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By Oboh Linus, Lafia
The Beacon Youth Initiative, in collaboration with the Education as Vaccine, has inaugurated Climate Innovative Parks in selected secondary schools in Nasarawa State to mitigate the impacts of climate change in schools environment.
Mr Envoh Emmanuel-Okolo, Executive Director, Beacon Youth Initiative, while speaking during the inauguration in Lafia, said the parks would serve as windbreakers to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change.
The three benefiting schools in Lafia are Government Secondary School (GSS) OMBI 1, GSS Shabu, and GSS Azuba Bashayi, where the group had earlier established Climate Justice clubs.
Emmanuel-Okolo said the parks initiative aimed to expose students to practical actions toward mitigating the impact of climate change in their schools and communities
He explained that the three Parks which had varieties of flowers, economic trees like mango and oil palm, would not only serve as windbreakers but would also provide a conducive learning environment for students.
“These parks are built as part of the African Activists for Climate Justice project to mitigate climate change, ensuring that the students have a positive thinking towards the climate-smart programme that will help build resilience.
“We urged the schools to utilise these parks in a way to ensure their sustainability, I believe that with practical steps being brought down to these schools, they will see the need to engage in tree planting activity.
“We also hope that these parks will help the students to cultivate a lifestyle of income-generating activities that would sustain the club such as raising a nursery in the garden,” he said.
Emmanuel-Okolo called on government at all levels and communities to prioritise tree planting and scale-up establishment of parks in schools to reduce impacts of the climate change.
Emmanuel -Okolo, thanked the management of the schools for their support and urged them to take ownership of the parks for sustainability.
“We believe that if these parks are well maintained and sustained, they will serve as shades, windbreakers, and students can also use them as a safe space for their discussions to promote climate justice,” he said.
Hajiya Rakiya Bwala, Principal, Government Secondary School (GSS), Ombi 1, Mr Uwelo Musa, Principal, GSS Shabu, and Umbugadu Haruna, Principal GSS, Azuba Bashayi commended Beacon Youth Initiative and partners and promised to maintain the parks.
“When you people came to me I almost wanted to say that we don’t need you here, but when we reluctantly accepted you, you started involving our students and teachers for training, that is when we began to realise that these people really mean business.
“We are grateful for all that you have been doing for us, we will support this programme and ensure its sustainability in our schools,” Mr Uwelo Musa assured.
Asheazi Alu, President, Climate Justice club, GSS Azuba Bashayi, Divine Thomas, GSS Shabu, and Precious Sunday, GSS OMBI 1 both expressed joy and appreciation to the Beacon Youth Initiative and Education as Vaccine and promised to nurture and maintain the parks.
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