The Climate and Sustainable Development Network (CSDevNet) on Monday, October 28, 2024, said that more than 200 communities have been submerged and two million people displaced due to climate-induced floods in Kogi State.
The National Network Coordinator, CSDevNet, Mr. Stephen Abu, made the disclosure during an advocacy tagged “Keep Your Promise Campaign” to Lokoja flooded areas.
Abu said that the Keep Your Promise Campaign was an initiative launched by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) in 2023.
According to him, the campaign focuses on holding global leaders accountable for their climate pledges, particularly as they relate to climate finance and adaptation, ahead of the 29th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The COP is an annual international climate conference where world leaders gather to discuss and agree on climate action, strategies, and policies.
“As we approach COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the campaign emphasises the urgency of delivering on climate pledges and advancing climate justice.
“We are raising awareness about the severe impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities in Kogi and across Africa, particularly the disproportionate burden borne by the continent.
“Kogi, situated at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers, stands as a tragic testament to the devastating impacts of climate change,” he said.
The CSDevNet coordinator added that the annual floods, exacerbated by rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall patterns, and deforestation, have wiped out homes, farmlands, and livelihoods, leaving communities in despair.
He stated that the floods were not isolated incidents as they were part of a larger climate crisis that Africa faces due to the actions of high-emitting nations.
“Despite being the least responsible for climate change, Africa suffers its most catastrophic effects.
“The Kogi flooding crisis epitomises the failure of global powers to deliver on their climate finance and justice promises.
“These promises made in forums like the Paris Agreement have not materialised on the scale necessary to protect the most vulnerable, who bear the heaviest burdens.
“The floods in Kogi highlight an urgent need for climate justice. Millions remain displaced, living in makeshift shelters with little to no access to clean water, sanitation, or healthcare.
“For Kogi and many other African regions, climate justice is not an abstract concept; it is a matter of survival,” he stressed.
KogiState Commissioner for Environment and Ecological Management, Mr. Olusegun Joseph, commended the CSDevNet and PACJA for the initiative.
Joseph, however, called for improved support for the state in tackling its flood issues.
The commissioner said that the state government, under the leadership of Gov. Ahmed Ododo, had been doing its best to mitigate the flood effects by providing IDP camps and relief materials to flood victims.
He, however, said that the state government cannot do it alone and called on the Federal Government, corporate and international organisations to support the state, emphasising that the state was already overwhelmed.
Similarly, Prof. Dauda Tanko, Founder, Green Haven Environment and Sustainable Development Network, stressed the need for people to hold global leaders accountable for the devastating effects of climate change.
“We expect the people to be aware that global leaders are responsible for mitigating and reducing the impact of climate change so that they can take action,” he said.
CSDevNet and other stakeholders held a “Walk for climate justice” to flood areas in Lokoja, carrying placards displaying key messages and calling for global leaders to keep their promises on climate action and finance.
The various inscriptions on the placards include “Honour Your Commitment,” “Scale Up Adaptation Financing,” and “Pay For Your Climate Debts.”
Others were “Keep Your Promises,” “Stop Shifting Burden To Africa”, and “Carbon Markets Are False Solutions, Stop!” among others.
By Stephen Adeleye
