Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Sunday Dare has charged Nigerian youths to exploit every opportunities available to protect the nation’s environment against degradable effects of global climate change.
He lamented total neglect of the environment in the past by individuals who have not been taking responsibilities of protecting the endangered environment.
Dare on Thursday in Abuja, spoke through his Special Assistant on Youth, ICT and Corporate Relations, Oluwakemi Ann-Melody Areola during the 2022 Environment Symposium organised by the Earth Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation, in conjunction with the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN).
The minister said that efforts are in place by the ministry to sensitise youths on how to reverse the effects of climate change.
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He said: “At the Ministry of Youth and Sports, we have identified that though climate change is a problem, it is also an opportunity for us. There are a lot of jobs that can be created in the climate change ecosystem.
“So, the Ministry has come up with a lot of sustainability programmes, which targets young people in different areas to help in reversing climate change. There will use the opportunity to create jobs for
themselves.
“What is important about climate change is for us to take responsibility of our actions. The problem that exists in Nigeria today is that individuals are not taking responsibility of their individual actions or being responsible for what they are doing. So the ministry has come up with programmes that sensitise people about taking responsibility for their actions and how they are affected by climate change.
“The sensitisation is for young people to be educated on how they can reverse climate change. The problem is that young people are not feeling the impact of climate change. Now is the time to ensure that it can be reversed.”
Speaking earlier, the Minister of Environment, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor, who was represented by a Deputy Director in the ministry, Halima Bawa-Bwari, said that the Federal Government is working round the clock to tackle the issue of climate change as it affects the country in different ways.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Earth Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation, Comrade Yussuf Tunji Kelani, said that the effects of climate change on the environment are monumental and should be tackled head on by stakeholders.
He said: “human activities, overtime, have affected the flow of the natural environment and it is high time we started taking care of the environment, otherwise we will regret it. We started the advocacy in 2012 by educating people on the effects of climate change. In 2016, we started looking into the effect of climate change on infrastructural development. We have flooding in the South South, scarce rainfall in the west as a result of climate change.
“Climate change is obviously real now and no more a myth as was opined by some people earlier, though some are still living in that dreamland. Daily occurrences, incidences and happenings around us and indeed all over the world is enough evidence to proof to us that no one, no country, race, ethnic, religion or status will be left out in the effects and consequences of global warming”.
On his part, the president of NYCN, Amb. Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, said that the council will embark on planting trees in the 774 LGAs of Nigeria to combat the effects of climate change.
“If young people can be aware of how to turn waste to wealth, they will be more engaged rather than looking for nonexistent jobs. In two weeks from now, we will be engaging in planting trees in the 774 LGAs of Nigeria. By doing that, we will be contributing our quota to salvaging the environment. If you have a good environment, you will have healthy living.
“We are affiliated with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. We are also willing to go into partnership with the Ministry of Environment. When they are ready, we are ready. We have coordinators in all the LGAs. We have the manpower. We are only looking for support to facilitate our activities for the betterment of the Nigerian youth,” he said.
