Climate Change: Stakeholders Expresses support for green culture in Sokoto

Stakeholders in the environment sector have expressed readiness to tackle climate change crisis through advocacy, adaptation, mitigation, tree planting and ecological restoration.

The experts have kick-started an awareness campaign on climate change issues through inter-school debate and engaging students in the Go-Green project.

The Go-Green project is an initiative of the Shehu Maikoli Foundation, Sokoto, Eco-Africa Climate Change Foundation, Abuja, and the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Sokoto State Council.

The initiative is at the forefront of the struggle for entrenching environmentally positive habits also known as green habits for sustainable ecosystem. Students from various tertiary education institutions in the state are now Go-Green ambassadors and would contribute to protecting their environments.

They participated in Go-Green inter-tertiary institutions debate, which many acknowledged has enhanced climate literacy and motivated them to take action against the global crisis, which has continued to take a heavy toll locally.

The Chair, Board of Trustees Go-Green Project, Hon Kajiji, stated the need to support students at all levels to be aware of and contribute to addressing climate change issues in the state and beyond.

“These students are our future leaders, and they will pilot multi-sectoral affairs of our society. Apart from the massive support this project has secured, the Go Green Project with its scope in Sokoto state has garnered more support from many non-governmental organisations such as Al-Ansar foundation Abuja, the Maria Tambuwal Development Initiative (MTDI). As a result, we will extend the Go-Green Project to Yobe, Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, and Jigawa states in the second phase to be launched in the first quarter of 2023.

“The resources invested into the Go-Green project through carefully designed programs such as the massive tree plantations and assorted seedlings distributed to various communities across the state and the just concluded climate change debate competition, I am certain will positively impact the targeted communities and will reduce that overdependence on our ecological resources for energy,” he said.

Kajiji, who is also the Founder of the Shehu Maikoli Foundation, revealed that over the years, the Foundation had embarked on massive tree planting at different sites and parts of Sokoto state and donated assorted seedlings to communities and agencies.

“I also want to inform you that serving humanity and grooming our younger generations to succeed in various aspects of life is our major goal in founding the Shehu Maikoli Foundation and Go-Green Project.”

The Chair Go-Green Debate and Essay Competitions Committee (DECC) Dr Abdullahi Bako Rabah, said: “At the launching of the Young Foresters Club as part of the activities of the Go-Green Project, a Debate Competition Committee was inaugurated to organise a competition among inter-tertiary institutions in the state to bring to light contemporary issues on climate change among our teeming youths studying various programs in these institutions.

The debate is not only about coming and winning but, more importantly, inculcating the concept of climate change in the minds of our youths.