From Abel Leonard, Lafia
The Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP) has called on the Nasarawa government to implement climate change policy towards mitigating the impact of climate change.
Speaking during a one day stakeholders meeting on Thursday at the Nasarawa Luxury Hotel, Lafia, Dr. Keneth Akpan who is the National Coordinator, Africa Activists for climate justice said it is in partnership with Oxfam.
Akpan said Nasarawa is a beneficiary saying, it is part of the state that have already had its climate change reregister, explaining that there is a need to have a stakeholders engagement towards drafting policies of climate change for the state.
“It becomes imperative as it involves all stakeholders to make it an inclusive process were everybody will make an impute that will reflect on the policy document of the state.”
“you know that climate change is a very big concern globally. the meeting is a big step to the right direction because without a clear cut policy on which to guide the processes even from the state government to the community level it will may not get the necessary attention”
He further said It is an approach that comes from up as a policy level and down there at the implementation level so that people can learn . he added.
He therefore added that it is the yardstick to measure, implement and also see how the climate change narrative could be brought to fold by taking it seriously by all concerned.
“so the validation exercise will have to see all the stakeholders, academia, private sectors, media and the CSO who are all here to validate the laws and contribute their impute to it if there is any.”
“It is goin to be a good document and something while urging other state to find a way to come up with their own policy.”
Also speaking, state coordinator, Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP
Joseph Ibrahim, who said the programme is designed to implementing the Africa Activist for Climate Justice office, with a projected officer in Nasarawa state.
He said the workshop is the combination of all the activities which we have been doing in the state to develop the climate change policy for the state.
“We are doing that as consultation with the Nasarawa state government through the ministry of environment and natural resources.”
He said the stakeholders meeting is to draft policy of the climate change of the state ready, to engage more stakeholders to make it an inclusive process were everybody’s imputes will be collected and reflected in the policy documents.
“I hope that at the end of the this exercise, we will present this document to the ministry of environment and to be adapted and not just adapted but also be implemented so that people who have been impacted by climate change will begin to face relief.”
Also there is a clear road map on how to relegate and adapt the change of climate. He added.
