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World Humanitarian Day: UNOCHA Speaks on Impact of Climatic Change in Northeast Nigeria

World Humanitarian Day: UNOCHA Speaks on Impact of Climatic Change in Northeast Nigeria
The UN OCHA has observed that the impact of climate change has significantly increased in West and Central Africa over the past 10 years with geographic concentrations in northeast Nigeria.
The 19th of August marks World Humanitarian Day (WHD), a day that honors humanitarian aid workers all over the world. This year’s WHD theme is climate change and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) is taking this opportunity to remind everyone in Nigeria that we are no longer talking about the possibility of a climate emergency, we are now living through it.
Last year, like every year, humanitarian organizations and workers helped people affected by extreme weather-related events. In West and Central Africa, climate change effects are felt in rising temperatures, droughts and floods that are affecting people’s livelihood, shelter, and physical and mental well-being.
“The climate emergency is a race that we cannot afford to lose,” said Edward Kallon, Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria.
“Extreme stress, property loss, and food/water scarcity contribute to community conflict over resources, leading to increased incidences of community tensions and farmer-herder violence in northeast Nigeria,” he continues.
Nigeria has experienced the highest number of fatalities from conflicts between farmers and herders concentrated in the northwestern, Middle Belt, and more recently in southern states.
According to OCHA in a statement on Wednesday to mark World Humanitarian Day, WHD, people in northeast Nigeria struggle to access food and suffer from climatic shocks that are negatively affecting food crops and driving up food prices.
“The economic decline has drastically reduced the buying power of communities to secure even the basics.
“Climate effects also strongly impact humanitarian access. Extreme weather resulting from climate conditions can delay the delivery of life-saving assistance and place humanitarian workers at great risk.
“As climate patterns become more volatile, heavy rains result in frequent flash floods, making it more difficult to mount a timely response. The security situation in the northeast is still precarious with ongoing attacks on humanitarian assets, infrastructure and personnel.” OCHA reveals.
The coordinating agency of the UN also observed that Climate hazards affect women and girls, who often bear a disproportionate burden to provide for their families by going without food and other means of sustenance.
“As droughts make water even more scarce, women and girls are forced to walk long distances to obtain potable water, increasing their exposure to sexual harassment and assault as they travel to bring back these essentials.
“Time is already running out for millions of vulnerable people in the northeast, we need to act now,” said Mr. Kallon. “Men, women and children who have who have contributed least to this climate emergency are, sadly, the most affected.”
OCHA said there will be several environmental/climate change events happening simultaneously during WHD, as Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states will engage in tree planting, trash pick-up in communities, and open discussions on local radio on what actions people can take to fight the effects of climate change.
The UN and partners have also enlisted the support of national climate change and environmental influencers to spread the message on social media through interactive sessions.
OCHA however said that climate action is needed as climate change will continue to detrimentally affect access to clean water, food, and other resources, resulting in adverse effects to the safety and well-being of communities in the northeast BAY states.
“As we head rapidly towards the end of the year, funding levels do no match the increasing needs—the Humanitarian Response Plan remains only 33% funded—while the total ask is over USD1billion.” The statement added.
On the fragile contexts, the UNOCHA said
Climate is changing everywhere, but people living in fragile contexts are affected all the more.
“Climate change and conflict are a toxic combination, causing mass displacement, disrupting food production and food supply deliveries, increasing risks to diseases and worsening already chronic malnutrition.
“The climate crisis is a humanitarian crisis, and the humanitarian system has an important role in the fight against the climate emergency. It must advocate for affected vulnerable people and offer solutions to help anticipate specific climatic shocks, such as storms, floods, or droughts, and to mitigate their humanitarian impact. The crisis requires both global and local action.
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“To address the increasing risks of living in a warmer world, we must become “climate-smart.” This could include taking anticipatory action ahead of a crisis, based on early warnings.
“The Risk-informed Early Action Partnership (REAP), launched at the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019, aims to make 1 billion people safer from disaster by 2025.
“The partnership between climate, humanitarian and development communities will drive a systemic shift towards acting earlier to reduce the impacts of disasters, mobilize commitments and inspire action.
“We cannot afford to accept climate disasters as inevitable. We are in the most important race of our lives. And, together, we can make meaningful changes to mitigate the effects of climate change.” said Mr. Kallon.
National News
Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony
By: Michael Mike
Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has called on Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress.
The advice was given by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, in his message on Eid-el-Kabir.
The Institute, while extending warm greetings to Nigerians, wished them a joyous and peaceful celebration, marked by love, compassion, and unity.
The Institute while noting that Sallah is a significant occasion in the Islamic calendar, symbolizing the values of sacrifice, gratitude, and community, emphasized that the spirit of Sallah should guide Nigerians in their interactions with one another, fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding.
The IPCR urged Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress, while
encouraging individuals to embrace the values of Sallah, including forgiveness, empathy, and kindness, in their daily lives.
According to IPCR, peace is critical to promoting national stability and cohesion.
The Institute also urged Nigerians to use this period of Sallah celebration to address conflicts and promote dialogue, which could help to build trust and understanding among Nigerians and also contribute to a more peaceful society.
It recognized that the country’s many ethnic and religious groups can work together to build a more harmonious society, celebrating their differences and promoting a culture of tolerance.
End
National News
Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing
By: Michael Mike
A community leader and the Waziri Mushere of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chief Yohana Margif has expressed dismay over the incessant killing of innocent citizens of the community.
Margif made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to halt what he described as genocide against the people, which he said was being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.
Margif also called on Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and other security chiefs in the country, to rein in the alleged culprits.
He said: “I would like to draw the attention of the topmost leadership in Nigeria to the deteriorating dire security situation in Plateau, particularly in Mushere Chiefdom of Bokkos LGA.
“I urge President Tinubu to take immediate decisive action to halt these endless and senseless killings, protect lives and properties, and secure the future of the Mushere people, and other victims of obvious genocide against the people.
“Herdsmen are killing our innocent people, burning their homes, looting their foodstuff, property, livestock, and taking over their ancestral lands,” he said.
According to the Abuja-based real estate mogul, the attacks and attendant killings have intensified recently since the onset of this year’s farming season.
Margif further said that the people had been displaced from their villages and ancestral homes and were forced to become internally displaced persons in the country.
He emphasised that the situation required immediate intervention by all stakeholders in order to prevent further escalation and inflict an irredeemable harm by wiping out the entire community from the surface of the earth.
He lamented that: “Since President Tinubu’s administration began, Plateau State has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and loss of lives.
“This is the current sad reality. Our people are constantly under the threat of the enemy’s bullets and can’t sleep with two eyes closed due to the perpetual unleashing of violence against them by external forces.
“Something urgent must be done to stem the tide of violence and end this war against the people in order not to
harm this administration’s reputation,” Margif said.
In the past couple of days, suspected herdsmen militia killed no fewer than 35 people in the localities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas localities in Mushere Chiefdom.
Chairman, Bokkos Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the killings to newsmen, said the victims included a 70-year-old Pastor of COCIN LCC Kwakas-Mushere, Mimang Lekyil, who was attacked and killed in the church.
He said that the pastor’s wife was also shot in the leg and was admitted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment, he said.
“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with the people being butchered as we are currently witnessing,” Lilian Madaki, from the Mushere community told journalists.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, also confirmed the incident in a statement saying security forces including police and military personnel, had been deployed in the affected communities.
Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing
National News
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
** Says Nigeria has lost an intellectual giant
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima today led other Muslim faithful for the Jana’iza (funeral prayers) of the late elder statesman, renowned medical scholar and former Minister of Education and Petroleum, Prof. Jibril Aminu, at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Prof. Aminu, a one-time President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (OPEC), passed on in Abuja on Thursday after a prolonged illness.
The Vice President, who arrived at the National Mosque at 1:52 pm, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.

Noting that the late Prof Aminu’s demise is a great loss to the nation, VP Shettima described the late surgeon, educationist and administrator as a man who saw it all, just as he said the deceased was an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.
“It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.
“He was variously the Executive Secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and Honourable Minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.
“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His loss is not just to the good people of Adamawa State but to the nation and Africa at large,” the Vice President prayed.

Born in Song, Adamawa in 1939, Prof. Aminu was a towering figure in Nigerian public life.
The late Consultant Cardiologist served the nation in different capacities, including as Federal Minister of Education and later Federal Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989–1992), Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States (1999–2003), and Senator representing Adamawa Central (2003–2011).
He was also President of OPEC in 1991 and President of the OPEC Conference between 1991 and 1992 while he was Petroleum Minister.
Other mourners who joined the Vice President at the National Mosque in Abuja for the Jana’iza included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Yayale Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako; former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman; former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, among many others.
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
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