Stakeholders and governments have been called upon to join a struggle to put a final end to water poverty among the earth's inhabitants; ahead the World Water Day, which is celebrated every March 22 all over the world. The call was made by a coalition in Nigeria including WaterAid Nigeria, Benue Non-Governmental Organisation Network, Water and Sanitation Media Network, who are billed to launch a campaign against water poverty on above date in Nigeria, in conjunction with a global move. The coalition claimed there is a global crisis in sanitation and water, with billions of people across the world living in the same kind of squalor and disease that was eradicated long ago in the developed world. Without sanitation and water there can be no sustainable development in health, education and livelihoods, locking people into a cycle of poverty and disease, they said.



In a statement by a WaterAid official, Mr. Bankole Ebisemiju, he said, "with international, national and local level calls to action, all players in the international community can be in no doubt as to the roles they can and must play to end this crisis". Internationally, the End Water Poverty Coalition is calling on Germany, hosts of the G8 this year, to explicitly recognise in the summit declaration the slow progress in extending access to sanitation and water, and recognise that sanitation and water are basic human rights and fundamental to poverty reduction. The Coalition urged Germany to ensure that the G8 summit commits to a Global Action Plan for sanitation and water to ensure services for the world's poorest people.



Mr. Jonathan Burton, WaterAid Country Representative said the "End Water Poverty campaign brings together like minded organisations across the world who wants to see action and who resolves to end the crisis that is experienced by millions of people struggling in poverty". "At this moment we are calling on Germany to use the G8 to initiate a Global Action Plan for sanitation and water to be monitored by a global task force. Our coalition members in Europe are pushing for this to happen too. This is truly an international campaign and together, with one voice it's just possible that we will bring an end to water poverty". He added that the End Water Poverty Campaign would be launched in Makurdi, Benue State with a workshop on the theme of the campaign and will have in attendance governorship candidates of the political parties in Benue State.



The debate is expected to provide a platform for the citizens to engage the politicians on their plans for sanitation and water when elected into office. This will be followed by a rally round the city of Makurdi, with brief stop-over at sites of deplorable state of water supply and sanitation conditions. End Water Poverty is an international campaign calling for sanitation and water for all. There is growing coalition of like-minded organisation from all over the world demanding immediate action to tackle this crisis. End Water Poverty is calling for one global action plan for sanitation and water monitored by one global task force, 70% of aid money for sanitation and water to be targeted at the poorest countries, and for water resources to be protected and shared equitably.

“Leaders preparing for the World Water Forum in 2009 pleaded Tuesday for rich nations to make universal access to clean water a top priority, calling it one of the world's most pressing challenges. ‘The lack of water or its poor quality causes 10 times more deaths than all the wars waged on this planet together,’ said Loic Fauchon, President of the World Water Council, speaking at the forum's initial preparatory meeting in Istanbul. Fauchon called for development of policies that relied on ‘man's genius and his capability to invent new solutions,’ saying it had become a moral imperative to place water at the center of the public and political debate. Fauchon suggested solutions would be found in technological development such as processes that might be able to tap water buried deep in the earth, separate water from salt, and transport fresh water over great distances. … Fauchon warned necessary actions wouldn't be without cost. … Hilmi Guler, Turkey's Minister of Energy and Water Issues, said the forum, which was devised to be the world's preeminent think-tank on water issues, would be an opportunity for countries to discuss common problems and work toward common and equitable solutions. Guler said he expected 20,000 participants at the 2009 meeting, a number that would match the last forum held in Mexico City in 2006. The forum is held every three years. …” [Dow Jones/Factiva]



In an interview with the Turkish Daily News, Fauchon warned that “… ‘Because the stories about global warming are more spectacular, it's true that the public started to forget about the water shortage problem.’ … According to Fauchon, climate change and water scarcity are two interrelated issues. The exact implications of climate evolution over the water resources are not well known. ‘However, what we know and what worries us a lot is that in 20 years time, there will be 60 mega cities of 10 million or more habitants about the size of Istanbul; most will be in poor countries with no financial or technical capacity to solve water and sanitation problems,’ warned Fauchon … . According to Fauchon there are thousands of ‘sanitation bombs’ that are ‘thrown below the table, waiting to explode in 10–20 years time.’ Without water, you have pollution, with pollution comes epidemics and when you have an epidemic that starts in a mega city you don't know where it will stop; warned Fauchon. Water shortage is also at the root of the immigration issue; an acute problem the world tries to tackle. ‘If you have no water, you have no energy, no energy, no development. We take the luggage and we leave. Think about one part of Africa immigrating to Europe,’ said the French water expert. …” [Turkish Daily News/Factiva]



IN related news, AFP notes that “Five rivers in Asia serving over 870 million people are among the most threatened in the world, as dams, water extraction and climate change all take their toll, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said on Tuesday. The Yangtze, Salween-Nu, Indus, Ganges and Mekong-Lancang rivers make up half of the WWF's ‘top ten’ most threatened river basins, which ‘either already suffer most grievously under the weight of these threats or are bracing for the heaviest impacts,’ the organization said. … [A] WWF report [launched ahead of World Water Day] highlighted water extraction, dams, and climate change as the most wide-ranging threats that will have the most impact on people, though invasive species and pollution also pose serious problems. … [Director of WWF's Global Freshwater Program, Jamie Pittock] warned of ‘dire consequences’ if the situation is left unchecked, with increasing risk of conflict over access to water, as well as the spread of disease and a fall in nutrition standards. …” [Agence France Presse/Factiva]



The Guardian adds that “… A wasteful attitude to water use and inadequate protection of rivers has destroyed ecosystems while threatening the livelihoods of people living in river basins. … Rivers are the world's main source of fresh water and, according to the WWF, almost half of the world's supply is currently being tapped. … The world's longest river, the Nile, has served as a source of drinking water for thousands of years but, according to the WWF, it will face scarcity by 2025. … The Rio Grande, which flows along the US-Mexican border and contains 69 fish species found nowhere else in the world, is threatened by excessive extraction of water, mainly for agriculture. … [Tom Le Quesne, freshwater policy officer at WWF-UK] said that problems highlighted by the WWF report have been man-made. Impending climate change will just make things worse. …” [The Guardian (UK)/Factiva.

Cyber Crime is one of the Global Phenomena. Recent Research reveals that more than 75millions of Internet Users are fruadsters ! As a reuslt of this lets prepare for another World War!

I am writing on behalf of the entire members of Cyber Trust International Project- A volunteer group campaigns against Cyber crime in Nigeria.

Due to the continue growing of Cyber crime and increasing in the numbers of internet Fraudsters in Nigeria. This group in collaboration with other youth groups in Nigeria are proposing to set aside a date to lead a campaign again cyber crime and create public awareness.The proposing event is tagged" National Anti Cyber crime Campaign Day

Interested Nigerians and other nationalities are invited to join us in planning this Event