The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has called for responsible conflict resolution at the climate justice webinar series held virtually on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
The webinar, which held under the aegis of the Nigerian Climate Justice Alliance, a project of NCF, focused on galvanising ideas to combat the climate change crises.
Speaking at the webinar, Dr. Grace Alawa, Founder, Sustainable Action for Nature (SAN), underlined the importance of building the capacity of stakeholders in the management of crises arising from oil exploration.
Alawa, who spoke on “Building Capacity of Local Stakeholders on Conflict Resolution Skills,” outlined the responsibilities of host communities, government and International Oil Companies (IOCs) in the management of conflict.
She noted that, due to environmental degradation and oil spillage in the Niger Delta, leading to the destruction of the source of livelihoods of the host communities, conflicts arise, and youths take on the IOCs violently by destroying their pipes and facilities.
Alawa said that the goal of the capacity building workshop is to build the capacity of local communities on climate resilience and climate justice.
According to her, various consultations were made between the communities, the government and IOCs.
She said that part of the negotiations included conducting the “Peoples Parliament” to hear the grievances of the communities with a view to advising them on how best to manage the crises.
She added that there was the need for the community to adopt a change in lifestyle.
The expert said that the capacity building required the host communities to be trained to become eco-defenders, with the skills to report degradation of the environment.
“At the end of the year evaluations on what they were able to achieve was made,” Alawa said.
She noted that 70 persons were trained in the Niger Delta.
She said that results from the exercise indicated that community engagement and transparent communication enhanced project impact and sustainability.
Alawa expressed gratitude to the NCF for its support.
In his recap, Shittu Usman Akorede, Project Officer, Finima Nature Park, Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Port Harcourt, said that the essence of the webinar was to build capacities of host communities on how to manage conflict between host communities, government and IOCs.
Akorede noted that conflicts exist also between two communities, not necessarily between host communities, government and IOCs, adding that the lessons of the workshop can be used to tackle such conflicts.
He noted that we are in a climate crisis currently and everyone has a part to play in mitigating its impact.
It will be recalled that the Nigerian Climate Justice was inaugurated in 2023 at a two-day workshop in Abuja.
Dr Joseph Onoja, Director-General of NCF, said: “Climate justice was both an environmental and human right issue that requires joint action to address.
“Climate change is not a distant threat, it is here, affecting lives and livelihoods across our nation. Climate justice is not just an environmental issue, it’s a matter of social equity and human rights.”
Onoja said that the country has been feeling the impact of climate change, adding that “in every corner of our country, communities are feeling the impacts of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and changing climates.’’
Dr Onoja followed up by calling for collaboration between the government, private sector and communities to ensure climate justice for all in the country.
Speaking on the validity of the Alliance, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, a climate change expert, stated that it was time for civil society groups to come together and present a common voice for actionable advocacy.
Prof. Okereke, who is the President of the Society for People and Prosperity (SPP), disclosed: “This workshop is timely as it seeks to bring CSOs together, build capacity and empower them to come up with a strategy to push both the CSOs and government to do more and do better.
“I believe Nigeria has quite a number of good policies and policy frameworks. The disconnect has been in the actual implementation of these policies. This is partly because most of these policies have not been followed through in terms of financing, monitoring and evaluation, with the data behind some of these policies also been weak.
“However, the major problem has been the lack of political will to see the implementation of these policies through.”
