An NGO, Building Blocks for Peace Foundation (BBFORPEACE), on Friday, March 15, 2024, commenced community engagement on promoting proper utilisation of livelihood packages to mitigate climate change in Illela Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Samson Shu’aibu, who represented the NGO’s Executive Director, Mr Rafi’u Lawal, said the project is working towards preventing conflicts and initiating peace building strategies on how to address climate change.
“Climate security project means to neutralise the conflict and insecurity stemming from environmental degradation, desert encroachment, degraded pastures and other impacts of climate change in Northwest.
“The project was initiated in recognition of the dynamic ways through which the impacts of climate change stimulated conflict and insecurity in the region.
“Illela in Sokoto state and Jibia in Katsina state are the focused areas of the project,” he said.
Shu’aibu noted that the project, titled “Northwest Climate Peace Hub: A Climate Security Approach to Conflict Prevention”, is being implemented with support from the UNDP Nigeria and the Norwegian Embassy in Abuja.
He identified three key activities that would be implemented during the project to include capacity-building training for youth on dialogue, mediation, reconciliation and climate action.
“In addition to establishing climate and conflict early warning, early response structures and supporting climate activists to plant and nurture trees across Illela local government area,” he noted.
According to him, the objective of the project is to support high risk communities in northwest Nigeria working with youth and women to address climate induced conflicts and adapt to climate change.
Responding on behalf of benefiting community, the District Head of Illela, Alhaji Buhari Abdulrahman, lamented the adverse effects of climate change and the insecurity bedeviling the northern Nigeria.
Abdulrahman appreciated the organisation for coming up with the initiative and expressed the willingness of his community to support the project and ensure its sustainability.
In his remark, the Sole Administrator of Illela LGA, Alhaji Sahabi Isah, who officially flagged-off the project, expressed joy to Building Blocks for Peace as well as their partners for the project and promised to sustain support to it.
By Habibu Harisu
