Congratulations Professor Haruna!

My dear friend and brother, Dr. Andrew Haruna has just been made a full Professor at University of Maiduguri. This is a matter for celebration and thanksgiving to God. It is richly deserved (indeed over-deserved compared to some of the political, religious and ethnic “professorships” granted in the past) and it is based solely on his widely recognised academic standing.

He is more handsome without glasses but I think a Professor should wear specs, somehow.

Andrew is used by the University and Teaching Hospital as a contact man for visiting academics and doctors (completely unpaid, by the way!) since he has such cross-cultural and organisational expertise.

The University website has a Google malware warning so I won’t post a link to it but you can see a few things on my Bature blog.

Going to Nigeria!

Two and a half months away, meeting great people, preaching my socks off and catching the end of the rainy season.

I have started a NEW BLOG - http://bature.wordpress.com so visit me there please.

There is also a gallery of photos at SmugMug (click here).

Incidentally SmugMug do a brilliant photo storage/display service for $39.99 pa (£20 per year) and do discounts for referrals. If any friend wants to be recommended by me get in touch.

Lake Chad has emigrated

This image belongs to the BBC but I have copied here because it is so dramatic. Click here to read the associated article.

You might need to click the image to see it all (depending on your screen resolution).

It shows how Lake Chad (which was once an inland sea) has dwindled over the last thirty years. The second image is from October 2001 at the end of the rainy season when the rivers and lakes should be quite full.

As river waters are being used more for irrigation, hydro power and human consumption and the climate in the semi-arid region seems to be getting drier the mighty lake is shrinking. It has already emigrated from Nigeria and Niger and looks like it might have to give up its dual nationality with Cameroon soon.

The excellent supply of high quality protein from the Lake Chad fishery is shrinking fast - which will have an effect on the whole region. For the moment, the rich soil of what was once the lake bed is providing good farming but the desert is on the move southward.

It is useless to expect the Governments to do anything useful. The whole Chad Basin is littered with the debris of past projects which have failed as a result of corrupt bureaucrats and contractors. I believe the best hope is for small scale fish farming to fill the employment and nutrition gap. The necessary water lies close under the surface of the region and artesian wells can be sunk in some areas. But is there enough expertise, interest and capital for this to happen?

Fire in Monday Market, Maiduguri

I have just heard that there was a fire at the end of July which destroyed the large “Monday Market” area in Maiduguri. The Monday market was open every day!?

Happily no one was injured because it happened at night time but that meant the fire had time to take hold unseen. Many people will have their livlihoods affected and I hope they will be able to bounce back. Here are a couple of pictures of the market in action.

Ancient History - 1999 trip to Northern Nigeria

This post is just a link to the account of my trip to Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria which is on my website at

http://www.15tg.freeserve.co.uk/doframe.htm

I made another trip in 2003 which I loved but did not record so well. God willing, I would like to go in 2007 but nothing is ceertain yet.