Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, has launched the state’s Climate Change Policy and Action Plan, calling for collective action to build a more environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient Taraba.
Unveiling the document in Jalingo, Kefas said the policy was a decision about the future of the state’s natural resources.
‘We are taking the decision about the future of Taraba. We are deciding whether our forests will still be standing and whether our rivers will still be flowing,’ the governor said.
The Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Hajiya Aishat B. Barde, said climate action was not the government’s duty alone.
She urged ministries, departments and agencies, local government councils, traditional institutions, communities, youth and women’s groups, the private sector and development partners to take ownership of their roles in implementation.
‘This marks the beginning of a new phase of coordinated and measurable climate action in the state.
‘The policy will help Taraba build a state that is environmentally sustainable, economically prosperous and resilient to the challenges of a changing climate,’ Barde said.
She acknowledged the support of Natural Eco Capital, Society for Planet and Prosperity, and the African Climate Foundation for their financial and technical contributions to the policy’s development.
Kefas noted that climate change was already affecting agriculture through unpredictable rainfall and drying rivers, with serious consequences for farmers.
He stressed that any climate policy that ignores farmers ‘will not succeed’ and directed that environmental considerations be mainstreamed into health, infrastructure and education planning.
The governor charged local governments with a central role in implementation, noting that issues such as flooding and bush burning occur mainly at the community level.
He also called for improved waste management, saying, ‘Climate action cannot be effectively pursued while our streets and drainages are clogged with waste.’
Residents were urged to protect forests, discourage bush burning, and plant trees.
Kefas said the success of the policy would no longer be measured by workshops, but by ‘tangible changes in communities.’
He called on the Federal Government, the National Council on Climate Change, international partners and other stakeholders to support Taraba in implementing the plan.
Describing Taraba as richly endowed with mountains, rivers and forests, the governor declared that ‘the state’s Climate Change Policy has come to stay and will form part of Taraba’s development agenda.’