The Osun State Government has called for strategic collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to strengthen climate advocacy at the grassroots level.
Speaking at a climate summit held in Osogbo on Tuesday, the Special Assistant to the Osun State Governor on Renewable Energy, Funmiso Babarinde, stressed the need for targeted messaging that resonates with local communities.
The summit, organised by Youth in Agroecology and Restoration Network (YARN) in collaboration with NET HOPE and Ushahidi Kenya, brought together community-based organisations, relevant ministries, farmers, and traditional leaders to deliberate on local climate challenges and community-led solutions.
Babarinde emphasized that climate change is no longer an abstract scientific concept but a pressing reality that demands inclusive action.
“We want to call on the Director General of the National Orientation Agency to work with the Federal Ministry of Information and the State Ministry of Information to design a framework for advocacy at the grassroots and communities,” he said.
“This is important because the issue of climate change is no longer scientific but a reality that concerns all.”
He noted that the Osun State Government is already implementing several climate-friendly initiatives but that wider impact can only be achieved through effective public engagement.
To this end, he advocated for the use of indigenous languages in creating climate content to ensure the message is understood across different demographics.
“Advocacy messages and media content on climate change should be done in local languages.
“Also, the media community should be trained in climate change reporting, while the entertainment industry, especially those in Nollywood and the music industry, should be co-opted into the advocacy program for effectiveness,” he said.
The summit focused on participatory dialogue around local climate realities, designing inclusive methods for data gathering, and finding ways to amplify community voices in climate policy formulation.
It also aimed at building capacity for effective grassroots climate action plans.
Encouraging the participants—comprising farmers, youth leaders, and civil society actors—to take ownership of climate action, Babarinde warned of dire consequences if collective efforts are not intensified.
“If we are not all involved, there might not be a place for our children in the future to be called earth again at the rate the effects of climate change are ongoing all over the world,” he concluded.
