Eleven days
ago, the world stool still for Swedish girl, Greta Thumberg, who held world
leaders by the jugular over their inaction in tackling the challenges posed by
climate change.
What started as a one-girl-show in
hallowed chamber of the Swedish parliament a year ago was to (later)
metamorphose into a global phenomenon embraced by children and adults alike.
The pockets
of protests penultimate Friday across the world said it all. For leaders with
conscience, the challenge posed by Greta while addressing the United Nations
General Assembly on climate change, is just enough to touch them all.
Striking the leaders with punchy words,
the teenage Swedish activist roared: “This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up
here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet, you all
come to us (the youth) for hope. How dare you!
“You have stolen my dreams and my
childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are
suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing.
“We are in the beginning of a mass
extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal
economic growth. How dare you! How dare you pretend this can be solved with
just technical solution or business as usual?”
Like other parts of the world, Nigeria
also has its own fair share of global warming which often results in some
unpalatable consequences, with mostly children and women suffering the damning
consequences.
From the National Emergency Management
Agency (NEMA), for instance, came a frightening figure of 100 human lives (not
animals) lost to various flood disasters in 10 of the nation’s 36 states,
including the FCT, just this year alone so far. This is a figure that might, at
the end of the year, surpass that of 2012 when about 140 people were reportedly
killed and tens of thousands of others displaced.
I can bet this is just the official
figures, given the intensity of torrential rainfall across the country. It is
common knowledge that the heavy downpour in Abuja can’t really be compared to
any other places in recent times. It is same old story in Kogi, Niger, Anambra,
Delta and Bayelsa to mention but a few.
But what did we see while the global
protests lasted? Our dear country chose to turn the other way. If my memory
serves me right, the only visible protest was from Lagos. In fact, I sought to
know how the protest went back home, and Helen, our environment reporter, said
nothing really happened, not even from the government side. So, what does that
say of us as a people?
As fate would have it, it was a day
nature chose to pay an unpleasant visit to the pupils of Ezegbo Primary School
Okukuwa, Amasea community, in Awka north
local government area of Anambra state.
It’s more tragic when the children, who were supposed to be on the
streets like Greta, never did so, but got driven out of school by the same
flood in the sleepy settlement.
It’s however curious to know that while
Greta is accusing world leaders of betrayal and inactions, the school’s
headmistress, Mrs. Leticia Umeadi, believed there should be a spiritual
solution to the unfortunate incident which, according to her was never
experienced in the school in the last 12 years. She also made a case for some
government’s interventions in terms of infrastructure.
Also, at about the same time the protest
was on, another teenager, Hadiza Babayo, was arrested in Gombe for allegedly
conniving with one Bala Shuaibu to kidnap her five-year-old cousin. So, between
Greta and Hadiza are clear difference of what they symbolise. The two are
symbolic of their societies and also creations of their societies. In a way,
they hold the key to the future. But what future?
While the Hadiza ‘saga’ still remains at
the level of allegation, what can one say of that 14-year-old Kosisochukwu
Anioma, who feigned her own kidnap when in the actual fact, she was hibernating
with a boyfriend in Owerri, Imo state?
That shows how sick our society has become!
Worst still, the major event that
dominated the media and public space on the day of ‘climate protest’ was the
verdict by presidential election petition tribunal which shot down the
petitions filed by the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku
Abubakar, over the 2019 polls.
Similarly, two states that had been
worst hit by floods in recent times – Bayelsa and Kogi –were so engrossed in
the preparation for governorship election. The issue of climate change was not
meant to be at the front burner for obvious reasons,,. elections!
Where were the pro-Buhari/pro-Atiku and
their likes. I was wondering why they
were not willing to encourage the Nigerian teenagers to equally protest the
climate change phenomenon while the event lasted. Oh, they didn’t want to be
accused of sabotaging the government! They were, however, quick to arrange
one-million-man march in support of their protagonists at the slightest
mobilisation. Nay, the security challenge the nation presently faces won’t
allow such for it may be hijacked by hoodlums. Usually the common refrain!
Yes, President Muhammadu Buhari was at
the United Nations General Assembly’s summit where he told the world what
Nigeria intended doing for its populace suffering perennial flood disasters and
other related calamities.
Specifically, he assured that his
administration is more prepared to reverse the negative trend of climate
change.
He said: “I want to announce that the
government of Nigeria will develop a more robust sectoral action plan, and
expand the scope of our Sovereign Green Bonds in line with our intended upward
review of Nigeria’s NDC’s towards the inclusion of the water and waste sectors
by 2020.
“In the energy sector, Nigeria is
presently diversifying its energy sources from dependence on gas-powered system
to hydro, solar, wind, biomass and nuclear sources. Specifically, Nigeria is
progressively working to realize 30 per cent energy efficiency and renewable energy
mix by 2030. This is envisaged to lead to 179 million tons of carbon dioxide
reduction per annum by 2030”.
Like German leader, Angela Merkel, the
Nigerian leader has set a target. But, the salient question is how achievable
is the goal? Greta has led the way and it will be a big shame if we cannot
follow through and hold our government accountable on this natural menace
called climate change.
It’s high time we gave our youth the
opportunity of a life time by letting them act where necessary rather than
making them timid before their counterparts the world over.
But wait a minute! It should be noted that it’s not all about
negativity among Nigeria’s teenagers. Quite recently, some young Nigerians
showed how creative they can be. An instance of eight teenagers from northern
Nigeria making science fiction movies using a broken smart phone is something
to cheer about. It’s interesting to note that the same medium (YouTube) through
which they access pornography which is capable of wrecking their morality is
being employed by these creative youngsters to showcase their talents. What
else can we ask for?
The Nigerian child is gifted and should
be allowed to flourish like his/her counterpart in other climes. We have
thousands of Greta in this country and we must not kill their initiative to
make and cause positive things happen.
The society which creates Hadiza and
Kosisochukwu needs to retrace and redirect its steps and straighten the system
for a guaranteed future. As parents and leaders, we must elect to do things
rightly for the unborn generations to get it right. Our future can only be
bright to the extent that we work towards making it so.
Abdulrauf ,
editor Blueprint newspapers is on internship at the Deutsche Welle, Bonn,
Germany.