The UK’s Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) has warned that Nigeria is highly vulnerable to climate hazards that endanger children’s health, education, and development.
FCDO’s Director of Development, Cynthia Rowe, said this on Monday while handing over a school and health facility built under the Climate Resilient Infrastructure for Basic Services (CRIBS) project in Chamo, Dutse Local Government Area of Jigawa State.
She noted that Nigeria ranks second globally among countries where children face the greatest climate-related risks, threatening their survival and potential. The CRIBS project, she explained, is being implemented by UNICEF, FCDO, development partners, and the Kano and Jigawa governments.
UNICEF Country Representative, Wafaa Saeed, said the project aims to reduce climate hazards affecting children. She pledged sustained support to Jigawa, commending the state’s efforts against open defecation and in reducing out-of-school children.
Governor Umar Namadi lauded the partners, describing the initiative as “an innovative strategy to tackle climate change.” He stressed that Jigawa faces high risks of flooding and drought, which disrupt schools and health facilities, and promised his administration’s continued collaboration to protect women and children.
