Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) Weekly Subject Experts’ Presentation was held at Hall F, ML Agwai Block, Abuja. There were only two presentations made by the Subject Experts on China and South America and the Carribean.
The first presentation by Maj Gen JA Orokpo (Rtd) subject experts on China, Centered his presentation on Water Extraction and Weight of Buildings See Half of China’s Cities Sink. He stated that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on 18 Apr 24 that nearly half of China’s major cities are sinking because of water extraction and the increasing weight of their rapid expansion. Some cities are subsiding rapidly, with one in 6 exceeding 10mm per year. In coastal cities, this subsidence threatens millions of people with flooding as sea levels rise. China has a long history of dealing with subsiding land, with both Shanghai and Tianjin showing evidence of sinking back in the 1920’s. Shanghai has sunk more than 3 metres over the past century. In modern times, the Country is seeing widespread evidence of subsidence in many of the cities that have expanded rapidly in recent decades.
In his analysis and lessons for Nigeria, Maj Gen JA Orokpo (Rtd) noted that, nearly half of China’s major cities are sinking due to water extraction and the increasing weight of buildings due to urbanisation. The rapid urbanisation means far more water is now being drawn-up to meet people’s needs. The Chinese Government is focusing on scientific management of water resources like the Sponge City Programme to mitigate the subsidence. Like China, groundwater over-exploitation and urbanisation are causing subsidence in Nigeria, particularly in coastal cities. Nigeria can produce and implement policies to regulate and control groundwater extraction in the urban areas.
He recommended that, the FGN through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to produce and implement policies to regulate and control groundwater extraction in urban areas and also Develop systems for monitoring subsidence rates and providing early warnings to identify high risk areas.
While the second presentation by Brig Gen SA Gumel Subject experts on South America and the Carribean, focused his presentation on how Aaliyah Foster and Cedricka Williams off to Good Starts at the College Outdoor Competitions. He stated that On 30 APR 24, the Observer Newspaper in Kingston, Jamaica, reported that former Inter-Secondary Schools Atheletic Boys and Girls Championship (ISSA) Gold Medalists, Alliyah Foster of the University of Texas and Cedricka Williams of Barton County College made impressive starts to their college outdoor career after good wins in their respective events recently. According to the report, Foster won the women’s long jump at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays with a 6.75m record, while Williams broke the Barton County College women’s discus throw record at the ESU Relays in North Carolina on 28 Mar 24.
In his analysis and lessons for Nigeria, Brig Gen SA Gumel stressed that, Nigeria secured a second-place finish in the final medal table with 120 medals (47 gold, 33 silver, and 40 bronze). He said Premium Times reported that Weightlifting emerged as the goldmine for Nigeria, with lifters amassing an impressive 16 gold medals alongside 10 silver and 6 bronze medals. In another feat, Chidi Okezie delivered a historic moment, winning Nigeria’s first 400m gold medal in 37 years. Chukwuebuka Enekwechi secured his place in history as the first Nigerian to retain a Shot-Put gold medal at the Games. Furthermore, Chinecherem Nnamdi set a new national record of 82.80m in javelin, adding his name to the list of Nigerian history makers.
He recommended that, the Federal Government of Nigeria should Direct the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development (FMY&SD) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education (FMoE), National Orientation Agencies (NOA) and other relevant agencies encourage promotion of sports education and awareness initiatives to foster a culture of sports participation in Nigeria
