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Youth solicit world leaders support to tackle climate change
The United Nations award-winning Nigerian, Noel Alumona, has urged world leaders to empower youths to address the issue of climate change ravaging the world.
Alumona, who is the founder of Boys Champions (BC), made the call while addressing United Nations Leaders and Youths on the topic “Climate Change and Youths Inclusion” to mark 2023 International Youth Day (IYD).
The address. posted on UN Web TV and Website, was obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Enugu.
The IYD is an annual event celebrated every Aug. 12, to raise awareness and drive actions on issues affecting youths globally, with 2023 theme being “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World”.
According to Alumona, the world faces interconnected crises emanating from climate changes, adding that the challenges could be turned into an opportunity if leaders empowered young people with green skills and gave them the opportunities to address the challenges.
He said young people understood the problems better because their future was at stake as they were poised, with the sustainability, eco-skills and technology to solve these problems.
“As we approach the halfway point to 2030, the urgency to uphold the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has never been greater and recommitting to the SDGs is our best roadmap out of them.
“Failing to act decisively will lead to irreparable damage to our planet and in Nigeria where I come from.
“We are constantly seeing the devastating effects of climate change, from increasing floods and droughts to coastal erosion.
“These changes are having a profound impact on the lives of people, especially women and children, and young persons with disabilities. This is almost the same globally but there is hope,”Alumona said.
He explained that voices and actions of the youths were crucial in pushing for global efforts to mitigate against and adapt to the challenges posed by climate change.
“As a youth myself, I represent the voices of all the hundreds of young people in this room, and the 1.2 billion young people globally.
“And I would like to say that climate change is a crucial battle for us as young people because its impacts will shape our future.
“As we hone these green skills, we require all the support from our leaders.We cannot do this on our own because we have the skills but we do not have the systems.
“We do not also have the finances. And I am glad that our leaders are listening to us here today.
“And I would like to tell them to prioritise young people, their skills and potential,” he advised.
Alumona noted that to navigate these complex global challenges, it was essential to recognise the unique perspectives, ideas, and energy that young people brought to the table.
According to him, youths are tired of sitting down to talk but demand actions by actively engaging in shaping the policies and initiatives that affect their future.
“You can tap into our creativity, innovation, and passion, ultimately fostering inclusive societies and sustainable world.
“Our programs at Boys Champions are focused on young people and as a result, we always employ several innovative methods to make their learning experiential.
“To achieve this, leaders can organise eco-friendly innovation competitions or challenges that encourage youths to come up with creative solutions to environmental problems.
“Changing the world alone is difficult and draining, but together we can make it happen.
Over 1,000 young people from 103 countries and leaders of the United Nations attended the event.
Through BC, Alumona continues to champion the cause to end Gender-Based Violence and other abuses against women in Nigeria.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Anambra State Sector Command, has confirmed the death of a woman in an accident at Okpoko Market on the Asaba-Onitsha Road.
The Sector Commander, Mr Adeoye Irelewuyi, who confirmed the accident to journalists in Awka on Thursday, said that the woman was hit while she was crossing the road.
He said that the accident, which occurred on Wednesday, involved a commercial tow truck with registration number XA550BMA.
“Eyewitness report reaching us indicates that the truck was towing a vehicle in an uncontrollable speed along the axis.
“The vehicle that was being towed got detached from the tow truck.
“It hit and killed a female adult, who was said to be crossing the road, while the tow truck continued its movement.
“FRSC rescue team came to the scene and took the woman to Toronto Hospital, Onitsha, where she was confirmed dead and her body deposited at the hospital’s mortuary,” he said.
While sympathising with the family of the dead, the sector commander urged motorists, especially tow truck drivers, to exercise a high level of professionalism.
He also urged the drivers to always use standard equipment and avoid speeding.
The Chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos State Chapter, Mr Mojeed Iyiola, said the state government’s maize palliative to members of the association made a positive impact on the sector.
Iyiola said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
“We received about 150,000 tons of maize in February from the Lagos State government as palliative to cushion the effect of high feed prices.
“The major benefit of the palliative is that it actually cushioned the cost of production for most poultry farmers in the state.
“The palliative was beneficial as it made the cost of some poultry produce, especially eggs to drop,” Iyiola said.
He noted that prior to the palliative, a crate of egg was sold between N3,500 and N3,700 at the farm gate, but after the palliative, it now sells between N3,200 and N3,400.
According to the PAN chair, retailers and middlemen who sell from N3,800 to N4,200 do that for their personal gain.
“We have urged our members to sell their eggs at reasonable prices following the receipt of the palliative from the government.
“We appreciate the Lagos State government for the palliative but we also urge the federal government to do likewise, to further reduce the cost of production in the sector.
“This will consequently lead to drop in the prices of all poultry produce across board,” he said.
He said the palliative was shared among financial members of the association at no extra cost.
“As an association we shared the grains equally across PAN’s eight zones in the state equally. We also mandated each zone not the sell even a grain of the maize.
“We, however, considered new poultry farmers who wanted to the join the association as beneficiaries of the palliative,” said Iyiola.
He noted that through the palliative, more poultry farmers were recruited into the association.
“The maize was shared only to poultry farmers and not feed millers, it is the major component of poultry feed formulation,” he said.
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