As the HumAngle Fellowship Comes To A Close …

The Accountability Fellowship is about to reach its close, the HumAngle team and our fellows couldn’t be prouder of what they’ve achieved over the course of five months. 

Just last week, after our fellow from Borno’s report was published on the recent flooding in a community in the state, has led to the immediate demolition and restructuring by the village head to avoid a recurrence in the future.

Also in line with the mandate of the fellowship, the fellows are working on the most underreported stories in the region, and we are confident that they will not fall short in what they will churn out in the final month of the programme.

But did you know that there’s going to be another opportunity for another set of young, passionate individuals from the region to partake in our fellowship programme again? HumAngle will be putting out a call for applications for the January cohort very soon, so spread the word! 

On another note, HumAngle has began working with three CBOs in the BAY states, to further our objective of enhancing accountability at the grassroots level around issues of security and aid support. HumAngle has partnered with these organisations to ensure there are people who are familiar with the region and the people on the ground to report cases of irresponsibility and lack of accountability within the communities affected by conflict.

In the meantime, follow their work online on our website, and on social by searching the hashtag #HumAngleFellowship22 . 

Dead Trees, No Water, Missing Money; The Truth Of Yobe’s “Great Green Wall”

The northeastern state of Yobe is at the heart of the campaign to improve vegetation cover and livelihoods of rural areas in Nigeria. However, the effort is being marred by low inefficiency and community buy-in.

By Baba Abdullahi Machina, Usman Adamu Muhammad, fellows from Yobe.

The Nigerian government is investing resources to build a corridor of trees in eleven states in the North to combat desertification and improve the livelihoods of rural communities. However, in the frontline northeastern state of Yobe, the ambitious afforestation initiative has been beset by a series of challenges. 

Since the flag off of the Nigerian section of the Great Green Wall project, authorities have been planting economic and forest trees to establish a 1,500KM long belt. The effort focuses on the worst affected states of Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, and Gombe in the Northeast and Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, and Zamfara in the Northwest.

The initiative hopes to tackle desertification by restoring land, curbing the alarming rate of desertification, and expanding the Sahara desert.  In Yobe,  the State Government has also rolled out a tree planting initiative with similar land restoration targets, climate action, and the creation of jobs. 

“As from 2021, 10 million assorted tree seedlings will be raised each year up to 2024 where a target of 40 million assorted seedlings will be raised, planted, and nurtured,” the Governor, Mai Mala Buni, was quoted to have said during the launch of the campaign and the Climate Change Action Plan for Yobe at Dusuwa Forest Reserve.

HumAngle+ is launching soon!

For months now, we have been teasing you with the news of our Membership platform coming your way. Well, the wait is about to come to an end and we are very excited to unveil what the membership is offering you.

Officially launching in February 2023, HumAngle+ will offer subscribers exclusive access to insecurity and data-driven reports not found anywhere else. Amongst other enticing offers, subscribers will also have the opportunity to interact with our editors and reporters and get bespoke information related to our niche.

Stay tuned as we get set to provide you, the stakeholders, with relevant and timely reports that can save lives and livelihoods.

Fellow of the month

Hasana Alkali has emerged as the fellow of the month for October after producing a timely documentary showing the effects of the flooding in Yobe state and the families it has affected as well. She adequately utilised the videography and editing skills she gained over the course of the fellowship programme, and turned it into a stellar piece of multimedia content. Well done Hasana!

You can find the link to the documentary here.

Excess Water From Dams Increases Severity Of  Floods In Adamawa

The opening of Kiri and Lagdo dams spillways exacerbated the effects of flooding in Adamawa, northeast Nigeria.

By Hantis Wandaje, Aisha Adamu Njidda (fellows from Adamawa)

“Our children no longer go to school because either the school has been submerged by the flood or it is a camp for displaced persons,” says Denis Sarka, a victim of the recent flooding that has caused widespread destruction and displacements in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Adamawa. 

Sarka who lives in Numan, one of the affected Local Governments, has faced flood risks before due to the proximity to the banks of the Benue River. 

But this year, torrential rainfall and the overflowing of the Kiri dam in the state and Lagdo dam in neighbouring Cameroon have devastated communities. 

According to a briefing from the head of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mohammed Aminu, 27,800 households and 89,342 hectares of farmlands were destroyed by the flood. He was also quoted to have disclosed that 172,000 farmers in 11 local governments were affected. 

“It was as a result of heavy rainfall that the dams were released since they could no longer accommodate the volume of water,” said Praise B Mahdakula, one of the team coordinators for the local emergency management committee.