The South Saharan Social Development Organization (SSDO) has called on federal and state governments to prioritize climate change in their budgets to enable effective mitigation and adaptation measures.
The appeal was made by SSDO's Head of Program, Udochukwu Egwim, during the Youth Climate Justice March in Enugu, held in celebration of the 2025 Global Week for Action on Climate Justice. The event, observed annually from September 15 to 21, highlights the growing climate-related issues such as flooding and food insecurity, which Egwim attributed to years of neglecting climate concerns.
He urged governments, citizens, and individuals to embrace a just transition toward climate action, including climate financing, adaptation strategies, and environmental accountability. Egwim stressed that previous international calls for climate funding from the Global South have largely been ignored and called for Nigeria to implement robust adaptation and litigation measures to combat climate change.
Placards at the march included messages such as: "Prioritize agroecology in state budgets," "Climate adaptation is not charity, it's justice," "Nigeria can't achieve sustainable development without climate resilience," and "Hold polluters responsible."
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"Today, we commemorate the Global Week for Action on Climate Justice, a time to raise awareness of climate issues worldwide," Egwim said. "We have seen unprecedented flooding, rising food insecurity, and other disasters, largely due to years of ignoring climate issues. We call on governments and citizens to take action for a just transition in climate policy."
SSDO has been training young farmers in agroecology and related practices to encourage broader participation in climate adaptation and litigation. Egwim highlighted specific climate impacts in Nigeria, including rising food prices (e.g., garri), food shortages, flooding, erosion, and unpredictable rainfall patterns affecting agriculture.
He urged both governments and citizens to prioritize climate action through budgeting, reducing water and electricity consumption, maintaining environmental cleanliness, and avoiding improper waste disposal that blocks drainage systems and worsens flooding.
Egwim emphasized that climate change is a persistent global challenge requiring collective efforts for adaptation and mitigation and called on everyone to join hands in addressing the crisis.
