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The United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF) has urged students from higher institutions and secondary schools to find plausible solutions to the impact of climate change in Katsina.
Mrs. Stella Terver, the WASH Programme Officer, UNICEF Kano Field Office, said this in Katsina at a two-day sensitisation workshop organised for the students on green rising initiative.
The event was in collaboration with the Ideas and Data Global Academy, through the state Ministry of Environment.
According to Terver, this activity is all about alternative projects under the green rising initiative; adding, “Because what we’re doing under climate change is green rising and genuine.
“It’s all about engaging the youths, the community and the students to make sure that they have the understanding of what climate change is.
“They should also understand how it impacts on their lives, the environment, and what action they can take to either adapt or mitigate against future occurrence.”
According to her, the activity also aimed to make the students understand how they can build their capacity around climate related entrepreneurship.
Terver explained that the outreach was about reaching out to the students to sensitise them, build their capacity on climate issues and how they can address them in their society.
She stated, “At least they will be able to address the issues within their context, villages, or environment.
“It may be through planting of trees, or plastic waste management, there are a whole lot.
“At each secondary school, we are targeting 200 students, and we are looking at 10 schools in each Local Government Area (LGA).
“We have Bakori, Batagarawa, Bindawa, Baure, Charanchi, Danja, Daura, Dutsinma, Dutsi, Funtua, Ingawa, Kafur, Kaita, Kankia, Kurfi, Kusada, and Mai’adua LGAs,’’ she said.
Terver said UNICEF would support the establishment of climate action clubs in secondary schools that would be able to nurture the trees and be able to sensitise other students.
She said that for each of the universities and other higher learning institutions, UNICEF was looking at 200 students that would be trained to sensitise others.
“These students will move down and sensitise other people on green rising and then get them registered.
“We’re looking at each student being able to mobilise 250 students.
“We are targeting sustainability to make sure that at the end of the day, these trees that are planted, will grow and be able to produce edible fruits.
“Because in schools, we’re advocating for planting edible fruits, which will also add to the nutrition of the students or the pupils in that school.
“It might not be an immediate thing, because we know when you plant it takes time to nurture it to survive and then to begin to produce edible fruits,” Terver said.
According to the WASH officer, they are looking at making sure that the environment is climate-friendly for the students, adding,”so that there will be no littering of plastics, and other types of wastes.”
Malam Mustapha Shehu, the representative of the Ideas and Data Global Academy, said that the exercise would enable the students to be able to register on “Yoma”.
According to him, Yoma is a platform of trusted partners, bringing freshest opportunities to keep the students’ skills sharp and stay in the loop with what is happening in the working world.
He said it was an app that the youths were being assigned to develop their capacities on climate change and be able to have some innovative ideas.
Shehu said they could be supported to assess a climate fund in order to expand.
Also, Malam Nura Abubakar, the Director, Waste Management and Environmental Assessment, State Ministry of Environment, said the government would do everything possible to ensure the success of the project.
He called on the public to desist from the indiscriminate disposal of wastes so as to avoid flooding and other devastating environmental hazards.
By Abbas Bamalli
