By IJEOMA UKAZU
As part of its objective to use education as a means to achieve environmental sustainability, stakeholders have said there is a need for behavioural change to attain a clean and safe environment.
Speaking in Lagos to commemorate the International Day of Education and to round off the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, Literacy Drive project sponsored by the Chevening Alumni Programme Fund, CAPF, under the Chevening Alumni Association of Nigeria, CAAN, founder of Rees Africa, Yetunde Fadeyi said the project was borne out to fulfill the SDGs.
Fadeyi said, “We understand the low level of engagements and the high level of ignorance involved in the SDGs in Nigeria but that has not prevented us from experiencing the issues associated with the SDGs. While implementing the project, we started with children because they are the ones who experience these changes the most.
“For instance; climate change and pollution are actual front liners and to get a better future, we have to equip these children as they would become youths someday and essentially be able to partake in the developmental outcomes for the good of the environment. Also, we started the project with children because they form a huge number of our society and are part of the future we see.”
In her words, the Chevening Programme and Communications Officer for Lagos, Boma Amieyeofori said that the Chevening Alumni Programme Fund, CAPF caters to every alumni member across the world where Chevening scholarship is been given and Nigeria is one of them.
She said the SDGs project drive is basically about helping children and teaching them about taking climate action as well as promoting education for sustainable development, adding that the project covered six schools in Nigeria particularly in Enugu, Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Oyo, and Edo States.
The newly appointed Deputy Head of British Mission, Lagos, Abby Bernard said, “This project targets to touch young lives by educating them about the environment and in the future, you would realise the impact because these children would grow older and you would see that they are the custodian of our future planet. These are the kind of projects I encourage and I hope to see more of these.”