The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that an estimated 100 million vulnerable children face climate change impacts in Nigeria.
UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office, Kano, Mr Farah Mahmud stated this during the 2023 World Children’s Day celebration on Monday in Kano.
The theme of the Day is: “Impact of climate change on lives of children”.
He said the UN agency has developed an action plan for 2023 – 2027, to address the vulnerability of children to climate change, and to integrate climate change in all its interventions across sectors.
Mahmud said that effective implementation of the projects would build resilience to climate change.
According to him, UNICEF estimates that one billion children are at “extremely high” risk of the impacts of the climate crisis globally.
“Nigeria is the second most vulnerable country worldwide in terms of children’s exposure to climate change, about 100 million children are confronted with harsh realities of rising temperature.
“The action plan is the designing of a conscious action plan and step organised to address certain climate change issues in Nigeria. We make sure, we integrate climate change in whatever project we implement as UNICEF, to ensure resilience to climate change.
“Nigerian children are also confronted with flooding, drought and severe storms,” he said.
The celebration, he said, focuses on child rights amid escalating climate crisis, adding that, “it is a crucial platform for children to voice out their concerns and experiences”.
According to Mahmud, the Fund will look into the size and scope of the problem as well as develop an action plan to systematically stem climate change.
“UNICEF will work with the government and stakeholders to address the problem,” he said.
World Children’s Day was established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is marked on November 20 each year to promote international togetherness, create awareness among children and improve children’s welfare.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Nasiru Garo, said the state government was sensitising children on the dangers of climate change and encouraged them to contribute their quota toward reducing its impact.
“They are also sensitised to discourage their peers against open defecation, and ensure construction of public toilets at strategic locations to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status,” he said.
Garo said the state government accorded priority to the environment, especially the conservation of biodiversity and restoration of degraded lands.
The commissioner said the government would fight desert encroachment, pollution control and environmental sanitation to control flooding and soil erosion.
While reiterating government commitment to a green and sustainable environment, Garo added that the government would not relent in its effort to achieve ODF status.
