The Kano state government has made known its partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to draft a final climate change policy document for the state.
The Kano State Commissioner for Environment, Nasiru Garo disclosed in a statement at a stakeholders engagement on Tuesday.
Garo, explained that the partnership is a significant step in the state, as it will help confront all challenges faced by climate change in Kano state, adding that the alliance with UNICEF will aid development and secure the future of the state.
“The realities of climate change are no longer distant or abstract across the Sahel and northern Nigeria.
“Frequent droughts that threaten agricultural productivity causing food insecurity, and unpredictable rainfall patterns that disrupt the planting season,“ he said.
The Commissioner underscored the relevance of the project in the state, noting that climate change poses lots of threats to the environs, and if left unaddressed will hinder the state’s economic progress and increase poverty.
“Desertification, encroaching on fertile lands and forcing communities to migrate, heatwave and flooding, will lead to severe health risks, displacement and destruction of infrastructure,” he said.
UNICEF WASH Programme Officer, Kano Field Office, Stella Terver reaffirmed the agreement of the agency to partner with the state in addressing the effects of climate change on children in the state.
According toTerver, the agency is committed to supporting great vision for development. She noted that UNICEF’s mission is to empower children not only to survive but flourish, exercising their inherent rights.
She advocated for the implementation of climate change polices in Nigeria to safeguard children’s health and safety, urging everyone to work together to achieve this goal.
“Each time we talk about climate change, we talk about how it impacts on the children in Kano State.
“All we do is targeted at children, be it WASH, education, health, policy, child protection, all of them are targeted at that one child,” she stressed.
In his remark, Dr. Muhammad Khalil, Executive Secretary, Kano Watershed, Erosion and Climate Change Management Agency (KN-WECCMA), confirmed its commitment in promoting environmental sustainability.
Furthermore, Musa Kachako, Chairman, Kano State House of Assembly Committee on Environment, showed great enthusiasm with the drafted policy.
“The occasion is to address the issues bothering people for long, not only in Kano or Nigeria but worldwide.
Environment plays a vital role in people’s health and what they eat. The issue of climate change, if addressed will assist generality of people and not only farmers.
