Lagos, Feb. 15, 2023: Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, Director of the Center for Climate Change and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike, Ebonyi, says climate change is not just an environmental problem but a national economic development problem.
Okereke, a visiting professor at the Oxford University and the London School of Business, stated this while giving an opening remark at the award ceremony of the winners of the second national essay competition on climate change.
The competition was organised by the Center for Climate Change and Development in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Center, University of Abuja.
The topic of the essay is “Climate Change and Nigeria’s Economic Development: A Letter to Mr. Incoming President.”
Okereke said that the reason for the second national essay competition was to encourage Nigerian youths to be engaged with climate change.
According to him, it was also necessary to alert the incoming President on the economic development implications of climate change for Nigeria and the need for urgent action to tackle the challenge.
He said that the Center would continue to do its best to encourage the Nigerian youth to get involved in articulating and advancing action on climate change
In his goodwill message, the Director-General, National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Dr Salisu Dahiru, said that Nigeria had made very bold commitments on climate change led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Represented by Mr Michael Ivenson, Director, Department of Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation, NCCC, Dahiru said that the president desired to see Nigeria play its own role in tackling the menace of climate change.
Dahiru said that he was delighted to see several young people as the audience, adding that the NCCC is an inclusive institution that was designed to accommodate the youths, women and Persons With Disability in tackling the menace of climate change.
He called on youths to engage in climate change and to engage with the council to pull all efforts together to ensure that climate change is tackled adequately in Nigeria.
He said that climate change was a national emergency that required the participation of everybody.
He expressed gratitude to Nigerian youths, urging them to work with the council to build together to build effective responses to climate change.
He expressed gratitude to Okereke’s initiative in an inclusive national conversation on climate change through the essay competition.
“Climate change is a national emergency and requires everybody to participate.
“Climate change impacts our local community, creating hunger. It destroys our businesses, farmlands, amd our sources of livelihood.
“Climate change is a national security imperative,” Dahiru said.
He enjoined Nigerians to act rightly and environmentally friendly.
Also speaking, Hon Sam Onuigbo, who sponsored the Climate Change Act said there was a firm interconnection between climate change and economic growth.
According to Onuigbo, climate change action represents an opportunity for the country to build a prosperous and sustainable green economy.
“The Nigerian youth is already championing a vote for climate change, adding that youth awareness was necessary in ensuring that climate change remains in the agenda of the incoming president.”
He said that there was the need to integrate climate change into the national education curriculum in schools.
Onuigbo said that he looked forward to continuously interacting with students and telling them the role that legislation could play in tackling climate change.
Also speaking, Dr Eugene Itua, Chief Executive Officer, Natural Eco Capital, said that it was important to create awareness at all levels especially among the youths .
Itua said that climate change was also an intergenerational problem that affects the old the young, adding that it was also was something that requires long term thinking.
He said that Nigeria was elaborating the long term strategy which will form Nigeria on a long term development part that is sustainable.
He said that it was a privilege to interact with the youths and he enjoined the youth leaders to look for several opportunities aimed at tackling climate change, like climate investment.climate innovation and the opportnnities, to engage in international diplomacy
He expressed gratitude to Okereke for leading the team on scenarios building , a foretaste of the countrys’ vision in 2060.
“Trying to hone the interest of the youths is the right way to go
“We can indeed scale up our capacity and look for opportunities for ourselves,” Itua said.
In his goodwill message, the National Youth Leader, Labour Party, Mr Kennedy Ahanotu, said that he was thankful to Buhari for starting to put Nigeria on the map in terms of climate change action.
Ahanotu promised that Mr Peter Obi would take all the actions that have been on climate change forward.
He said that the letters written by the youth winners would form part of a youth charter of demand that would be presented to Obi if he wins.
He enjoined the youths to go home, collect their PVCs and fight for the future of Nigeria.
The youth leader said that it would be impossible for any country to exist effectively without youth involvement in politics.
He called on youths to take their destinies into their hands for a better Nigeria.
The climax of the event was the award of prizes to the winners of the essay competition.
Mr Isreal Orere who took the first position got N200,000, Mr James Owan came second with N150,000 prize and Mr Promise Okwuchukwu came third with N100,000 prize.
