CARBON CREDIT CAN BE A SOURCE OF INCOME TO PLSG IF WE PLANT TREES–GOFWEN.

In an Exclusive Media Chat with Chief Amb Nanyah Andrew Daman, Jarumin Jat and Group Managing Editor of the NewsGate Magazine, Mrs Yuwana Joan Enoch, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of the NewsCrest Newspaper, Mr Daniel Kura, the Publisher of the News Parrot Newspaper, Mr David N.Kazi,Publisher of Ace News Online, Mr Justin N. Jattim,Publisher of Jat HotNews Newspaper, Mr Micheal N Nangwang,Publisher of Frank News Magazine, Miss Anastasia N Jatbyen,Publisher of Emerald Magazine and Miss Vanessa N Timbyen,Publisher of Trust News Online, the Plateau State Coordinator of NEWMAP and ACReSAL, Engr.Levi Gofwen reeled out his achievements, challenges and prospects since assumption of office in Jos.

Gofwen hinted that NEWMAP,Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project is exiting to ACReSAL,Agro Climatic Resilient in Semi Arid Landscape project. He explained that ACReSAL projects will handle erosion sites, water resources and the building of dams for all year round irrigation farming across the 17 LGAs of Plateau State, planting of trees, environmental data acquisition and distribution, wheather research and development etc.He said the project will plant two million trees in Plateau State.

Engr Levi Gofwen, the Project Coordinator of NEWMAP and ACReSAL revealed that the project has done civil works, Woodloads and Wheather Stations in the University of Jos, Federal College of Education, Pankshin and the Plateau State College of Agriculture, Garkawa, Mikang LGA. 

The Project Coordinator displayed various distinguished merit awards that the Plateau State Project Office has collected, especially the one presented by the World Bank as best Financial Management and Reporting State amongst the 22 Project Offices in the 22 States of Nigeria even when it joined the other states late.

The frank and  very intelligent awards winning Engineer pointed out that the two civil work sites,woodlands projects and wheather stations cost the NEWMAP four billion naira but was quick to point out that the procurement template is the major hindrance of the activities of the project as variations were not allowed despite the effects of COVID-19 Pandemic and the increase in goods and services, especially diesel, cement and consumables. 

Engr Levi Gofwen however gave a cheering news that the Plateau State Government can actually benefit from the Carbon Credit scheme of the World Bank on Climate Change and the friendly environment where Carbon Credit can be a source of revenue and income to the state. 

Do enjoy the Excerpts:

NewsGate Magazine: For the record,can you briefly introduce youself and the office you occupy?

Engr. Levi Gofwen: I am Engineer Levi Gofwen, the Project Coordinator NEWMAP. Having exited NEWMAP, we have the second phase of the project called ACReSAL

NewsGate Magazine: The last time we came, you were about to start the NEWMAP project, can you list those projects that you were able to execute so far?

Engr Levi Gofwen: We were able to implement civil works in two sites and wood loaders planting of trees in land related areas and also we installed three weather stations. Two automatic and one manual, in the three Senatorial Zones to cover and genarate environmental data or weather elements like rainfall, humidity,sun moisture and so on and so forth. These data are usually use by NIMET for weather prediction. So,Plateau has also gained a place through these activities and they are concurrently running and generating data.From our office here, we can see the rainfall data temperature, all the weather elements so it is a big plus for us interpret weather predictions which is very important to agricultural application in terms of warning farmers to start cropping early and advising them about the impending drought and so on and so forth. Besides that, all of them are in higher institutions which also stimulate research in school curriculum and developments and is doing dual purposes ,both research also for weather predictions for agricultural application and so on. This activities are very key to us and they have been successfully installed and commissioned.

NewsGate Magazine: Where are those weather stations located?

Engr.Levi Gofwen: We have one in University of Jos here. There is another one in Federal College of Education Pankshin and then College of Agriculture Garkawa. These are the areas that these weather station are located.

NewsGate Magazine:In the case of erosion reconstructions, where and where were you able to do them?

Engr Levi Gofwen: Initially we have five sites, unfortunately giving the time by the exit of NEWMAP, we were not able to implement the other three. We have only two sites that have been implemented, that is, Sabon Barki, if you are moving towards Bukuru, if you look on the right, you will see the culvert linking Sabon Barki and the other segment on the road.You look right, you will see  massive concrete work, up stream and down stream. That is one of the sites that we have implemented and that concrete work will cover about two kilometres. We have another feeder behind Airforce, which covers two point four kilometres(2.4KM) and so we don't have issues of flood there again and this is one of the biggest benefit of the projects for the neighborhood. We have another one in Mangu, behind their market store. You can see alot of erosion taking place there, houses were collapsing, so there has been massive concrete and protection works to stabilize the slopes so that building don't collapse any longer. Water flows into the concrete channel by itself, the environment is very friendly and the people are very happy. 

So basically, we have two civil work that have been implemented. We also have weather stations and thirdly, the other one is wood load, planting of trees in degraded areas,this is very important especially the present situation that climate change is a global concern.We plant trees in specific locations, introducing micro-climate change in that area for good and then there is also a livelihood component within the community because the people participated in planting and also watering the plants during dry seasons.They earn stipends and that also promotes the kind of synergy between us and the community and we are so excited. 

The trees established, if you look around you will see some of the pictures of those trees at their infant state and where they are today now. 

Each of the wood load sites has a motorised borehole so that during dry season you can make water available for them and these plants are established.The borehole becomes the community property,so people can have water, so it is serving dual purpose.

 We have one in Shendam, Kanke, Jos East, Bassa, we have one in Pankshin Ballang Kallep and Langkang. So these are the Twenty Five hectres of planting of trees that has been done and we will keep following up to monitor what is going on in the sites. We have security men that takes care of the place, that is actually what we have been doing for these number of years.

NewsGate Magazine: When we were coming in, we saw a number of awards you collected,where and when did you collect them?

Engr Levi Gofwen: Some of the awards are coming from my professional body, there is one Award of Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Civil Engineers, we also have a Merit Award for Excellence, and these ones come from other organizations that appreciated what we are doing and quite a number of them. The one outside there, was awarded by World Bank. Out of the Twenty Two States, Plateau State came first in Financial Management and Reporting. When the award was given to us, we handed it over to the Governor and it is now with the Executive Governor of Plateau State and the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Rt Hon Barr Dr Simon Bako Lalong KSGG.

NewsGate Magazine: Sir, talking about all these wonderful work you people have executed, how much did it cost this very particular agency to be able to achieve those feats?

Engr Levi Gofwen: Yeah, it is very difficult for me to categorically state the amount because there are activities for Woodload,which has its own cost implication, for weather stations they have their own cost implication, for civil work,they  have their own cost  implication. So the actual records, I can't have them in my finger tips but we should also bear at the back of our minds that the funds given to us is by World Bank. Though, it was  also co-funded by the State Government. The state also gave counterpart funds. Each of the fund is directed to a specific activities, an IDA is directed to the Civil works, Woodloads and the weather stations but for counterparts funds we used to resettle people that will be affected during civil work constructions. 

Initially, there was what they called Special Climate Change Fundings. But the fund was quite meagre it couldn't go to state,so, we didn't enjoy that one. But what we got from ID, is loan, it is going to be paid back to the World Bank. Though, with almost negligible interest, but I think the investment is worth the while because we have transformed the environments which I think with our experience in Plateau, there is no time that we have massive constructions than this. I know Ecological Fund Office have been doing one or two projects, but non has reached the magnitude that we have done. I may not be able to give you the exact figure of funds involved in these. However, I think the two sites is about Four billion(N4bn) basically and the public deserved to know what is going on.

 NewsGate Magazine: We want to know what are some of the challenges you faced thus far?

Engr Levi Gofwen: Yes, we have a lot of challenges because of the procurement template we have, gave us no variation contract and we are all witnesses of the dynamic change of prices in this country, especially when Covid-19 struck and there were a lot of global change in price of either construction materials. That actually affected us. If you take for example, we will sign a contract when the cost of diesel is N265 per little. As I am talking, in fact, we are at the exit of the project,diesel was N820 and now as it is, it has gone higher.Come to talk of re-enforcement,It was Three Hundred and Seventy Thousand per ton, but as at the time the construction was at the peak, it became Six Hundred and Fifty Thousand per ton and so also cement.Cement was Two Thousand and something but the time the construction were going, cement has jumped to Four Thousand Two Hundred per bag. So with all these price anomalies, and then the valuers given to you, there is no addition and you are expected to maintain quality, maintain the same scope and so on. So, that is actually one of the challenge that we ever had in this project. 

So, we have been able to do a lot of innovassions, a lot of discussion, alot of talking with the contractors and see how we manage what we have to give us good results. So basically in all the activities, that is the most challenging aspect that we have.

NewsGate Magazine: Talking about those erosion sites, these number you constructed or solved the problems,are they all the problems of erosion we have in Plateau State or do we have more ?

Engr Levi Gofwen: Certainly, we have much more. Infact, what we have done is just a tip of the iceberg. Its just a small part. We are just trying to scratch the surface because Plateau State has alot of gully issues stemming from minning, poor land use management, water erosion and so many number of them. In fact when we started, we have a long list of over Twenty Seven active gully sites that we have marked for intervention but we couldn't do all at the same time,so we scaled it down to some specific based on the gravity of these sites and we prioritized and then we were able to come out with those five as the most critical. After addressing those Five, in terms of detailed engineering design and so on, we were able to have bankable design with the five sites, but for actual intervention implementation, we were only given money for only two sites and so we have 3 pending. But the good news is, ACReSAL which is a sister project to NEWMAP, we want to take up those Three pending ones since we have bankable designs and then begin to tackle them.

 We have one in Langtang, Yakubu Gowon Dam and Plateau Club and Bingham University. But we have so many gully erosion sites. Some are developing, some have developed and escalating. So these are the  challenges we have in the state. 

So many communities have come here to request that we pay attention to their gully development. 

NewsGate Magazine: Do you have any collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment to see if they can come in, in other areas?

Engr Levi Gofwen:  Infact, NEWMAP or ACReSAL is domiciled in these environment both at Federal and State. The sourcing and coordination of the fund is done by the Federal Ministry of Environment and then steps down to state. 

The NEWMAP and ACReSAL is currently domiciled in the Ministry of Environment and we have two committees that are headed by the Principal Officers in the Ministry of Environment. The Honourable Commissioner of Environment is the Chairman and State Steering Committee and then the Technical Committee is headed by the Permanent Srcretary, Ministry of Environment and some MDAs are also part of the day to day running of the activities of the project. We do the implementation, they oversee,so we have frequent meetings and synergy with them on the challenges and the management of these projects. 

The Ministry of Environment has the responsibility of getting some of these sites and then begin to ask the government for funding, so that as we are intervening at projects, they are also addressing some of the gully sites.

NewsGate Magazine: Will you say the Ecological Fund Office is doing enough?

Engr Levi Gofwen: Well, I think I may not be in a good position to say that because I am responsible to the state government on these projects. I think the best person to answer that question is the Commissioner of Environment.

NewsGate Magazine: Lastly, do you have any issue that bothers you, be it local, national or international that you feel it should be address urgently as regards Environment?

Eng Levi Gofwen: The climate change is a reality. We must manage our environment effectively, otherwise, if we decide to recklessly man handle our environment, it will respond. If you decide to put in your building on water way, it is a matter of time, or you build your house too close to the edge of the gully, is a matter of time, no matter how beautiful the building is. So these are how nature respond to us. If we decide to carve out trees that give us the energy or whatever, because we want to survive eventually, the nature will respond to us, if we decide to do reckless farming system without managing it properly by employing best practices, it will respond to us. So it is our responsibility to manage our land properly. Our concern is people should plant trees and if we don't change attitude,it is going to affect our next generation,whether we like it or not. We need to increase plant population to enable develop a climate change environment and beside that, we have what they called carbon credit.It can be a source of income to the state government. If you plant trees, you are entitled to a certain percent of income if you keyed in the climate carbon program that is being operated globally. So I think these are my concerns as far as environment is concerned.