Climate Resilience: UNICEF, FCDO handover PHCs, Schools to Jigawa Govt

From: Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

The UK Government through Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), inaugurated and handedover the upgraded Climate Resilient Infrastructure for Basic Services(CRIBS) to Jigawa State Government.
The inauguration ceremony which included: Primary Healthcare Centres and Primary Schools, took place on Monday at Chamo PHCs and Chamo Primary school area of Dutse local government area of Jigawa state.
Speaking during the handing over, the Development Director, Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom, Cynthia Rowe said, the CRIBS was done by FCDO, UNICEF and other partners to tackle climate change challenges in Jigawa state.
According to her, Nigeria is exposed to several climate hazards, such as floods, droughts, heatwaves, sea-level rise, affecting millions of people each year.
She maintained that, Nigeria is ranked second among the countries where children face the highest climate-related risks, directly threatening their ability to survive, grow, learn and fulfil their potentials.
While making her remarks, the UNICEF Country Representative Mrs Wafaa Saeed, commended Jigawa state governor for his commitments toward improving the lives of women and children.
“The way we tell our national story matters. If we consistently choose sensationalism, we deepen divides and amplify fear. But if we elevate voices of resilience, highlight peace initiatives, and frame issues responsibly, we can help build a more peaceful and secure Nigeria,” he said.
According to Gaskia, who also chairs the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Knowledge, Innovation and Resource Hub, PCVE KIRH, Nigeria’s experience over the last 15 years had shown that government efforts alone could not stem extremist threats.
“No single actor—whether government, civil society, community or the private sector—can do it alone. This is why PAVE is pursuing a three-track approach: co-creating State and Local Action Plans on PCVE, operationalizing the PCVE Knowledge, Innovation and Resource Hub, and institutionalising media engagement through the Media Against Violent Extremism Network we are flagging off today.
“Today, he said, the coalition was active in 22 states with the vision of “a Nigeria free from violent extremism. Our motto is simple and true: Paving the way to peace,” Gaskia told participants
The GCERF, which has supported community-level interventions in Nigeria since 2016, said ongoing efforts must prioritise sustainability and local ownership.
Also, the National Coordinator, Yetunde Adegoke, said nearly a decade of work in the North-Central and North-West zones had taught valuable lessons about the importance of grassroots solutions.
“As donors, we can only ever be catalysts. What we are really looking forward to is catalysing a very sustainable way of preventing violent extremism and building resilient communities. That is essentially what GCERF is about,” she said.
Adegoke explained that while pilot projects with partners such as ActionAid had yielded results, it was now time to move beyond short-term initiatives.
“We cannot continue with just project-based approaches. That is why we are investing in the PAVE Network… It is intended to work with communities across the six geopolitical zones to design their own solutions,” she added.
She added that GCERF had deliberately supported the creation of the PCVE Knowledge, Innovation and Resource Hub as what she described as the organisation’s “exit strategy.”