Climate change: Alex Ekwueme varsity empowers youths, awards top 3 winners of second national essay competition

AKOR SYLVESTER, Abuja

The Centre for Climate Change and Development (CCCD) at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo (AEFUNAI) Ebonyi state has announced and awarded the top 3 winners of the just concluded second national essay competition titled “Climate Change and Nigeria’s Economic Development: A letter to my incoming President.” 

The candidates whose essays were adjudged the best after a thorough review and assessment by an independent panel of judges received N200,000, N150,000 and N100,000 during an award ceremony organised by the CCCD in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Centre.

The winners were Israel Oghenefiro Orere; an undergraduate student of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Lagos, James Afomare Owan; an Engineering graduate and Promise Okwuchukwu; an undergraduate of Law at the University of Nigeria Nsukka. 

They emerged first, second and third-best winners, respectively among the over 200 entries received by the centre.

Speaking during the hybrid event, the Director of the CCCD at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike eulogized the participants in the essay contest for submitting quality essays that encouraged him to opt for an event that would show the winners to both national and international audience. 

An academic, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke said that climate change is not just an environmental problem but a national economic development problem.

He stated that the reason for the second national essay competition is to encourage Nigerian youths to be engaged with climate change.

Okereke said it was also necessary to alert the incoming president on the economic development implications of climate change for Nigeria and the need for urgent action to tackle the challenge.

He said the CCCD-AEFUNAI will continue to do its best to encourage Nigerian youths to get involved in articulating and advancing action on climate change.

The Director General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Dr Salisu Dahiru said Nigeria has made several bold commitments on climate change led by President Muhammadu Buhari. 

According to Dahiru, the President desires to see Nigeria play its own role in tackling the menace of climate change. 

He said he was delighted to see several young people in the audience and said that the NCCC is an inclusive institution that is desired to accommodate different voices including the Youth, women and people of disability in tackling climate change. 

The DG called the youth to engage in climate change and to engage with the council to pull all efforts together to ensure that climate change is tackled adequately in Nigeria.

Dahiru represented by Michael Ivenso who is the head of the Directorate of Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation of the National Council on Climate Change commission also said that climate change is a national emergency that requires everybody to participate. 

He said that the DG has asked him to thank all of the youth present for participating and asked him to enjoin the Nigerian youths to work together with the council to build effective responses to climate change.

The sponsor of the climate change act and a member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/South in the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Sam Onuigbo, said that there is a strong interconnection between climate change and economic growth 

The former chairman of the House Committee on Climate Change noted that climate change action represents an opportunity to build a prosperous sustainable green economy for the country. 

Onuigbo said that the Nigerian youth is already championing a vote for climate change and youth awareness is necessary to ensure that climate change remains on the agenda of the incoming administration. 

The lawmaker talked about the need to integrate climate change into the national education curriculum in schools. 

Sam Onuigbo who was represented by Nnaemeka Oruh said that he is looking forward to continuing interacting with students and telling them more about the role legislation can play in tackling climate change.

Also speaking at the event, Dr Eugene Itua, who is the CEO of Natural Eco Capital, said that it is important to create awareness at all levels especially among the youths because climate change is also an inter-generational problem.

“It affects the old, and the young but also it is something that requires long-term thinking. 

Itua said that Nigeria is elaborating on the long-term strategy which will inform Nigeria of a long-term development plan that is sustainable. 

He said it was a privilege to engage and interact with the youth and he enjoined the youth leaders to look for several opportunities in tackling climate change such as climate innovation, climate investment and the opportunity to engage in international climate diplomacy.

Also, the Director of the Ministry of Environment’s Department of Climate Change (DCC), Iniabong Abiola Awe said that she was glad to be a part of the programme. 

Awe said that the youths have always been the target of the ministry in terms of spreading the importance of action on climate change in the country.

She said that the DCC has already engaged with several youth bodies across the country and expressed the hope that the essay competition will further help to expand the engagement of Nigerian youths with regard to tackling the problem of climate change. 

The director who was represented by Jonah Barde expressed confidence that the DCC will continue to engage with the youth and partner with them to find solutions to tackle climate change.

The national youth leader of the Labour party, Prince Kennedy Ahanuotu appreciated President Buhari for starting to put Nigeria on the global map in terms of climate change action and promised that his party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi will build on the effort.

He promised that letters written by the youth winners will form part of a youth charter of demand that will be presented to Peter Obi, should he wins. 

In his welcome speech, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah expressed the readiness of the university management to engage in activities that will promote climate action in all its activities.   

The V.C. noted that young people play a vital role in ensuring that the effects of climate change are reduced through advocacy and awareness creation as well as engaging their communities in promoting climate action. 

Reacting after receiving the prize, the best essayist Israel Oghenefiro Orere, thanked the centre for the opportunity to participate in the essay competition.

He described it as timely, owing to the visible effects of climate change in the country and the need for Nigerian youths to be at the forefront of engaging the government in advancing policies that will mitigate the climate change impact in the country.

Israel said he was overjoyed at the announcement that he won the essay contest, and called the standing ovation he received, a rewarding moment for his passion for climate change-related issues. 

The award event ceremony which took place at the Events Hall, ASUU Researchers Chalets, the University of Abuja Main Campus, was attended by the Director General National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Salisu Dahiru represented by Michael Ivenso.

Olamide Fabguji, the Special Assistant to the President on Economic Matters and other corporate heads were in attendance.