- “I have learned that you are never too small to make a difference”- Greta Thunberg
About five years ago, I caught the bug of intentionally protecting the environment from a street cleanup campaign, which triggered a few lifestyle changes for me as I started with changing my antiperspirant to a roll-on, separating waste at home and in the office, planting trees whenever possible, designing eco-friendly campaigns, delivering ESG solutions for clients and teaching the next generation how to take climate action in a fun and exciting way.
All of these have resulted in adding a new sustainability feather to my cap and establishing a United Nations-endorsed climate education, advocacy and media platform known as the GreenHubAfrica Foundation (www.greenhubafrica.com), a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
The GreenHubAfrica Foundation is a strategic partner with the United Nations working closely with the Information Centre to, among other things, promote a trademarked Nigerian Climate Action Super Heroes avatars, through a series of initiatives, ranging from the ongoing GreenHubAfrica schools’ outreach, the ongoing production of an animation series and branded content for web and TV, Children’s Story Books, Comics, computer games, merchandising materials and a Joint show at the next UN COP27 happening in Egypt later this year.
The Climate Action Superheroes were officially launched at this year’s World Environment Day hybrid event organised by GreenHubAfricaheld on June 6, 2022, and June 7, 2022, at the UN House in Abuja in partnership with United Nations Information.
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The event had global captains of industry in attendance and was opened by the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations (UN) in Nigeria, Mathias Schmale, as well as Chairman GreenHubAfrica Foundation and Director of Internationalisation at the London South Bank University, Prof. Obas John Ebohon.
Other keynote speakers are the Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo; Director of Climate Change at the Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr Ini Obong Awe; Senator Gershom Bassey, Mrs Uche Onwuama; who represented the Minister of Education; Ace Comedian, Ali Baba; Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Education, Ms Adetola Salau; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Natural Eco Limited, Dr Eugene Itua, Founder of FABE International, Mrs Temitope Okunnu and Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GreenHubAfrica Foundation, Henry Bassey, among others.
The event, among other things, rewarded the top performing school students, who participated in the GreenHubAfrica Climate Action Superheroes schools outreach contest. Their artistic entries were showcased as up-cycled products from skills acquired during the school’s outreach.
It also unveiled for the first time the eight re-contextualised Nigerian Super Heroes in an animation format, which showcased their exciting superpowers, to tackle our local climate challenges evident in increases in temperature, variable rainfall, rise in sea level and flooding, drought and desertification, land degradation, more frequent extreme weather events, affected fresh water resources and loss of biodiversity.
The super heroes will be used to educate, entertain and engage our target audience to take climate action, through various GreenHubAfrica Foundation’s initiatives.
Bassey further explained that the concept of climate action super heroes emanated from a UN comprehensive action plan developed by academics in New York, United States of America (USA) during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown to drive climate action among students.
To this effect, the GreenHubAfrica Foundation designed a localised syllabus incorporating the Climate Action Superheroes to equip Nigerian students with practical knowledge and skills to address climate change and other local environmental challenges.
The Foundation has already engaged over 5,000 students in 13 schools across Nigeria and has just concluded the first school outreach in Lagos, powered by Sterling Bank at the Jibowu Junior High School, in partnership with the ministry of education where no fewer than 300 students have already been engaged with plans to extend to other schools in Lagos and other parts of the country.
On Thursday, July 21, 2022, six students namely: Opeyemi Olotu; Ramadan Iyanda; Ope Ayomide; Confidence Jigba; Kehinde Fasinu and Hanatu Agatha, who demonstrated uncommon creativity, originality and innovation were unveiled as winners of our environmental and climate action superheroes class contest through their designs from disposable materials, following an intensive training organised for them by the GreenHubAfrica Foundation.
Of the six students, Hanatu Agatha, Kehinde Fasinu and Confidence Jigba emerged first, second and third best students and were awarded prizes by Sterling Bank PLC.
Senior Special Adviser (SSA) to the Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on education, Ms Adetola Salau, commended the students, while Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Sterling Bank, Dapo Martins, who lauded the programme, also revealed that the bank, through its Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Transportation (HEART) initiative, would continue to support the future of tomorrow in its quest for producing good leaders, seeing that the country needed sincere and accountable leaders for the future.
The event ended with planting ornamental trees at the Jibowu Junior High School. The growth of the trees and their performance would be monitored and if well nurtured, will contribute to the ranking of the school as a participant in the 2023 world environment day, National Climate Action Superheroes Schools contest, which will hold at the UN House, Abuja where remarkable climate action solutions from participating schools will be rewarded.
