An NGO, Building Blocks for Peace Foundation (BBFORPEACE), on Friday commenced community engagement on promoting proper utilisation of livelihood packages to mitigate climate change in Illela local government areas.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Samson Shu’aibu who represented the NGO’s Executive Director, Mr Rafi’u Lawal, said the project is working toward preventing conflicts and initiate peace building strategies on address climate changes associated activities.
” Climate Security project means to neutralize the conflict and insecurity stemming from environmental degradation, desert encroachment, degraded pastures, and other impacts of climate change in Northwest Nigeria.
“ The project was borne out of the recognition of the dynamic ways through which the impacts of climate change stimulate conflict and insecurity in the region.
” Illela in Sokoto state and Jibia in Katsina state were the focus 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 of the UNDP Nigeria and the Norwegian Embassy in Abuja.
He identified three key activities that would be implemented during the project to including: capacity-building training for youth on dialogue, mediation, reconciliation and climate action.
Other was to establish climate and conflict early warning and early response (EWER) structures; and supporting climate activists to plant and nurture trees across Illela local government areas.
According to him, the core objective of the project was 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 organization for coming up with this 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 his joy and gratitude to Building Blocks for Peace and partners for the project and promised to sustain the impact.
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