The Centre for Climate Change and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike, Ebonyi State, has awarded the top three 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 independent panel of judges received N200,000, N150,000 and N100,000 during an award ceremony event organised by the Centre in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Centre, in Abuja.
The winners, Israel Oghenejiro Orere, an undergraduate student of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Lagos, Lagos State; James Afomare Owan, an Engineering graduate and Promise Okwuchukwu, an undergraduate of Law at University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu State, who emerged first, second and third best winners, respectively, were among the over 200 entries received by the Centre.
Speaking during the hybrid event, the director, Centre for Climate Change and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Prof Chukwumerije Okereke, eulogised the participants in the essay content for submitting quality essays that encouraged him to opt for an event that would show the winners to both national and international audience.
He noted that climate change is not just an environmental problem but a national economic development problem.
Okereke said the reason for the second national essay competition was to encourage Nigerian youths to be engaged with climate change and 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 it’s best to encourage the Nigerian youths to get involved in articulating and advancing action on climate change.
The director-general of the National Council on Climate Change, Dr. Salisu Dahiru said Nigeria has made several bold commitments on climate change led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said he was delighted to see several young people in the audience and says 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 on climate change and to engage with the council to pull all efforts together to ensure that climate change is tackled adequately in Nigeria.
Dahiru, who was represented by the head of the Directorate of Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation of the National Council on Climate Change commission, Michael Ivenso also said that climate change is a national emergency that requires everybody to participate.
On his part, the sponsor of the climate change act and a member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/South in the Federal House of Representatives and former chairman House Committee on Climate Change, Hon. Sam Onuigbo, said that there is strong interconnection between climate change and economic growth but also that Climate Change action represents an opportunity to build a prosperous sustainable green economy for the country.
Represented by Mr. Nnaemeka Oruh, the lawmaker talked about the need to integrate climate change into the national education curriculum in schools, saying he is looking forward to continuously interacting with students and to tell them more about the role legislation can play in tackling climate change.
In his welcome speech, the Vice- Chancellor, 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.
Represented by the director, Sustainable Development Centre , University of Abuja, Dr. Sabiu Bariki Sani, noted that the young people play a vital role in ensuring that the effects of climate change is reduced through advocacy and awareness creation as well as engaging their communities in promoting climate action
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