Environment

Stakeholders gather for vulture conservation in Nguru Vulture

Published

6 years ago

May 17, 2019

Agency Report

The representatives of Hunters’ Association, Farmers’ Association, Herders’ Association (MiyettiAllah), Traditional Medicine Practitioners (trado-medics), Heads of political wards and community women leader recently gathered to discuss threats against vultures and solutions to tackle the challenge in Yobe State.

Dr. MuhtariAminu-Kano, the Director-General, Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) in a statement he issued in Abuja on Friday.

Harry Hansonon, the Project Office of NCF, who represented the D-G highlighted the threats against vultures in the northern Nigeria, calling on all in attendance to rise up to stop the killing of vultures for sale and belief-based uses.

“Angulu (vulture) is going into extinction because of killings here and there and if we don’t stop the killing and make use of alternatives, in the next few years, we won’t have Angulu here again, ”he said.

Dr Sulaiman Mohammed, a Biological Science Lecturer from the Federal University Dutse, Jigawa State, educated the listeners more on the importance of conserving vultures;the health and economic benefits to the people in the community and northern Nigeria as a whole; cultural and historical importance to the future generation and as well as cleanliness of the environment.

He said “If the only thing we see in vultures is the opportunity to make money by killing and selling it, using it for ritual and traditional medicines, we are only destroying our lives and future as absence of vultures around us leads to critical diseases and dirty environment”.

Alhaji Lawan Modu, the Village Head of Dumsai Community who represented the Emir of Nguru, appealed to NCF not to make this kind of meeting a one-off event, but a regular event to sustain the enlightenment campaign.

He also urged that there should be a follow-up action immediately in order to make the points raised sink down into the people.

“If there are no activities that will follow this programme, people will forget the talk and continue to do what they like,” he said.

Alh. Goni, the Secretary of Trado-medics, pledged his association’s support to the conservation of vultures and other bird species and encouraged his members to make use of the alternative cure to the use of Vulture.

A drama group engaged by the NCF Project Office performed excellently on the subject matter that depicted activities of hunters and herbalist against vultures and reason there must be shift from the use of vultures for the belief-based and illegal trade in the species.

The “Town Hall Meeting” was held in the palace of the village head of Garbi, a wetlands community of Nguru.

After the meeting, Harry Hanson led a team to pay courtesy visit to the Emir of Nguru, Alhaji Mustapha IbnMaikyari, who revealed that he had raised the issue of reviving Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands (HNW) with the Governor-elect of Yobe State, Mohammed Buni.

He said he requested from Buni to make HNW one of his top priority during his tenure and promised to continue to work for the betterment of the environment.

NAN

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Environment

Royal Commonwealth Society Kicks Off Clean Oceans Campaign in Nigeria

Published

3 months ago

July 8, 2025

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS), in collaboration with the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Commonwealth Games Nigeria, has officially launched the Clean Oceans Plastic Awareness Campaign in Nigeria, aiming to combat the growing threat of plastic pollution across the Commonwealth.

The campaign was flagged off on Wednesday at Jabi Lake, Abuja, with a strong message of environmental responsibility, especially for Nigeria’s youth.

The initiative is designed to raise awareness about plastic pollution, encourage proper waste disposal, and promote environmental stewardship—particularly around the country’s waterways.
Speaking at the launch, the Country Director and CEO of the Royal Commonwealth Society Nigeria, Mr. Blackson Olaseni Bayewumi, emphasized that the campaign is part of a global Commonwealth-wide effort to curb plastic waste and protect ocean ecosystems.

He highlighted the critical role of sports as a tool for engaging young people and driving meaningful change in environmental behavior.

“The Commonwealth accounts for one-third of the world’s ocean waters, and nearly half of its member countries are Small Island Developing States that suffer disproportionately from plastic pollution,” Bayewumi noted.

According to him, the Royal Commonwealth Society’s Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign aims to prevent at least one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waterways.

The campaign blends grassroots education with direct community action, urging people to reduce their plastic footprint, embrace alternatives, and promote cleaner oceans.

A major component of the campaign is its integration with the King’s Baton Relay—a hallmark of the build-up to the Commonwealth Games. In a groundbreaking move, the 2025-2026 relay will spotlight sustainability and environmental protection, beginning with its launch by His Majesty The King at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day 2025. The Baton Relay is now on a 500-day journey across all Commonwealth nations and territories ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

In each country, including Nigeria, the Baton Relay will bring together youth, athletes, local communities, and environmental groups for a week of activities—most notably, organized plastic clean-up drives.

The urgency of this campaign is underlined by alarming statistics: the world produces 400 million tonnes of plastic every year, with over 12 million tonnes ending up in the oceans.
Without urgent action, scientists predict that by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the sea.

Plastic waste poses a deadly threat to marine life—suffocating birds, fish, and mammals while damaging key ecosystems.

Moreover, as plastics break down into microplastics due to ocean erosion and sunlight, they enter our food, water, and even air.

Although the full health implications of microplastics remain unknown, early research suggests they may disrupt vital bodily functions—and there is currently no method to fully remove them from the environment or our bodies.
The campaign supports multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly:

SDG 12: Responsible, Consumption and ProductionSDG 13: Climate Action, SDG 14: Life Below Water

It also reflects the core principles of the Commonwealth Charter, especially: Article 9: Sustainable Development. Article 10: Protection of the Environment and Article 14: Recognition of the Needs of Small States

As the world grapples with escalating environmental challenges, the Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign represents a significant step in uniting nations, communities, and young leaders under a shared mission: to protect our oceans, preserve biodiversity, and build a cleaner, safer world for future generations.

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