By Gabriel Agbeja
The Minister of Youth Development, Mr Ayodele Wisdom, has affirmed the Federal Government’s readiness to advance youth empowerment to mitigate climate change.
Wisdom said this on Monday at the opening of the Climate Beyond Borders Caravan’s (CBBC) capacity building workshop in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the workshop is themed, “From Awareness to Action: Mobilising Resourceful Nigerian Youth for Grassroots Climate Solutions”
Wisdom was represented by Mrs Tolulope Akinfiresoye, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Youth Development on Social Security Administration and Climate action.
According to him, by mitigating climate change and reducing carbon emissions, the ministry is simultaneously creating jobs, tackling unemployment, reducing poverty, and driving sustainable development.
He added that the Nigeria youth possess the energy, creativity, resilience, and innovative spirit needed to develop and implement practical solutions to the climate crisis.
‘’This vision is the reason the Ministry established the Youth Migration and Climate Action Resilience Department, a dedicated platform to empower young Nigerians to lead in climate action, environmental stewardship, and resilience-building initiatives.
‘’Also, our circular Economy Youth Empowerment Initiative (Waste To Wealth) aims to create jobs for 37,000 youths by turning waste into Eco friendly items and valuable resources.
‘’We believe that the solutions to climate change begin with simple, collective actions: one tree planted, one drainage channel cleared, one plastic bottle recycled, one community choosing to act,’’ he said.
He said the ministry was particularly inspired by the activities lined up for the caravan reflecting the spirit of grassroots mobilisation essentially for achieving meaningful and lasting climate impact.
“As this caravan journeys across Africa, it sends a powerful message that young Africans are not waiting for others to solve our problems. As we are taking ownership of our future.
” The Federal Ministry of Youth Development reaffirms its full support and solidarity with the Climate Beyond Borders Caravan.
‘’We stand ready to collaborate with partners such as the People, Planet and Peace Foundation to ensure that Nigerian youths remain at the forefront of climate action and sustainable development,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that the initiative will traverse 17 countries across West, East, Central, and Southern Africa to promote climate advocacy, eco-tourism, and community-driven climate action.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Deji Abdulwahab
