A Former House of Representatives member, Dr Samuel Onuigbo has canvassed the support of media practitioners towards ensuring the implementation of the climate change Act passed in law on 17 November 2021.
Onuigbo while speaking on the role of the media in mainstreaming climate change policies at a retreat for members of the House of Representatives press corps in Minna, remarked that it behooves journalists to keep the issues revolving around climate change in the front burner to ensure effective implementation of the law.
Onuigbo who is a member of the North East development described the retreat held at the instance of Governor Umar Bago of Niger state as a step in the right direction.
Saying no fewer than eleven states of the country bordering the sahelian region were being impacted by climate change, he identified the incessant conflict between farmers and herders in the country as fallout of the negative impacts of climate change in the country.
He explained that the ugly trends informed the decision to include the national security adviser (NSA) on the climate change council with members drawn from the presidency, academia, governors, local council chairmen, Civil societies organizations (CSOs), the media and persons living with disabilities (PLWDs).
Consequently, Onuigbo who sponsored the climate change Bill identified intense and untimely rainfall, deforestation, land degradation, flood, landslides, gully erosion, coastal erosion as some of the impacts of climate change in the southern part of the country.
Reminiscing about his days while growing up in his Ikwuano/Umuahia constituency of Abia state, he said hundreds of farmers who have lost farmlands now face existential threats due to the impact of climate change in the country.
Onuigbo said if actions are not taken, the economy will be so devastated and it will be too difficult to recover.
However, he affirmed that monies that would have been used to develop the country are being put into recovering from the effects of climate change.
He tasked journalists to engage and seek funding from donor agencies for the required empowerment to put climate change issues on the front burner and cause appropriate actions.
