INDEPENDENT
Lagos – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported that Nigeria, facing severe challenges, is ranked as the second most vulnerable country globally in terms of children’s exposure to climate change, with over 110 million children at risk.
UNICEF disclosed the report as Nigeria joined the celebration of the World Children’s Day on Monday which focuses on child rights amidst the escalating climate crisis.
Events across the country saw children from various regions, including Abuja, Kano, Lagos, Enugu, Sokoto, and Maiduguri, leading discussions on the significant impact of climate change on their lives and futures.
The discussions covered various critical issues, including the direct health impacts of climate change on children, such as increased physical dangers, waterborne diseases, and malnutrition. The event also shed light on the alarming rate of child displacement due to environmental disasters, with 650,000 children displaced from 2016 to 2021 due to floods.
The UNICEF report bemoaned, “”Nigeria, as the second most vulnerable country worldwide in terms of children’s exposure to climate change, faces severe challenges. Over 110 million Nigerian children are at risk, having confronted the harsh realities of rising temperatures, flooding, drought, and severe storms.”
“As one of the countries that suffers the greatest exposure to adverse climate impacts, Nigeria’s response to climate change must be swift and holistic. It must account for the needs of vulnerable people, including children and women, at the decision-making level, as well as in the implementation of the National Climate Change Action Plan” said Dr. Salisu Dahiru, Director General – National Council on Climate Change.
