Nigerian Management Act on Environment (Draft) 2000; the Land Use Act 1986; Harmful Waste (Special Criminal Provisions) Act; Factories Act; Oil Pipelines Act; Environmental Assessment Act; Federal Na-tional Park Act, are many among the laws on environmental protection in the country.

In the same Act, section 27 provides for punish-ment for any breach in the provisions of the act. A term of five years or a penalty to the tune of one million Naira; and for a company, an additional fifty thousand Naira for each day the offence persists. In my six years as a law student, I have not come across any case of environmental breach in any of the law reports I have read. And I have read quite a number. Some of these laws, apart from being largely unimplement-ed, are moribund. Like most highly worded, sophisticated and tasty laws in the country, environmental laws continue to languish in the shelf of redundancy. It is without gainsay-ing that these instruments are painstakingly drafted, highly funded by government revenue, and go through the rigours of legislative process. Yet, there are still episodes of oil spill-age going on daily in the Niger-Delta. I recall an episode in one of the Kiosks we usually eat at the Law School in Bayelsa, the chief cook lamented that their vegetables and crops were destroyed by oil. This is their reality, our reality. It doesnt have to be. Few months ago, during my externship programme, along Tudun Wada road, Jos, Plateau State, there was an

accumulation of waste that blocked the road preventing mo-torist from comfortably going through. It was a sorry sight with a nauseating stench. Few meters away was a booming market, where most of the goods are perishable-tomatoes, fish, vegetables, and meat. We cannot begin to imagine the great health risk involved. These all happened because of the protracted strike embarked upon by the government of the state. And I wondered, what happened to all the talk about protecting the environment? There are several instances around the country that our own experiences have confirmed. What good are our laws if they do not address current realities? It is foolhardy to imagine, even remotely, that the presence of laws inevita-bly bring about compliance. The stakes with regards to en-vironmental protection are especially high; the process is often tedious, but the gains are far-reaching, to say the least. All the players in these solemn responsibility of protecting our environment must arise with unstinting activism to act

Noow!Othman Yahaya is a young Nigerian with great interest in creative writing, community development, public affairs, leadership, and sports. He is an aspiring writer, and also seeks an extraordinary career in Law. He lives in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) Act 2007, in section 7, provides, among others, that

the Agency shall enforce compliance with laws and guidelines, policies and standards on environmen-

tal matters; enforce through monitoring ,the environmental regulations and standards on noise,

air, land, seas, oceans and other water bodies.

by Othman Yahaya

4INTERLOCKING PAVER BLOCKS

A LOOK AT

AS AN EFFECTIVE PAVING MATERIAL IN NIGERIA

Paved roads are seen as an indication of development in this part of the world. In fact, so important is it that every election campaign includes the promise of good roads. Good roads here meaning a road with a paved surface of some sort. The im-portance of paving accesses to our home and workplaces cannot be overemphasised. Paved roads mean that theres less dust in the air that we breathe and less dust on our shoes. You are not scared of walking on paved roads after a heavy rain because there is no mud. Most importantly, paved roads are not easily eroded so they are usually free of gullies and are easier to drive on with no damage to our cars. So you get it now, our roads need to be paved.In case you dont know what a paved road is, paving means covering the surface of the ground with a hard material such as tar, bitumen, concrete, or a mixture of them in or-der to make it suitable to walk or drive on. Thats it in the simplest terms. Thus, paved roads are what we generally refer to as tarred roads in Nigeria. This brings us to our next point.Because most roads in Nigeria are built using tar or bitu-men, it is generally believed that these paving materials

are the only options in paving our roads. Hence we expect every road in the country to be tarred, even the residen-tial roads. Due to this, people believe a road is not a road unless it is paved with tar or bitumen. This is far from the truth as there are alternative paving materials such as inter-locking blocks which shall be discussed here.Interlocking blocks are usually pre-cast blocks that come in a variety of shapes that are fixed onto a bed of compact-ed sharpsand or compressed gravel. As simple as it ap-pears, this form of road pavement is highly effective and is a worthy alternative to the use of Tar and Bitumen as road paving materials, especially in residential areas. Heres why you should consider Inter-locking paver Blocks:

Photo Credit: Dreamstime

Interlocking Paver Blocks (IPB) are very affordable to make and install unlike tar or bitumen based pave-ments. The materials needed to mould the blocks (cement or clay, sharpsand, moulds) are readily available within the community. The skills needed to install the blocks and create the pavement is not specialised hence the manpower is cheap. You do not need an engineer to fix interlocking blocks.

AFFORDABILITY

Another advantage of IPB is that even after paving, the blocks can be dismantled and fixed back with-out scarring. For instance it is very easy to remove the blocks and run underground cabling and fix the blocks back like a puzzle. Not so with other forms of paving, youll have to break the topmost surface and then dig in and lay your pipe or cable then you mend the broken surface. This usually leaves an unsightly scar on the road, which often develops into a pothole. Such scars are nonexistent in roads paved with interlocking blocks, and potholes are nonexist-ent. This is particularly helpful in Nigeria where labourers break the road at will to lay water pipes, electricity cables or Optic Fibre Cables.

EASY TO DISMANTLE

Interlocking Paver Blocks due to their component mate-rial and colour do not absorb as much heat as the black coloured Tar/Bitumen roads. This reduces the gener-al heat within the immediate environment as much of the heat is reflected back. Tar/Bitumen roads absorb and retain heat and then warm up the atmosphere producing heat is-lands in the process. Urban heat islands are areas within urban areas that are warmer than surrounding areas within the same city (thats the general idea). So Interlocking Pav-er Blocks are good for the environment.

HEAT REDUCTION

In most cases, room is made while interlocking the blocks to create spaces for water to seep through the block-work into the soil. This reduces the amount of runoff as well as helps in absorbing storm/floodwater un-like Tar/Bitumen. Some Interlocking Paver Blocks are even engineered to be water permeable.

WATER ABSORPTION

Last but not the least, Interlocking Paving Blocks come in various colours and shapes and can be installed in several beautiful pat-terns. This great advantage provides the opportu-nities for high levels of personalization and crea-tivity by the persons installing them.

HIGH AESTHETICSPhoto Credit: Allbiz.com

From the above advantages, real es-tate developers and local authorities should consider Interlocking Paver Blocks as an option in paving streets, boulevards within residential areas. The image to the left shows what a street paved with Interlocking Paver Blocks looks like.

Immanuel Galadima is an Urban Planner who is cares for the human habitat. His interests include innovative solutions to urban problems through urban design and developing smart and functional environments. He is also a writer and entrepreneur.

by Immanuel Galadima

5OVERPOPULATION IS OUR

BIGGESTCHALLENGE

- Prof. Mrs. M.T. Fubara

Professor Margaret Okorodudu Fubara is a 1972 graduate of the Uni-versity of Lagos with a distinguished record in environmental consulting and university teaching. Called to the Bar in 1973, she obtained the LLM and SJD degrees in 1977 and 1980 respectively, from Harvard Law School, USA after a first LLM degree from the University of London, UK in 1975. She is a Fulbright Scholar, a Robert S McNamara Fellow and was a visiting professor at the School of Law, University of Oregon, USA from 2001 to 2002. She was a consult-ant for the United Nations Environmental Programme, Nairobi, Kenya from 2002-2003. She is a member of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law. Caleb Adebayo spoke with her about Urban October, Climate Change and Sus-tainable Cities.We are marking Urban October which comprises World Habitat Day and World Cities Day. Do we have sustaina-ble cities in Nigeria?Our circumstances differ from what we have in the Unit-ed States and many Scandinavian countries. I look around and see success stories of sustainable cities, cities that make the list of top nine sustainable cities in the world. We have issues in this country that we have to tackle before we can lay claim to cities that we can present as being qualified to call sustainable cities in Nigeria. An attempt can be made to call Abuja a sustainable city, mostly because its relatively new, but it still has its own peculiar problems.One thing we must not forget is that climate change - the pressing issue everyone is talking about now- affects our cities and conditions of everyday life. Directly or indirectly, climate change is impacting the quality of life in our cities.Someone was speaking with me recently about the prospects of those of us in the South and West boycotting the activities of these Fulani herdsmen, but I reasoned that, in a way, one cant put all the blame on these Fulani herdsmen. We are all stressed by the effects of climate change. Our cities are not sustainable. Our air levels are not pure enough. There is so much contamination. Life expectancy is low. What is making the herdsmen to migrate? Deforestation, drought, desertification. Nothing to feed their herds with. And these herdsmen are no more in the villages alone, they are also encroaching in large numbers into the cities. The question now becomes, should it be the survival of human beings or animals? But why should this be when we were created to both survive comfortably side by side. It is an indirect im-pact of climate change and it is stressing us. I look back at the cities I grew up in as a child. We did not have the prob-lem of climate change. The cities were clean. Seasons were coming and going as they should. That is very different now. So concerning sustainable cities, Nigeria is far from it.

How do you think Nigeria can engage itself in that quest for sustainable cities and better air purity levels?There are so many issues in Nigeria. We have fundamental issues that we have to address first. Look at the indices of what makes a city sustainable. There are some negativities that we have to cut off so that life can be bearable for the av-erage resident in Nigeria. Life is so pleasant living in these sustainable cities. This is why life expectancy is low in Nigeria. One of the indices of a sustainable city is a good transportation sys-tem. Our public transportation and mass transit system are not efficient. I have been in a Red Line with the governor of Massachussets once in the USA. Here in Nigeria though, the Local Government Chairman wouldnt even use a public bus.Power, energy and water supply are also important indices of a sustainable city in Nigeria. In Nigeria, every family is a local government of its own, with its own power supply (generator), water supply, and all. These are the things we have to fix.

Do you think the government of the day is interested in working for sustainable cities in Nigeria?I think I am confident of the change this administration is set to bring. Nigerians should just be patient with them. Let us let them perform. Lets give them a chance. I am sure the government knows there is a big challenge for it. Nige-rians are watching. Nigerians really want change.

Do you believe the decisions that will be taken at COP-21 will have direct positive effect on Nigeria ensuring sustainable cities?Nigeria is already playing positive roles in contributing to-wards curbing global warming. We proposed the Global Climate Change Commission. It is before the Senate. There is a Climate Change Department in the Ministry of Envi-ronment headed by a well-seasoned technocrat, Dr Adeju-won and they are currently gearing up for the COP-21 in Paris.Nigeria is working, but dont forget that like every other country, the country tries to put its interests first, so as much as we support the global community in curbing cli-mate change impacts, we are also mindful of our own in-terests of national development. We have to make sure we work in tandem with National Developmental Objectives. Yet while we do that, we must ensure that our development is green and eco-friendly. We have to reduce the rate at which we burn fossil fuels and, hopefully, we will also try and employ more renewable energy sources.

About that, the major challenge to these renewable en-ergy sources is that they are expensive and not often available to everyone. The same goes for household devices and equipment that save energy and their accessibility and affordabili-ty considering Nigeria has major issues with poverty as well. What should Nigerians do in order to still survive while working towards sustainable cities?You see, I like the question youve asked. Like you said, there are people that prefer instant survival, but if we look at the long term impact of our actions, then maybe Nigeri-ans would not think that way. When we do that we are not looking at the implications of indirect impacts. Even on our health. Climate change has indirect impact on the health.

The air is becoming more tox-ic, diseases are spreading more rampantly. The warming tem-perature is also increasing the number of mosquitoes. There is a lot of malaria everywhere.

Nobody is noting the psychological effect it is having on the Fulani herdsmen and even jobless people that is driv-ing them do some crazy things. We are being affected in every way. Climate change is no more a figment of some-ones imagination. It is scientifically proven and one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. We must com-bat it. It is sad that some people still see it as a doomsday prediction by some alarmist environmentalist.I always use the Golfer Learjet crash of 1999 to illustrate what is happening with climate change in Nigeria today. We can all well picture humanity on a runway airplane, on a collision course with only moments of time remaining. Human activities are heavily implicated in climate change. In the midst of global warming, people are so caught up in their pleasures, pressures and pursuit that they forget in the urgency of their plight. It should not be development at all costs, so when we say we want to use the cheaper means of achieving our activities, we should think about this. Were at the tipping point of climate change. Yes, its true that in most African countries we still see climate change as an elitist subject matter, but its not true.And the sad news is that the people who are most impact-ed by climate change adverse effects are the underprivi-

leged and vulnerable because they do not have the means to adapt or even mitigate. We are gradually having climate ref-ugees displaced by flooding and drought. We have to look at the equity of distribution of

climate change impacts. Some wealthier persons can de-cide to relocate to sustainable cities, but the poor cannot. We have to initiate holistic response action at the national level that can help alleviate the impact of climate change on the more vulnerable in the society and I am sure we will be able to do it.

Finally, in your opinion, what is the biggest national challenge to achieving sustainable cities in Nigeria to-day?Overpopulation. The biggest challenge is Nigeria is over-population, especially with the migration of folks from neighbouring countries through our porous borders. And many of them are our mai-guards (gatemen) and mai-shayi (food sellers). It even affects our security. Its a big problem. When you talk about development and GDP, the number one index of a developing economy should be the stand-ard of living of the average citizen. Our population growth must be tackled. This is what adds up to a sustainable city. Nigeria is like a magnet. These migrants dont flow into other neighbouring countries like they flow into Nigeria. This eats into our resources and even the legitimate Nige-rian citizens cannot access the resources. It affects major things like power supply, roads, transport and even waste management. And proper waste management and govern-ance is needed to attain a sustainable city. Most places in our cities are smelling, causing various sicknesses, waste heaps are even near markets and these bad odours are re-leased into the atmosphere. How can we even have clean air that way? We have lessons to learn from more sustain-able cities like Frankfurt, Berlin and Singapore. Even our fellow African country, Kenya, is among the top countries on the sustainable cities index. Let us look at what they are doing right. Overpopulation will defeat any possible iota of sustainable cities in Nigeria. We are not there yet, but we can achieve it, bit by bit.

Thank you very much for your time.My pleasure, Caleb.

In Nigeria, every family is a local government of its own, with its own

power supply (generator), water supply, and all.

Nigeria is like a magnet. Migrants dont flow into other

neighbouring countries like they flow into Nigeria.

by Adebayo Caleb

Caleb Adebayo is a young social entrepreneur and environmentalist. The founder and director of Earthplus and Climate Ambassador for CareAboutClimate writes fiction, reportage, screenplays and travel essays. He volunteers for the UN and is passionate about SDG 4, 5, 11, and 13. He holds a law degree from OAU, Ile-Ife.

6INNOVATIVE FINANCING FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE:

The Nigeria Perspectiveby Shaibu Success

The climate change phenomenon has drawn atten-tion from all angles across the globe; regardless of race and social strata. In spite of all the attention in the form of campaigns and seminars to create awareness, one can easily accept that the subject of climate change can-not be overemphasized. Nigeria as a nation is beginning to wake up to the reality of the effects of climate change as it is fast taking its toll on citizens, the ecosystem, and every facet of the economy. The adverse effects of climate change on man and the environment are manifested in; prolonged drought, rise in average temperature, stronger hurricanes, changing landscape, flooding, disruption in seasonal cycle, rise in sea level, economic loss, extinction of species, food insecurity, and many more. In the words of Mr. John Odey, Honourable Minister of Environment, at the Conference of the Parties, Cancun, Mexico, December 7, 2010, The urgency of global warm-ing, its complexity and portent danger has become one of the greatest challenges to humanity and sustainable liveli-hood.

It is safe at this point to say that Nigeria as a nation has contributed little or nothing to this deadly phenomenon of global warming; a course championed by the highly de-veloped or rich industrial nations due to their economic activities. However, it is equally unjustified and perhaps unsafe to say that Nigeria should therefore sit with arms folded, making no effort in tackling global warming and climate change. The 4th IPCC assessment report revealed that Africa, a continent where Nigeria is the acclaimed most populous black nation, will be worst hit by the ef-fects of climate change. Hence, the need for us as a nation to move swiftly and take actions against climate change, because the increase in the average temperature is already manifesting in Nigeria with reduction in water supply for both agriculture and generation of hydropower.What then is Innovative Financing for Adaptation to Cli-mate Change? It is simply the new and creative way of pro-viding fund to help man fit in very well in the environment in the face of climate change.

Cities around coastlines are most vulnerable to this. Flooding from the rain literally shut down Lagos metropolis, forcing people to stay indoors and leaving some major roads and highways flooded. It also affected Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Rivers, Edo, Enugu, Cross River, Anambra

and Oyo States. - The Guardian 11 July, 2011.In 2010, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reported that over 250,000 Nigerians were dis-placed by flood disasters that wrecked havoc on many communities across the nation. During the 2012 flooding in Nigeria, 363 people lost their lives, and with over 2.1mil-lion people displaced during the 2012 flooding that affect-ed 30 out of the 36 states. A whooping 7million plus peo-ple were affected, with total damages hitting an incredible 2.6trillion naira. NEMA November 5, 2012.

Rise iN seA LeveL AND FLOODiNgResearch has it that 842 million people, around 1 in 8 of the global popu-lation, were undernour-ished between 2011 and 2013. Of this group, 826 million live in developing countriesNigeria inclu-sivewhere 14.3% of the total population receives less than adequate daily nutrition. This is because the change in the temperature and rainfall cycle or pattern is fast taking its toll on food production by way of reducing the level of productivity especially in less developed nations and this will ultimately lead to scarcity for both humans and live-stock.

FOOD sCARCiTY

Why then should everyone rise against climate change?

Wildlife in general is sensitive to climate variations. Ex-perts believe that climate change might turn out to be the greatest threat to biodiversity.

LOss iN BiODiveRsiTY

Heike Spohr said that an estimated 150,000 deaths were caused in the year 2000 due to climate change. A study carried out by the WHO in December 2003 shows that a whooping 5.5 million healthy years of life were lost world-wide due to debilitating diseases.

HeALTH

Nigeria as a nation must of necessity respond to climate change in totality, this means we must address all sectors, particularly natural re-sources management, agriculture, infrastruc-ture, economic development, energy, transportation, and health. However, to tackle all the dangers of climate change, a whole lot of fiscal commitment is required. A weighty fi-nancial task that is practically impossible for a single purse to bear. As a matter of fact, it is bigger than the resources of a developing nation such as Nigeria. Hence, the need for an innovative financing mechanism. In all honesty, Nige-rias effort towards innovative financing for adaptation to climate change has not been the best, because the nation only have climate change department under the Ministry of Environment with inadequate budget to match the de-mands of climate change adaptation for the entire nation. Some innovative ways Nigeria should adopt include;

ESTABLISHMENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION INSTITUTION: This will generate more result across the nation compared to the existing structure that is under the Ministry of Environment.

INCLUSION IN THE NATIONAL BUDGET:National Fiscal Policy should incorporate the cost of cli-mate change adaptation. The Federal Government of Ni-geria should endeavour to make adequate provisions for climate change finance in the national budget.

ESTABLISHMENT OF MULTILATERAL MECHANISMS:To finance climate change adaptation, and determine what capacities must be put in place to access and manage these funds. Nigeria should team up with other African coun-tries for greater access to adaptation funds from Interna-tional Climate Finance, Multilateral Investment Fund, Green Climate Fund, to mention but a few.

Other foreign case studies to establish best practices around the globe include;

Ifads Adaptation for Smallholder Agricul-ture Programme (ASAP)

Ecocasa- Low Carbon Housing in Mexico Lighten the Energy Bill Darfur Low Smoke Stove China Clean Development Mechanism

fund (CCDMF) Ecomicro Rental solar farm Sustainable energy finance programme in

Philippines

Shaibu Success hails from Benue State, Nigeria. The Public Speaker and aspiring writer holds a B.Tech Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from FUT, Minna. His aspiration is to contribute to building healthy cities through modern-day technology and best practices as established globally.

7Over 60% of the respondents resided resided in ur-ban areas. This goes to show that regardless of urban living, Nigerians would still prefer to live in other (urban) areas if they could. You know what they say about how the grass on the other side looks. In relation, Nigerians are known for their ability to put their hands down and cater for their grasses to get as green as possible. However, a lawn can only be as green as its soil lets it be. No doubt, the ever-financial-ly-driven attitude of Nigerians is always on the display, hence, it will not come as a surprise that the main rea-son for the respondents choice of city to move to is in search of business opportunities better soils for a potentially greener pasture. Nigerians are as playful and fun loving as they are hardworking. The need for a better social life as is used in this content was the third most chosen reason for selecting a city to move to. It is, however, worthy to note that regardless of the current security challenges in the country, Nigerians, based on this survey, least consider security and safety as a factor when choosing cities theyd like to move to.

After the survey, results were analyzed and three major cities stood out as the highly preferred cities to move to in Nigeria. The cities are; Abuja, Lagos, and Kaduna. About 32%, 21%, and 15% of the respondents selected these cities respectively. On that note, Abuja tops the rank as the most preferred city to-move-to in Nigeria. It is no surprise at all that Abujas population has exceeded the expectations made by the Abuja Master Plan. However, as much as many Nigerians intend or wish to move to or live in Abuja, they find themselves moving to suburban settlements

around the city instead. Having said that, it is also important to be hushed at this juncture that living in Abuja is hardly affordable. Seating comfortably behind Abuja on the ranking is Lagos. The mega city is one with a compelling and interesting history. Her people are probably the most city-patriotic Nigerians as they never shy away from heaping praises on their city, especially throwing light on how quickly it transformed from a hustle-jungle into a top-notch urban destination. Some of them may not be happy that their city have just ran behind Abuja in this survey. Over half of the Nigerian population would move to one of these two cities, out of many in the country, if the could and they had to. The survey showed that Nigerians overlook the assurance for safe-ty when choosing cities theyd like to move to. This must have made it possible for the city of Kaduna (in Kaduna State) to find its way into the top three, even as it has been subject to a number of terrorist attacks and its closeness to the insurgency torn zones in Nigeria. Kadu-na takes a place as Nigerias third to-move-to city ahead of other cities like Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Jos, Calabar, and Uyo.

After analysis was successfully done, raids of questions came to mind, a remarkable one being what happened to Kano? How come Zaria is way back in the survey ranking? Going backward through time, who would have imagined that the city of Kano, a city perceived to have possessed features capable of progressive transformation of Nigeria, serving as a commercial hub and gaining comparisons with Dubai, will be one of the least to-move-to cities in Nigeria? How about Onitsha or Aba? People travel from far and wide to the vibrant markets in these cities for mass purchases. Would they not rather live close to the markets? How about Benin City, a city so rich in culture and its artifacts? As these questions come to light, NOOW seeks to remind Nigerians and the world that every city has the potential to attract migrants. Give your city a voice. Sell it.

Rank City Choice Percentage (%)1 Abuja 32.692 Lagos 21.153 Kaduna 15.384 Port Harcourt 7.695 Jos 5.775 Ibadan 5.777 Calabar 3.857 Uyo 3.859 Abeokuta 1.929 Enugu 1.92

Heres how the different cities were chosen by Nigerians.

Drumrolls, please.

?WHY THEPREFERENCEby Adeleye Oluwaseyi for the NOOW TeamPreference. What seems so unique about this word? Why is mans everyday decision being held hostage by it? In the words of Edwin Louis Cole, When pressure comes, preferences give way while convictions hold firm. These words, for this article, are translated to refer to the very fact that reality quakes preference. In the world today, the growth rate of refugees has escalated drastically and this is as a result of the quest to seek better living condition. Again, this brings us back to the phrase earlier stated; reality quakes preference. In another twist of the same tale is the city-of-stay preference of many Nigerians. It is on record that Nigeria has an area coverage of over 900,000km2, housing over 170 million persons and comprised of 36 states and the Federal Capital Terri-tory. Also, Nigeria, like every other country of the world, does not have all her states equally developed. Therefore this in-fluences peoples choice of towns and cities of stay. However, with the dawn of reality and the truth coming to bare, many people realize that residing in their preferred city of stay remains but a wishful thinking. An idea was however birthed for a City Preference Survey to obtain the most preferred city Nigerians wish to reside and the possible reasons for their choice. SurveyMonkey, an internet based medium was employed to carry out the survey. The survey focused mainly on two key areas; Nigerians preferred city of residence and the reason for such choice

8THE NEVER

by Shaibu Mohammed Lawal

One workday morning, I was driving into Central Abuja from Karu Site along the Abuja-Keffi expressway. Now, anyone familiar with that road understands how it is on workday mornings. Jammed, thats how it is. Truly, the congestion on the road has reduced noticeably but driving on the same road on weekends makes a person realize that, still, jammed, thats what it is. With me in the vehicle was a friend whose declaration did not appear strange to me. As we approached the freer parts of our journey after the AYA Bridge and under where there is an ongoing construction meant to link the road directly into Abujas Central Area, he said, Once this is done, the traffic will be gone.He was referring to the cloverleaf (as it seems to be) being constructed currently at Asokoro. I laughed. It was funny because that wasnt the first time I heard something of that sort. Once this is done, the hold-up is gone, summariz-es the belief of many road users about the Abuja-Keffi ex-pressway. However, after every construction which forces users to pa-tiently bare long but temporary worsened traffic jam situa-tions due to diversions and lane closures, users are tricked to believing that it has gotten better forgetting that diver-sions have only been removed and lanes re-opened. The di-rect impact of the infrastructure development on the traf-fic congestion (as it was before construction began) always fails to meet the road users expectations of Once this one is done, the traffic will be gone.The Abuja-Keffi expressway is one of the three road en-try/exit ways into the heart of Nigeria. The others are the

ENDING

Abuja Keffi Road (AIT Online, 2014)

Shaibu Mohammed Lawal (@TheMolash) is an Urban Design enthusiast who writes fiction (mainly), non-fiction, and designs corporate graphics. Being a fresh graduate of Urban and Regional Planning from FUT Minna, the 22 year old seeks to be the finest Urban Designer Nigeria, Africa, has ever produced.

Umaru Musa Yaradua expressway, which connects to the Abuja-Lokoja highway and runs in front of the Nnamdi Azikwue International Airport, and Goodluck Ebele Jon-athan expressway which ends at a T-Trumpet interchange at Suleja. These roads have ten lanes each (three major lanes [wide enough to be commonly confused as four] and two shoulder/service lanes on either side) and have been named after immediate past leaders of the nation. Their younger sister, however, has three narrow lanes (and two shoulder lanes flanking only some length of it) on either side. Its no wonder it is yet to bear the name of a (past) leader. Perhaps it will be named Muhammadu Buhari Ex-pressway, if it gets polished by the end of his tenure and made to look like one of its elder siblings. But, heres what; I feel like the Abuja-Keffi road has been cheated. Personally, I believe it should be the first child of the family. Im about to make my point.

JAM

According to the Abuja Master plan, besides the 14 districts in the first three phases of the city, five sub-urban districts were also officially named. These are Gwagwalada, Kubwa, Nyanya, (Old) Karu, and Jukwoyi. Three out of these five sub-urban districts are connected to Abuja by the Abuja-Keffi road while the other two roads connect one sub-urban district each. That automatically means more responsibility for the Abuja-Keffi road. Should it not have been spoon-fed first? Or maybe the location of the International Airport deter-mined that the Umaru Musa Yaradua expressway should be quickly bred so that tourists enjoy a smooth drive when entering the city. Fair enough, right? Still, why did it have to come last? I wouldnt want to be bias by ignoring the other satellite towns that exist around Abuja along the oth-er roads such as Lugbe, Chika, Pyakassa, Mpape, Dei-Dei, Gwagwa, Karimu, among others which access Abuja by these roads. Mentioning these doesnt really help my ar-gument and neither does the fact that the satellite towns that rely on the Abuja-Keffi road (Mararaba, Ado, Masaka, [New] Karu, etc) are (considered to be) part of Nasarawa. Still, sub-urban districts should take a row in front of satellite towns and roads serving them should be first developed.The Abuja-Keffi Road was completed in September, 2005. Since then, a number of developments have been added to it, bit by bit. First came the one of the longest bridg-es in Abuja, at AYA, with a massive round-about underneath it. Before this bridge was constructed, AYA was a crowdy mess. It was not a place anybody would enjoy driv-ing through and it makes me wonder how workers who had to go into town coped with it every day. It got worse when the construction began, as pointed earlier, and

as it got to its closing stages, one can only imagine how happy road users must have felt. The end is near, the end is near, they must have chanted. And the end came the end of the construction but when the credits rolled away, the jam didnt end. It remained. Miles lighter, but it remained. After the service roads were developed from AYA to a lit-tle after the Mogadishu Cantonment, only creating a bot-tle-neck where it ends by forcing motorists to divert into the main lanes, the jam still didnt end. The ramp flyover in front of the cantonment also came around to increase the traffic congestion but did nothing to aid it as it has a business of its own.With all of this bit-by-bit development on the Abuja-Kef-fi road, and the traffic still lingering, one wonders if the cloverleaf (again, as it seems to be) at Asokoro, when it collects a good percentage of incoming traffic straight into the Abuja Central Area, will put an end to this jam. One wonders, but not me.The jam still continues, not until the Abuja-Keffi road is treated with the care it deserves so it looks as good as its sisters.

Climbing the AYA bridge from Abuja Central Area

Right at the end of the AYA bridge where construction is going onw

New Construction at Asokoro, after AYA Bridge

10 lane Umaru Musa YarAdua expressway

9LAGOSAFRICAS DUBAI

LAGOS2030

by Sanni Hussein

According to UN-Habitats State of African Cities 2010 report, Urbanisation is happening fast-er in Africa than anywhere else in the world. By 2030, the continent will no longer be pre-dominately rural, it says. Mr Clos, UN-Habitats Executive Director, said that cities were attractive places for those wanting to relocate. In a chat with BBCs Focus on Africa programme, he asserted that People are looking for a bet-ter future and they think the city can offer that.Many African cities already face major problems of over-crowding, irregular supplies of water and power, and poor transport infrastructure. By 2050, Africas urban popula-tion is expected to reach 1.23 billion. The report warns that climate change is causing a serious problem for some cit-ies. With many of Africas cities built by the sea, millions of people risk losing their homes in the coming decades because of coastal flooding.That said, this article focuses on Lagos, Africas megacity. Africas Dubai. In 2010, The Urban Age and Cities Pro-gramme of the London School of Economics invited for-mer Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, to deliver a lecture on Nigerias largest city: Lagos. He clearly revealed the unique posi-tion of Lagos as an African City by opining: I do not think that Lagos will be a Eu-ropean city; it will never be; because Europeans do not live there! But Lagos will ultimately be a city where life is sustaina-ble, where the expectations of those who live there and come to do business there can be realised in a safe and orderly manner, where everybody, irrespective of sta-tus, will find a place. That is the city we dream of. Even though Babatunde Fashola did his best in urbanising all of Lagos, this current Ambodes administration have the unenviable task of grappling with its hyper population growth, social service delivery expectations of the popu-lace and most importantly funding the aspirations to re-configure the city to match the rhetoric of the Lagos Mega City aspirations. No doubt, urbanisation leads to improved living standards. However, such aspiration must be met with the willingness to provide adequate housing, infra-structure, and services.While the growth of the population in the metropolitan Lagos has assumed a geometrical proportion, the provi-sion of urban infrastructure and housing to meet this de-mand is not at commensurate level. This has resulted in acute shortage of housing to the teeming population with

THe eKO ATLANTiC

PROJeCT PROMises TO TURN LAgOs iNTO A HUgeLY

iMPORTANT FiNANCiAL POWeRHOUse.

Lagos alone accounting for about 5 million deficit repre-senting 31% of the estimated national housing deficit of 18 million (Lookman Oshodi, 2010). It is apparent that the state government is overwhelmed by the housing quandary and is doing its best to resolve it (as seen by the Fashola Administration). But its best isnt enough. The situation requires the intervention of all stakeholders in land, environment, housing and urban development towards the resolution of the housing crisis. Civil societies need to also join in preventing forced evic-tions and illegal demolition of houses, creating awareness among the inhabitants of slums on their housing rights, and engaging in the development of affordable housing in order to achieve a sustainable housing delivery framework for the teeming population of the state, especially the vul-nerable groups.The economy of Lagos state is thought to be worth around $33bn, despite the chronic overcrowding, crumbling infra-structure and hellish traffic (BBC report, 2013). Expansion continues at a rather uncontrollable speed and part of the expansion plans for Lagos include an ambitious new city

within a city: Eko Atlantic City.The Eko Atlantic project promises to

turn Lagos into a hugely impor-tant financial powerhouse.

Not only that, enormous quantities of rock are poured into the sea to build what is already be-

ing called the great wall of Lagos. A mile and a half

out in the Atlantic Ocean, the city is taking a stand against the

sea. Lagos is creating a seven kilometre long wall to hold back the waves. Lagos has what it hopes is a permanent solution to the problem of erosion.The idea is to claw back the lost land and build a new, fu-turistic city on it. It is to be called Eko Atlantic City. On one hand, the reality is such that migrants flood into Lagos in their hundreds and thousands on daily basis, therefore to say that Lagos is overpopulated is really no news.Rental prices for accommodation in Lasgidi are some of the highest on the continent (The concatenation of the words Las is from Lagos and Gidi, the Yoruba word for Real. In this case, Lasgidi or Las Gidi would mean some-thing like the real Lagos. To understand the use of the term gidi or real in this way, a deeper understanding of the local lingo is required. The use of the word is similar to the way it is used in urban America in such expressions as keeping it real).The new city (Eko Atlantic) within a city will offer resi-

dents constant power and water, good roads, and a light rail system to whisk them around a financial centre reminiscent of Manhattan in New York or the Dubai fountains around the Bur Khalifa. Supposedly, four hundred thou-sand people will live and work in the new city, but first they will have to build it. It is a big job to reverse, in just a few years, what nature has taken decades to do. Eko Atlantic City will need as much sand as the Palm One project in Dubai. A project this size has never been seen in West Africa before.Lagos has big ambitions to go with its big population. It wants to become Africas model megacity, Africas Dubai.

Sanni Hussein Oladele resides in Lagos State, Nigeria. He likes to be described as an active Global Citizen, an advocate for the success of the SDGs, a Child and Human Rights advocate, a Humanitarian to the core, and above all a Social Media enthusiast cum Manager for various Non-Profits Organisations.

10

Good GovErnancE; complEmEnTary paTrIoTISm. ThE plannErS rolE

by Ajiboye Jesugbemi

Governance in this context is seen as the process of decision-making and the implementation of the decisions made there in. This can be done through different institutions, keeping also in mind that resourcefulness and management ups the ante of good governance as would be discussed in this piece.Question is, is there any such thing as good governance or vice-versa? Much debates and demonstrations greeted the streets of mind as I sat to pen down these lines. Mid-way I resolved to see the two broad concepts in the light of Good and Evil, thats to say that governance can either be beneficial or detrimental to a group of people. Whatever the case is, it should be re-echoed that governance is all about taking charge. Nonetheless, the crux of this narra-tive, puts forward clearly the standpoint of citizens as well as Urban Planners as it relates to governance and its mul-tiplier effects. From ages past, Man has always craved for an egalitarian world, one where his goal and purpose is clear, concise and achievable; an interactive community where the views of the minorities and the most vulnerable section of the so-ciety are reflected in decision making process this une-quivocally begets an atmosphere that guarantees citizens articulation of interest, and exercise of legal rights and ob-ligations. Two major players take the front seat in the course of gov-ernance, usually the government (executive, judiciary and legislature) and the common citizen. In another word, I like to say that they both remain the basis interplay in governance. Good governance ensures the formulation of appropriate policies and priorities to support the activities of the people. This then enables them to earn access to state

resources and opportunities for a decent livelihood, which helps them live a long and productive life. However, these decision makers primarily should involve both the government and its citizens. But most times, its solely the role of the government thereby making it a strict top-down decision approach instead of a better encour-aged bottom-up United Nations agitated approach. To get the description clearly and yet from another view-point, governance should then be painted as a portrait that has the government as a mother, with the citizens as her offspring. Truly, no sane woman will care less about the welfare of her off-spring, or desist from her obligation to her infant, as all of these sums up the attribute of mother-hood. If that is the case, why then do we agitate for good governance? It ought to be a norm. Well, thats the ideal, the ideal is never an idea in Nigeria. Rather, the act of pat-riotism is greeted with dismay, which makes us query the very need for citizens to pay her allegiance. Again, the implication of patriotism connotes a multiplier effect of good governance. It implies a win-win situation, because a government that puts in the forefront of its plan the welfare of her citizens is also dinning on the table of patriotism. To achieve this, effective citizen participation in policy making should be zealously considered. Daniel Kaufmann, the Director of Global Governance at the World Bank Institute, and Aart Kraay, a Lead Econo-mist in the Banks Research Group, had since the late nine-ties began the development and analysis of measures for component of good governance and summarily unveiled an expanded and updated set of worldwide governance in-dicators to include the following:

Voice and Accountability Measuring political, civil and human rights.

Political Instability and Violence Measuring the likelihood of violent threats to, or

changes in, government, including terrorism.

Government Effectiveness Measuring the competence of the bureaucracy and the

quality of public service delivery.

Regulatory Burden Measuring the incidence of market-unfriendly policies.

Rule of LawMeasuring the quality of contract enforcement, the

Police, and the courts, including judiciary independence, and the incidence of crime.

Control of CorruptionMeasuring the abuse of public power for private gain,

including petty and grand corruption (and state capture by elites).

Good governance is no doubt a prerequisite for urban development but when coupled with urban planning, it remains a prerequisite for a sustainable urban development. This is because the resultant effect of good governance always implies instituting structures, development of action plans and monitoring of socio-economic and physical development of the city. When all these are inclusive, the involvement of an urban planner shouldnt be an option but a necessity. Urban planners should be an implementing mechanism of the government such that when consensus are reached during a participatory decision making by both the citi-zens and the government they are transformed into action plans or updated into an existing physical plan. Physical

planning envisage the city good, likewise policies reached in governance does as much, however, despite aiming towards the good of the city, there are chances of having one negating the focus of the other.An illustration to this, is having an already existing development plan and also faced with the challenges of implementing consensus reached by the policy makers, such consensus may not be in conformity with an exist-ing development plan. Therefore, the scope of physical development should be in line with the good governance approach so as to have a clearly defined goal.

Ajiboye Jesugbemi Olaoye is an aspiring freelance writ-er and jazz signature with a research work in his portfolio titled, Trip Analysis of Fringe Dwellers to Facilities and Services Accessed in the City. In the pipeline is Good Governance Rating of Nigeria States and more.

11

Editorial PolicyNature On Our Watch accepts for publication original, thoughtful, and practical articles and stories as they relate to the environment. NOOW is an urbanely led E-magazine that seeks to compile stories, thoughts, poems, and narratives of cities from across the world.

Notes to Contributors1. All submissions must be made to ecoofreak14@gmail.com with subject NOOW Contribution2. All submissions should be original, and balanced. Originality in the sense that your submissions should be practical illustrative narratives of the city you are writing about and devoid of plagiarism of any kind.3. Entries should be attached as word documents, (or similar) file. That is, it must not be sent as the body of the mail but as an attachment. 4. All submissions should be accompanied with good quality pictures and images.5. All submissions should be between 600 -1000 words (optional for poems) 6. The cover page of your submissions should include; Thetittleofthepiece, NameofAuthor/writer Country,regionandstateofresidence, AFifty(50)wordmax.profileoftheauthor.7. A recent photograph of the author should also be attached as (jpeg, png, bmp, etc.) with your submission.8. All sources should be duly acknowledged and referenced where necessary.

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