A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to increase budgetary provision for disaster management and climate resilience.
Mr Kolawole Amusat, the Acting Zonal Coordinator for South-West Nigeria, Climate and Sustainable Development Network (CSDevNet), said this in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday.
Amusat said the CSOs made the call at the just concluded Post-COP25 Review and Commemoration of the International Day for Disaster Reduction in South West Zone.
He said the programme, which brought together state and non-state actors was organised by CSDevNet, Nigerian Civil Society Framework on Paris Agreement (NCSFPAS), among others.
“While facilitating the way forward for effective disaster risk reduction and effort to combat climate change in the region, participants proposed the following recommendations to be implemented by all relevant stakeholders, especially by state actors.
“That there should be adequate budgetary provisions for relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDGs) that are involved in disaster risk reduction and climate change to be able to deliver their mandate toward building resilient communities in the South West region.
“There efforts should be directed at localising disaster risk reduction and climate change activities in such a way that vulnerable communities will understand their roles as stakeholders in both disaster risk reduction and efforts to combat climate change.
“That there should be a region-wide risk assessment in the South West Zone to ensure stakeholders have a clear understanding of risk profile in the zone ,which will help in their efforts to reduce risks and combat climate change impacts.’’
Amusat said that another recommendation was the need to improve synergy between state and non-state actors and organised private sector as organised private sector was yet to play expected roles in climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience.
“All relevant stakeholders in disaster risk reduction and climate change should embrace transparency, accountability and openness in the discharge of their mandate.’’
He said that having identified the transport sector as a major source of emission, participants laid emphasis on the need for the region to invest in a comprehensive rail project that would cut across the six states in the zone.
“This will help to reduce emissions from the transport system.”
He said that participants called for climate-resilient agriculture to be introduced in the zone to farmers to assist them build resilience to climate change challenges in the agricultural sector.
Amusat said it was also recommended that the issues of women and children should be prioritised in disaster risk reduction and climate change activities within the region by all stakeholders.
He said participants recommended that the use of indigenous languages be paramount by the media in dissemination of disaster risk reduction and climate change messages in the region.
