Stakeholders in Abia State have reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that persons with disabilities (PWDs) are fully included in climate change policies, programmes and interventions across the state.
The commitment was made at a stakeholder workshop held in Abia for the presentation of a research report on “Disability-Inclusive Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Nigeria.”
The research was conducted by the Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), with support from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and GIZ, and brought together government officials, policymakers, development partners, civil society organisations, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), researchers, private-sector representatives and the media.
The Commissioner for Environment, Abia State, Philemon Asonye Ogbonna, FCA, represented by the Director of Climate Change in the ministry, Mr. Ike Chris, said disability inclusion remained an important component of the state’s climate change policies, plans and programmes.
He said the state had developed a disability-inclusive climate change policy, which is expected to take effect soon, as well as a disability-inclusive clean cooking plan aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from household cooking.
Ogbonna also highlighted waste characterisation exercises conducted in Aba and Umuahia to identify waste streams that generate greenhouse gases and improve waste management.
He disclosed that four persons with disabilities were among 13 participants trained by the European Union during the exercise on greenhouse gas waste segregation.
The commissioner further revealed plans to establish a national park in Abia, which he said would serve as a greenhouse gas buffer zone and, when operationalised, become the first national park in the South-East.
Earlier, the Acting Director of CCD, Godwin Unumeri, said the research examined the intersection of disability, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change while highlighting the experiences and concerns of persons with disabilities.
He called for stronger collaboration, adequate resources and coordinated action among government institutions, civil society, development partners, academia and the private sector to ensure effective implementation of the report’s recommendations.
Also speaking, the Chief Fire Officer of the Abia State Fire Service, Arc. Arua Nnanna, stressed the need to recognise persons with disabilities as equal contributors to the nation’s social, political and economic development.
Nnanna noted that climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, including PWDs, and urged authorities to integrate disability considerations into climate planning, budgeting, healthcare, security and other interventions.
The workshop ended with a renewed call for inclusive climate action that addresses the needs of vulnerable groups and ensures that no one is left behind.
