The objective of the forum was to raise the awareness of decision-makers, the media, the international community and civil society organizations about climate change adaptation – supporting responsible and timely action on adaptation policy and programs in Nigeria.
The film that was officially launched show the devastating effect that climate change is having on ordinary people such as farmers, fishermen and women, and pastoralists across the whole of Nigeria. For example, Hajiya Wasirie, Women’s leader in Toshua, Yobe State a town suffering from acute wind erosion evidenced by sand dunes at the extreme end of sahel tells her story “where you see the sand dunes used to be people’s residential houses, they are now covered by sand. The sand keeps approaching and pushing us further, it never lets up.” Mr. Emmanuel David Akpan, a community member, Ikot Ibom Itam, Akwa Ibom State in the film narrated his ordeal thus “My house was here before. The erosion affected us and that is why we shifted. Now that the rain has started, the rainfall is very heavy. I don’t know if this place will still be here after the rain have fallen this year.”
Mrs Lydia Kedang, a community member, Apejili, Obanliku, Cross River State while counting her loses says “Before now, we lived off this cocoyam crop. They used to be bigger than this one. But in the last two years, we haven’t had enough to eat. These days we come back from farm empty handed.” Community members from Iyadehe, Itu local government of Akwa Ibom State cannot forget in a hurry their own ‘climate change baptism of pain’ of the loss of one of their sister; this is how Mrs. Hope Bassey described the incidence in the film “One of our sisters from Bokondo borrowed money with interest to start her farm and planted her seeds, but had a poor harvest and could not raise the money to pay back the loan, then she went and hang herself from a tree in the forest.”
From the scientific point of view, Dr. Larry Awosika, Marine Geophysicist, Nigeria Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, Lagos talked on the global projection of and the implication of sea level rise in Nigeria. Dr. Joseph Alozie, Deputy General Manager, Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) gave a detail implications of the climate change in Nigeria. Prof. Lawrence Etim, Department of fisheries, University of Uyo, Nigeria and Dr. Francis Nwosu of University of Calabar, Nigeria discussed the impact of climate change on fishery in Nigeria. Experts from different fields also gave their views and findings on the subject matter –climate change in this must watch documentary.
Honorable Muiz Banire (Commissioner, Ministry of Environment, Lagos state) in keynote address at the event called on the media to use the stories in these films to communicate climate change clearly to the people of Nigeria.
In his welcome address at the event, Prof. David Okali, Chairman, NEST said the documentary is a product of the Communications, Outreach and Networking component of the BNRCC project. He urged the media to take seriously the task of informing Nigerians appropriately on these climate change issues. That is why NEST since 2001, and now through the BNRCC project, has laid so much emphasis on relating with and carrying the media practitioners along on this matter of climate change he added.
Prof Chinedum Nwajiuba, BNRCC project coordinator explained that BNRCC want the film to be shown widely across Nigeria and the world, and the therefore the film is copyright free.
The film is segmented into four parts (all in one DVD) namely: ‘In the red zone’ – climate change in the Nigeria’s north (long version 29:25 minutes & short version 9:52 minutes) and ‘Water runs deep’ –climate change in Nigeria’s south (long version 31:13 minutes & short version 10:46 minutes).
For more details about the film, please contact Samson Samuel Ogallah, Communications, Outreach and Networking component of BNRCC info@nigeriaclimatechange.org
To view the short versions, log on directly from our website or simply click on:
www.youtube.com/bnrcc1 www.youtube.com/user/bnrcc1/
