Plan International Invests in Climate Journalism to Build Community Resilience
By Ahmed Abba
Plan International Nigeria launched a five-day workshop in Kano to strengthen community resilience against climate change hazards.
The training brings together journalists, influencers, and representatives from relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and the flood-prone states of Yobe and Adamawa.
Mr. Mathew Aliyu, the Project Influencing Officer, introduced the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance (ZCRA) Project Nigeria, highlighting the recurring devastation caused by floods in the floodplains of the Benue River in Adamawa and the Komadugu River in Yobe.
He explained how annual flash and riverine flooding, typically occurring between July and October, disrupts economic activities, destroys critical infrastructure like roads and bridges, and leads to food insecurity in market-dependent communities.
Mr. Aliyu cited data from the IOM DTM, stating that floods affected 5,979 individuals in Adamawa and 15,042 in Yobe between June 1 and August 31, 2022.
He further reported, citing the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), that 37 lives were lost in Adamawa due to flooding.
Mr. Aliyu emphasized that despite existing policies and instruments, Nigeria continues to face significant challenges in flood disaster risk reduction.
He pointed to the incomplete Dasin-Hausa dam in Adamawa as a key example, explaining that its unfinished state increases the vulnerability of local communities to excess water released from Cameroon’s Lagdo dam.
The ZCRA project, a four-year initiative (with the possibility of extension to 12 years) funded by the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance and supported by Plan International Switzerland, will work in 12 communities across six Local Government Areas (three in each state) in Adamawa and Yobe.
The project’s overall objective is to build flood resilience in Nigerian communities and strengthen emergency management structures at all levels of government.
According to him, the project has four key objectives: using the Climate Resilience Measurement for Communities (CRMC) approach to analyze community resilience challenges; developing and implementing projects to enhance community resilience to identified climate hazards.
Other objectives are scaling impact through targeted advocacy strategies; and collaborating across the wider Alliance and with other stakeholders to share knowledge and influence global climate policy and funding decisions.
Dr. Nasiru Abba, the Project Manager and Project Coordinator, provided an update on the project’s progress.
He reported the successful completion of community entry activities to build trust and collaboration with local residents, the organization of knowledge-sharing workshops for local stakeholders, government officials, and community leaders in Yobe and Adamawa, and collaboration with communities to identify key flood risks and vulnerabilities.
The project team, according to him has also established multi-stakeholder coordination platforms, identified and trained local residents as field workers for the CRMC live study, and equipped them with the necessary skills to collect data and monitor climate resilience activities.
The workshop is expected to further strengthen collaboration and coordination among stakeholders to ensure the project’s successful implementation and contribute to building more resilient communities.
Earlier in his presentation, Mr. Yunus Abdulhamid, the Communication Adviser charged media practitioners, as fourth estate of the realm, not to only watchdogs of the society but early warners for climate.
He emphasized the need for the journalists to proactively identify and highlight potential climate threats, going beyond simply reporting on existing problems.
