LAGOS! STOP! WAIT! AND THINK…

Recently I lost my grandmother and I travelled with my family to the village for her burial, after being away from my family for about ten years, I didn't know what to expect but one thing I was looking forward to was to go to the river behind my grandparent’s house, I was eager to show my friends the river I grew up knowing but unfortunately when I got there, it was gone! The river had dried up! It was completely gone it was unbelievable that all I could do was stare at the empty space right in front of me.

These are the seemingly minor things that climate change has caused and those of us in the city are just too busy to notice, Lagos is a very busy city and everybody is too busy trying to make ends meet to pay attention to things that happen around us .It might be really hard to grasp the effect of climate change on us, at least not until the road that leads to our homes are flooded, these things might seem less important at the moment but we needs to stop! Wait! And think… think about our environment and how our human activities affect our environment, are we too self indulged to see that we need to sustain our environment?

It is time to take a moment ,to stop and think about our environment.

Olaleye Taiwo-@greenernaija

SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN LAGOS

The fight against climate change can only be fought and won with effective political will and people’s will backing it, that is why the use of social media is important as a tool for sensitization and awareness so that every Nigerian, every Lagostians will know and be informed about the effect of climate change on their lives, health, livelihood and their entire existence as a whole.

Lagos is undeniably the fastest growing city in Nigeria, Lagos is just six meters above sea level, with the population estimated to be about 12 million by 2015(UN Habitat), Lagos as a coastal city has been struggling to stay afloat and fight the challenges posed by climate change, with global warming, Lagos faces a huge challenges such as rising sea level, flooding, effective waste management, food crises, creating effective transportation system etc.

Lagos is surrounded by water and this makes the city very unique and remains the pride of Nigeria, Lagos serves as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria accounting for over 60% of Nigeria’s income, Lagos is precious and we love her, but we must keep Lagos afloat and not close our eyes to climate change.

The importance of Lagos makes it expedient for the use of social media among young Nigerians to create awareness and help in the fight against climate change that is why the effort of Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS) and Community Conservation and Development Initiative (CCDI) should be applauded.

In response to challenges posed by climate change, Community Conservation and Development Initiative (CCDI) in collaboration with Heinrich Boll Stiftung have decided to create awareness on disaster management, waste management, disaster management, urban farming etc by working with various Local governments in Lagos, with the aim of creating a Local government that is responsive to the environmental needs of their community.

We intend to use social media to support their goal and further create awareness about climate change with the hope that you will add your voice to ours, together we can create a Lagos with a sustainable environment, free from the effect of climate change, with citizens and government sensitive enough to protect their environment from harm.

 Olaleye Taiwo-@greenernaija