KADUNA- The Women Empowerment and Climate Resilience Initiative (WECRI), in Partnership with the Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE) Programme have concluded plans to educate some communities in Kaduna state on climate change.
The exercise the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports will be led by Bridge That Gap (BTG) Initiative, a Consortium partner of the 4-year PACE programme.
The PACE programme aims to strengthen climate governance through wide range of activities including building capacity and policy influence in Nigeria.
Executive Director, BTG initiative, Gloria Bulus, disclosed this on Wednesday, when she paid a visit to the traditional ruler of Zangon Kataf community to seek royal blessings and gain the acceptance of the people towards the implementation of the exercise.
Bulus explained that the BTG initiative would be leading a six-month pilot project across Chikun, Zango Kataf, and Zaria local government areas in the state focusing on awareness creation and deforestation.
She noted that the exercise would include training journalists on effective reporting on issues of desertification, deforestation, and climate change as well as radio call-in programme.
She also said that energy-efficient cook stoves would be distributed to 50 women in the areas, while a baseline assessment would be conducted.
”We will also monitor the usage of the stoves in Zonkwa community in the Zangon Kataf locality to know if our people are ready for this intervention, which aims to reduce the pressure women face in terms of using firewood.
“We will train selected women and build their capacity in governance and advocacy, because they will lead the advocacy of this project,” she said.
The BGT initiative executive director further said that the project would include planting of 2,000 trees in the community.
In his response, the traditional ruler, Luka Kogi-Yabwat, said the project was lofty and would outlive them, promising to support the initiative and instruct his people to give all necessary support.
Similarly, Philip Jatau, the Sarkin Daji of Zonkwa, expressed excitement about the project, saying it would benefit future generations and reduce the pressure on women in accessing firewood.
“We are happy because even when we are no more, our children can look at the result of this project and appreciate us.
”In this community we do not have any forest, as a result access to firewood is a major challenge. Our people have to travel to other communities to get wood, but with this project, even if we don’t benefit, the coming generation will.
”We have a lot of open fields where we can plant these trees for our people to benefit,” he said.
In the same vein, Mr Ayuba Diem, Secretary to the local government council, said the intervention would bring growth and development to the locality, thereby reducing felling of trees and promoting awareness on climate change.
“The importance of this intervention cannot be measured. For lack of awareness, we cut trees without knowing that we are exposing the vegetation to various dangers.
“In the past we don’t experience exposure to sun, but now we are exposed to sun even inside our rooms, but with project tree felling in the community will be reduced.
“We are very happy and wish that the support that will be provided will be scaled-up because this community is really big,” Diem said.
The NAN reports that the team had earlier paid an advocacy visit to the Esu Chikun, Ishaku Yari ,who promised to give his full support and admonished the team to ensure inclusion of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as part of the project beneficiaries.
Yari also said that Maraba Rido community should to be prioritised so that its residents would benefit to alleviate their sufferings. (NAN)
