Climate Change: Federal Gov’t Blames Deforestation, Urges Policy Support

The Federal Government has called for stakeholders’ engagement in tackling climate change for sustainable development.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, made the call when a delegation from African Centre for Climate Actions and Rural Development Initiative (ACCARD) led by Freeman Elohor Oluowo in company of the African Climate Foundation (ACF), paid him a courtesy call in Abuja.

The SGF, in a statement by the director, information in the Office of SGF (OSGF), Segun Imohiosen, observed that human activities, especially burning of fossil fuels and land use changes, were the main drivers of climate change with telling effects on the environment.

He noted that the human activities through deforestation has also contributed to desertification, leading herders to migrate to areas with good vegetation, which sometimes culminate into herders-farmers clash.

He, therefore, called for sustained advocacy and sensitisation among key stakeholders to sensitise communities on the dangers posed by climate change in order to elicit the desired behavioural changes for sustainable development.

He assured of government’s support to provide the right policy framework to tackle climate change.

Speaking, the Founder/Centre Coordinator, ACCARD, Freeman Elohor Oluowo, said that the organisation was seeking collaboration with the Federal Government to find lasting solution to tackling climate change through the provision of the needed policy framework to drive the initiative.

He added that the Centre was also working in sync with the World Bank and the African Climate Foundation (ACF) as well as other relevant MDAs to champion the campaign.

He added that the sustainable land use is key to addressing internecine conflicts of herders and farmers resulting to loss of lives and properties in the country.

He added that through stakeholders’ engagement and the right policies, the country will achieve the desired result.