CSOs advocates strategic work plan to tackle climate change in Taraba.

 

By Thomas Samuel  

The African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ), a Non-governmental organization, in collaboration with OXFAM, have advocated  a State climate change strategic work plan to tackle obvious issues associated with Climate Change in Taraba State.

This was Contained in a communique issued at the end of a two-day workshop organized by the Non-governmental organization to intimate Participants with issues associated with Climate change, how it affects the economy of the state and how it can be quantified

The workshop was also aimed at developing participants' skils on climate change, policies, governance, and financing for sustainable economic growth and development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop, the Climate Justice Project Coordinator, (AACI Project Lead Nigeria), Mr Kenneth Akpam, noted  at the event that Taraba State based on its location in the Guinea Savanna ecological zone,  with the tropical wet and dry climate and sub-humid climate characteristics, faces certain climate change issues among the global climate change challenges.

He identified such issues as increasing temperatures, more extreme weather events, and more variable rainfall patterns saying that they have negative impact on the states agriculture, water resources, and biodiversity.

The project coordinator said those issues must be collectively addressed for the overall benefit of the citizens and sustainable livelihoods as the world push towards net zero emission and compensation for Loss and Damages as a result of climate Change.

"We are advocating accountability on Climate Change budgeting  for Taraba State. We also want to see how relevant stakeholders can move to advocate for more inclusive budgeting on Climate related issues because, Climate Change has affected every facet of life and we feel that government should be more intentional about it" He added.

He said there must be a working strategy to achieve this and other climate change issues such as late onset of precipitation and early cessation as well as heat waves already causing crop failures and death of livestocks in the State.

Mr Kenneth appreciated the MDAs, CSO and CBO for participating in the two days Workshop and charged participants to take the advocacy to their various communities so that collectively, they would change the State economy narrative.

At the end of the two-day training, members of the organization proceeded to Taraba State Ministry of Environment where they presented to the commissioner, a communique that came out of the robust deliberations on transparency, accountability, and good governance surrounding climate change.

The communique emphasized that Taraba State, just like other states like Lagos, Rivers Delta, Ogun and Cross River, must adopt global best practice in the area of co-creating a short and long-term work plans/framework to mitigate climate change impacts.

Participants at the workshop were drawn from Taraba State House of Assembly, SSG's office, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Works and Infrastructural Development, Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Ministry of Water Management and Aquatic Affairs, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Non-governmental Organizations, academia and media organisations among others.