National Experience on Building Awareness for (UNFCCC) in Nigeria by

1. National Experience on Building Awareness for (UNFCCC) in Nigeriaby Damian Ihedioha, PhD Programme Director Nigerian Environmental Study /Action Team, NEST; dihedioha@yahoo.co.uk

2. Background • Nigerians recognize that Climate Change is a major global challenge • which require collaborative effort to make any discernable impact. • Nigerians also believe that the industrialized countries are responsible for most of the emissions, • that poor countries would be worst affected due to poor economic base, lack of early warning signals, high cost of adaptation, fragile ecosystems, etc

3. Nigeria Climate Campaign • The Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST), in collaboration with the FME, Nigeria, and support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) implemented a project on Public Awareness raising on climate change. • The Climate Campaign was borne out of a needs assessment of what would be done to address climate change issues in Nigeria. The study spanned from 2001 – 2003.

4. Need for Awareness • The need to make information available timely, and in a forms that make meaning to identified stakeholders; • Reality of climate change in Nigeria vary according to ecological zone in Nigeria. • NGOs were given grants to do climate change related activities in communities. • focused group and roundtable discussions held for men and women of 75 years, mostly local farmers

5. Conclusions • People accepted that something was wrong with the whether system, Communities blamed it on: lack of respect for elders; abandonment traditional religions; lack of respects for the gods, annoyance from the gods, etc. One man actually blamed the elite (you and I) for this entire problem; • People agreed that climate issue is complex and difficult;  • Showed that society faces many imminent threats, than what lie so far in the future

6. Conclusions (contd.) • Nigerians realize that Climate issue is important, but are negative as regards making a personal commitment • Important to communicate in a way that make people to relate the issue to everyday living. It is also important to point out individual solutions • Communication strategies vary from one group to another, use pictorials for consequences • We also noticed that Climate issue is yet not on the media’s agenda

7. Conclusions (contd.) • There are currently many people involved with the climate issue, but there is no coordinated work in this area • Involving media coverage in all campaigns is key • Climate change language is very technical; there is paucity of human resources to water-down these terms for easy understanding. • Policy makers want facts to show that Climate Change is real, before policy formulation • Incorporation, of key issues as poverty alleviation, employment, food security, etc.

8. Conclusion (contd.) • “Experience has shown that public awareness initiatives have not yielded the required impacts. Awareness raising on issues that impact on humanity, MUST have a ‘human face’ in its dissemination.” – Damian Ihedioha, 2003 • Thank you