ELVIRA’S PEN

Building community resilience through tree planting and climate education is a powerful way to empower local communities to combat the impacts of climate change, and to foster a sense of ownership and collective action, enabling communities to build resilience, drive sustainable development, and create a healthier environment for generations to come. This was established at a One-Day Workshop organized by The West Africa Hub of the African Climate Reality Project which held in Port Harcourt on the 31st of October 2025, with the theme “Building Community Resilience through Climate Education and Tree Planting”. The workshop brought together, environmental and climate change experts, community stakeholders, government agencies civil society organizations, community based organizations ,students, teachers and others.  Environmental Impact Analyst, Dr. Chizor Wisdom Dike who spoke on the topic, Understanding Climate Change and Local impacts, stated that Rivers State is among one of the ...

WHY IN SUCH A HURRY? - Elvira Jordan Good morning Beloved 😊 There is this rush and desperation that comes with the end of the year, especially in our climes. People want to achieve all that they have planned for the year. People want to end the year with a bang. People want to close the year with a lot of victories. People want to show their village people how successful they are, when they travel home for Christmas. This need to end the year in the best way, has given birth to a kind of rush that makes the “ember month mythology”; that evil things like accidents, ritual killings and other tragedies are bound to happen in the last quarter of every year. Some people link this mythology to spiritual mysteries that they associate with the end of the year. On the contrary, I don’t think there is any negative spiritual thing linked to the “ember month”. It’s simply a case of cause and effect.  The adrenaline rush people develop at the end of the year, owing to the need to finish the ye...

Today we look at the Itsekiri people of Southern Nigeria. The  Itsekiri   is an  ethnic group   that mainly inhabit the south- western  part of the Niger Delta  area in  Edo  and  Delta  states.  They mainly live around Warri South, Warri North, and Warri South-West ,  speaking a Yoruboid language  that blends elements of Yoruba, Igala, and   some borrowed cultural practice from the Edo people of Benin , a reflection of their richly mixed heritage. The Itsekiri story begins before 1480 , when   Olu Ginuwa , a prince from Benin, left the royal palace after a dispute and sailed down to found the Kingdom of Warri . There, he united various riverine communities under one crown, setting up the capital at Ode-Itsekiri . From then on, the Itsekiri were ruled by the Olu (King )  and a council of chiefs known as Ojoyes , forming a graceful blend of monarchy and nobility. The Itsekiri’s are generally flamboyant when i...

Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) has called out on g overnments for overlooking simple, effective tools to curb methane emissions from waste, analysis of the latest round of national climate plans (NDCs) shows. In a statement released by the group, GAIA examined 14 NDCs submitted to the UN climate body from countries chosen for their ambition and strong potential to curb emissions with zero waste strategies. All had signed up to the   Global Methane Pledge  and the   Declaration on Reducing Methane from Organic Waste . While there were some good elements in four of the plans, ten were weak or harmful. No country fully captured the potential emissions savings and social benefits of an effective zero waste strategy. Key findings: Brazil showed significant progress from its previous NDC, with solid policy framing and concrete measures to manage organic waste. Bangladesh, Chile, Colombia and Nigeria placed increased emphasis on a just transition, including ...

VACANCY - Field Officer An Agric company, Yenjay Consulting Limited is looking to train and employ field officers to conduct corporate collection. Job Location: Port Harcourt, Rivers State  Experience: Training will be provided Essential Job Functions - Build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with cooperative members in the community. - Collect daily contributions from assigned cooperative members accurately and transparently. - Conduct field-level onboarding of new contributors, including proper KYC (Know Your Customer) verification. - Ensure timely submission of daily remittances to the Supervisor or designated officer. - Prepare and submit daily reports on contributions, collections, and field activities. - ⁠Promptly escalate any discrepancies, challenges, or risks to the Supervisor. - ⁠Support the implementation of cooperative initiatives at the grassroots level, including savings mobilization and loan administration. - ⁠Uphold ethical practices and transparency ...

NOBODY TO BLAME - Elvira Jordan Good Morning Beloved 😊 In our journey through life, we have all gone through difficult situations, and as the typical human mind works, while reflecting on the situation, we look for the causes of it, who to blame, what to blame and where to transfer our aggression. It is often a common feeling, and blaming our problems on someone or something will most times make us feel better about ourselves and about our situation, but doesn’t guarantee that the negative circle will end or lessons will be learnt.  I have seen friendships end, relationships broken, good contacts savored because someone had to take the fall or be blamed for something. There is even a pattern on social media, especially on X; whatever blame we cannot direct at someone or something, we can always blame it on Desmond Elliot. 😂 (Just for fun.) The blame game makes people feel better about what has happened to them or what they are going through. Some people who are in the early stage...