Anti-methane emission activists in the south-south have begun mobilising rural female farmers and teachers to join the war against emission. In so doing, the rural farmers would get greater yield and escape attacks of nature and still help in the battle to reduce effects of climate change in agriculture.
This, they said, is because human-caused (anthropogenic) factors of methane emission account for 45% of total methane emission mostly from farming activities and refuse misuse. This adds to gas and hydrocarbon factors to make Nigeria a top emission country.
The FG has since signed key international protocols on emission control and launched many mitigation campaigns.
Now, as part of larger efforts to realise the objectives of the methane plan of action, Environmental Centre for Oil Spills and Gas Flaring (ECOSGF) in collaboration with African Initiative for Transparency, Accountability, and Responsible Leadership (AfriTAL), with support from other partners, organized a one-day sensitisation programme for women on Methane abatement in Nigeria.
The event which held on September 11, 2024, at the Garden City Business Institute Ltd in Port Harcourt was well attended by female teachers and farmers.
In her opening remarks, Faustina Peter-Kio, a representative of ECOSGF, standing in for the coordinator, Edward Obi, a cleric, emphasized the importance of making women the backbone of the campaign in rural communities.
According to her, “We intend to go from the grassroots in getting women involved by educating them so that they are able to talk about methane, and spread the message of the implications of methane emissions, and how it affects our environment.
“We have to bring in farmers because it is affecting the crops. We heard of what happened in Taraba State; how the tomato production failed. We need to introduce them to other smart farming techniques, teach them how to convert their wastes to manure, so their crops will yield better and they will have better food security.”
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She further noted that teachers were engaged in the programme so that they can also communicate to their students the effects of methane emissions, and how to mitigate it.
Speaking on the sideline, she lamented the extinction of school farms, and revealed that bringing back farms to schools will assist in mitigating the issues of climate change and food security that we have to deal with.
She also disclosed that the funding was made possible by TrustAfrica, and that the sensitization project is happening in four states in Nigeria – Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States.
Also speaking during the event, the Executive Director of AfriTAL, Louis Ogbeifun (PhD), explained that methane is a colourless and odourless hydrocarbon usually associated with natural gas.
Ogbeifun who was represented by Mfon Utin (PhD), coordinator of Healthy Life Development Initiative (HELDi), noted that methane is a greenhouse gas that remains harmless if properly captured or contained and has substantial economic benefits which include generation of electricity; but if allowed to escape into the atmosphere, it becomes harmful because it could then cause air pollution, health problems, premature deaths, etc.
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Ogbeifun remarked that because of the gas ability to trap heat, it has been allegedly capable of increasing temperature, which in the end, would affect the climate system. He therefore pointed out that as advocates for the environment, it is their responsibility to push for reducing methane emissions to the barest minimum in the shortest possible time.
According to him, “There is a need to raise awareness among stakeholders, women groups, youths, teachers through a multisectoral approach regarding the adverse effects of methane and advocate for implementing adequate policies to reduce methane emissions.
“Given the above, this methane abatement sensitization will provide women groups, CSOs, and other stakeholders with the advocacy tools for promoting methane reduction in Nigeria, and fostering public consciousness at various levels of society.”
The sensitisation event had two presentations facilitated by Soberekon Afiesimama (PhD) of the Nigerian Institution of Environmental Engineers, and Mikiai Amachree of Safe Motherhood.
The event had two breakout sessions for teachers and farmers respectively, where participants had more detailed discussions on food wastes to manure management, establishment of school environmental club for methane advocacy, and effective communication to achieve behavioural change in students towards a sustainable environment.
Bariture Nnee, a participant at the event who teaches at the Rivers State University Staff School revealed that she has learnt that there is no waste when it has to do with the environment, because even the food waste can be turned to something positive if managed well.
She said she therefore intends to educate her students on methane emissions, and work with them to process wastes to manure that would be used in the school farm, to help the plants grow well and reduce methane emissions.
Another participant, Ngbar Lezina, who happened to be a farmer in Tai LGA thanked the organizers of the programme for building her capacity on methane abatement, while revealing that as she returns back to her village, she will step-down the training so that the women in her community will benefit from the training.
She also promised to put into practice what she has learnt from the training.
