The United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF says environmental degradation threatens the health, education, and overall well-being of Nigerian children.
The chief UNICEF field office Kano Mr. Rahma Rihood Muhammad Farah made the indication during the World Environment Day celebration and tree planting held at Hasiya Bayero Junior Arabic Girls Secondary School.
He explained that in the UNICEF Climate Landscape Analysis for Children CLAC, 2023 report, Nigeria ranks second worst in the world on the Children’s Climate Risk Index.
Mr. Rahma pointed out that, Globally 40 percent of the world’s population, is impacted by land degradation, and millions of people are directly affected by droughts annually.
The chief of field office noted that desertification and land degradation are critical issues in Nigeria, particularly in the northern regions where rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall have exacerbated soil erosion and reduced agricultural productivity.
“Children suffer the most from environmental degradation. When the land becomes infertile and water sources dry up, it is children who bear the burden of the consequences”
“Girls, in particular, are disproportionately affected, as they are frequently tasked with fetching water, which not only disrupts their education but also exposes them to the risk of violence”
He maintained that the UNICEF Field Office in Kano is partnering with state governments towards addressing Climate change impacts on children, through the creation of WASH facilities, tree planting, awareness creation and analysis, and drainage clearing to avert flooding among others.
The state commissioner of environment Alhaji Nasiru Sule Garo urged people of the state to imbibe the culture of keeping their environment clean and always avoid felling of trees, saying that the government would continue to sensitize people, using the media, on best practices of protecting the environment through tree planting.
Alhaji Nasiru however, called on individuals and organizations to plant plenty of trees and flowers to help save the environment and urged the students to be climate change ambassadors to achieve the desired objectives.
Principal of government girls Arabic secondary school Hasiya Bayero Malama Sha’awa Ado Jibril commended UNICEF and the Kano state government for the tree planting.
Some of the students who spoke to Radio Nigeria, Hussaina Aliyu Muhammad and Fatima Nura Ibrahim promised to plant trees in their homes and ensure utilization of those planted in their school.
Radio Nigeria reports that the event themed: Our Land Our Future was organized by UNICEF in collaboration with the Kano State Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, state universal basic education board SUBEB, and Rural Water supply and Sanitation Agency RUWASA.
KHADIJAH ALIYU
