Malam Abubakar Suleiman, the General Manager of the Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA) and other experts have pointed to the increasing severe weather conditions in the state as evidence of climate change’s impact and have developed a mitigation action plan.
This was stated during a forum in Maiduguri focused on developing an advocacy strategy for the Borno State Climate Change Programme.
Stakeholders emphasized the importance of providing alternative energy sources to discourage deforestation and promote sustainability.
“It is a global challenge, and we can feel it in Borno. We have been experiencing very harsh weather in Borno recently,” he noted.
Speaking further, he noted that the state now has a robust action plan called the Borno State Climate Change Action Plan. However, he noted that implementing the action plan cannot succeed without public cooperation, especially from local people.
“The state governor had instructed the Ministry of Environment to generate 10 million seedlings the previous year. He also cautioned that his agency would penalize individuals involved in reckless tree felling.”
Similarly, Dr. Gabriel Akeh, the Environmental Dean of the School of Environmental Technology at Ramat Polytechnic Maiduguri, highlighted the importance of addressing the affordability and accessibility of alternative energy sources, a significant topic discussed during the session.
“We are looking at affordability and access to combat climate change. This will discourage people from cutting trees because trees act as sinks for the carbon dioxide released into the air each time we cut one,” he explained.
He noted that the increased use of polluting fuels, such as dirty fuel and traditional solid fuels like firewood and charcoal, exposes women to high levels of smoke, posing a threat to their health.
Also in his remarks, Mr. Unicoo Kalu, the Advocacy and Communication Officer for the Borno Climate Change Programme, outlined the program’s objective of enhancing state officials’ capacity to address climate change issues effectively.
He explained that the program comprises three main components: the planning stage, which involves assisting the state in formulating a Climate Change Action Plan to address the challenges; community resilience groups, aimed at developing a climate-change agricultural toolbox; and plans and strategies for farming practices that are resilient to climate change impacts.
