NIGERIAN CHILDREN MEETS ON CLIMATE CHANGE
By Nasir Malali
Nigerian children have called on policy makers, opinion leaders and the federal government to ensure an action plan towards mitigating the effects of climate change in the country.
The children made their collective demand in a Nationwide virtual meeting as part of celebration marking the world children day organized by UNICEF .
Speaking on behalf of the children from the centre of the virtual meeting in Abuja, a student from government secondary school Tudun Wada Abuja, said, children are experiencing increased temperatures and polluted learning environment leading to health problems due to the gradual impact of climate change.
She said although the children appreciated some initiatives by the government, and efforts made by individuals, corporate organisations and development partners aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change , govt need to work out effective modalities and provide mechanisms in a bid to addressing the danger of climate change in the country.
Speaking from Sokoto, the representative of children in the state, Fatima Muhammad Bello , of Nana Secondary School, said most schools in the state were affected by windstorm, especially those communities sharing boundaries with Niger Republic.
In her speech, the UNICEF chief field officer Sokoto state,Dr. Maryam Sa’id said every year on the world children day Unicef celebrate the adoption of the declaration of the rights of children by the UN General assembly on the twentieth of November.
The field officer who described the day as annual day of action by children for children, said record indicates that Nigeria is among the top three countries in the world where children are at highest risk of climate change impact.
In his remarks,the Director , State Universal Basic Education Board, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu said, Sokoto State Government is aware of climate change negative impact in the state and has created ways and avenue on how to tackle such development especially across the public schools in the state.
He maintained that Sokoto is worst hit by climate change due to it proximity to Sahara desert.
Radio Nigeria in Sokoto Muhammad Nasir report that Sokoto, Borno, Bauchi and Enugu were among the participating states in the two day Nigerian children’s Virtual meeting with the zoom centre in Abuja.
