Writing By Daniel Karlmax; Editing By Godwin Duru
The National Orientation Agency has reaffirmed its readiness to partner with organizations committed to environmental protection in order to combat the effects of climate change and promote sustainable growth and development.
Kaduna State Director of NOA, Mr. Danjuma Makama, gave the assurance while receiving members of the Kaduna State Climate Change Accountability Mechanism (KADCCAM) during a courtesy visit to the state directorate of the agency.
He explained that NOA has the sole mandate of enlightening citizens on government programmes activities and policies, as well as collecting feedback from the public, which can help shape government policies.
Mr. Makama described the visit as timely, considering increasing extreme weather events, such as excessive heat and fluctuating temperatures, among others.
He stressed that NOA is open to collaboration with KADCCAM to ensure a safer environment for residents of the state and the country at large.
According to him, the Agency has created an Environment, Climate and Energy Department as part of efforts to tackle climate change–related challenges.
The State Director reaffirmed NOA’s commitment to working with the organisation through its officers and Volunteer Citizens Brigade across the twenty three local government areas, and wards of the state through strategic message dissemination.
He identified traditional and religious leaders, as well as women and youth groups, as key stakeholders who play instrumental roles in information dissemination, noting that their importance cannot be overemphasised.
“We need collaboration to effectively discharge our mandate”
“Despite some constraints, we continue to reach these areas through our Citizens Brigade, but additional support is necessary,” he said.
Earlier, the Co-Chairman of KADCCAM, Mr. Ibrahim Yakubu, said the visit was aimed at seeking partnership with NOA, considering its vital role in awareness creation and grassroots information dissemination.
He noted that climate change is no longer a distant reality, as its effects — including environmental degradation, desertification and flooding — are triggering chain reactions that affect all aspects of human life.
Mr. Yakubu also highlighted the migration of people resulting from the depletion of forests, aquatic life and wildlife due to irrational human activities such as deforestation as well as indiscriminate waste burning at improper dump sites, which he said contributes to health hazards.
He said that partnering with NOA would provide a strong platform to effectively communicate the impacts of climate change to citizens and promote local solutions such as proper waste disposal, tree planting, sanitation, clearing of drainage channels and recycling to mitigate flooding and other environmental challenges.
The KADCCAM co-chairman also pointed out that, Kaduna State dropped from 16th to 3rd position in the climate governance ranking this year, stressing the need to synergise efforts with critical stakeholders toward making the state cleaner and greener.
Mr. Yakubu emphasised the importance of the monthly Climate Hangout, which he said has yielded positive results by bringing together academics, religious leaders and media practitioners at the Interfaith Mediation Centre in Kaduna to chart a way forward using diverse approaches to tackle environmental challenges.
“We believe we cannot achieve this without NOA, as you are the backbone of grassroots mobilisation. We are here to strengthen collaboration and build a solid partnership to help change destructive human activities affecting the environment,” he added.
The partnership engagement meeting was attended by NOA staff and KADCCAM members, including Mrs. Ladi Saleh of the Society for Water and Sanitation, and environmental reporter Daniel Karlmax of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Kaduna, among others.
Daniel Karlmax
