School-aged kids lead the fight foe a greener future in Nigeria's Borno state

By: Rukaiyatu Idris

“I now understand the effects of deforestation and the various ways of addressing climate change, which I personally believe that reforestation is one of the most suitable and sustainable solutions, especially in a community like our own." Those were the words of Abdullahi Usman, a 13-year-old junior student at Shehu Sanda Kyari Secondary School in Maiduguri, Borno’s capital, as he acknowledged the impacts of the climate-change campaigns that are spreading across public schools like his. 

“When they first came to our school, I didn’t understand any of the things they were saying,” Usman recalled.  “I was just looking at them whenever they speak about climate change.”

For more than a decade, Borno State has grappled with abnormalities in its rainfall patterns and overall weather conditions. Escalating temperatures, together with low rainfall, have taken a severe toll on agriculture, which accounts for at least 65% of the state’s GDP. With the Lake Chad Basin (an essential water resource) losing almost 90% of its volume in recent decades, the  ensuing climate crisis has resulted in conflicts between farmers and herders, excerbating insecurity in the state. 

Adopting new approach

Fleeing from the Boko Haram insurgency in his hometown of Abadam, Mukhtar Adamu thought about ways to mitigate the environmental troubles that were, together with insecurity, starting to threaten the livelihoods of Borno residents. "The tree planting idea came to my mind, and I figured that I will make more impact if I also work towards the behavioural change of young children about environmental issues," he said.

In 2022, Adamu began an initiative with a focus on nurturing climate awareness among school-aged children in Borno. Engaging schools in tree-planting campaigns, he aimed to raise a generation of youngsters that could take collective action against the ravages of climate change in their immediate environs.  

Breath with Green Youth Development Initiative (BGYDI) is a nonprofit, youth-led organisation focused on climate change and related issues to preserve the  environment through conservation. The initiative now boasts at least 8 volunteers, up from 3 in 2022, when it first started.  At the core of their campaign is a passion to save their communities from further environmental degradation.

BGYDI collaborates with elementary schools across Borno to allow students to participate in seed planting.  The team engages in discussions with the school authorities to get approval and be given  time and locations for seed planting. By linking climate change to local environmental problems such as rising temperatures, drought and flooding, the group demystifies the concept of climate change for students like Usman. This hands-on approach empowers students, encouraging them to become active participants in combating climate change.

Immediate impact

BGYDI’s drive to spread knowledge of climate change across Borno has met with broad appeal, especially in the academic circle. Both students and teachers have lauded its growing influence across communities in the state. 

“I myself have learned a lot as a result of their awareness sessions, especially with regards to how these trees can save us from heat in the state,” noted Sale Ebet Ahmed, headmaster at the University of Maiduguri Staff Primary School, where over 100 trees had been recently planted. “[Seeing] how the students are now passionate about taking care of the trees and watering them is proof that the aim has been achieved." 

For 10-year-old Habibih Mohammad, participating in the tree-planting campaign was an experience she hoped to relive seeing the importance of trees in every environment.

“I enjoy watering the trees in our school, because when they grow, we will have more fresh air, no drought, and the whole environment will be safe, so, if I get the seedlings I will plant it even in my house,” she said.

In its first outing, BGYDI planted 500 seedlings in seven different other locations (schools and communities), including the University of Maiduguri Staff Primary School. The tally has since increased.  “At the second and other subsequent phases of our tree-planting campaign, we planted over 5,000 trees across other schools and communities,” said Halima Mohammad Waziri, the communication and engagement office at BGYDI.

Volunteers such as Waziri, who has long dreamed of advocating for climate change, have been instrumental to BGYDI's green-awareness initiative, fulfilling their lifelong dream of saving their environment and becoming a climate advocate.

Shortage of Manpower

In its bid to spread awareness and inspire collective action against the ravages of climate change in the ancient Sahelian kingdom of Borno, BGYDI contends with  limited manpower and logistical support. 

“Not all people will be interested in doing something that will not pay,” Adamu bemoaned. “But when we are to look at the magnitude of climate change issues, we would understand that it is worth the sacrifice."

Way forward… 

Ibrahim Aliyu Izge, a climate activist, reckons that climate education can greatly inspire a shift in perspective and help address Borno’s thorny climate issues. He advocates for additional measures such as water management and  climate justice.

Mustapha Aisami, project coordinator at BGYDI, expressed plans to incorporate climate education into the basic school curriculum. “We are working to produce a manual on climate education to be distributed across schools for learning purposes,” he said.

This story was produced with the support of Nigeria Health Watch through the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems.

First published by Prime Progress