By joshua Kogi Govt Places Climate Change At Front Burner, Adopts Global Best Practices – DG Climate Change Agency
…says Ododo administration committed to collaborative mitigation, resilient communities
The Director-General of the Kogi State Climate Change Agency, Mr. Michael Onimisi Ajibade, has said the administration of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has made climate change a top priority and is adopting global best practices to safeguard lives, livelihoods and the environment.
Ajibade stated this on Wednesday in Lokoja at the Project Knowledge Management Forum and close-out ceremony of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) funded Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) project in Enjema District, Ankpa LGA.
The project, titled “Addressing Land Degradation and Climate Change through Sustainable Agriculture in Coal Mining Communities in Enjema District,” was implemented by the Climate and Sustainable Development Network (CSDevNet).
Ajibade, who was a key stakeholder at the forum, stressed that climate action in Kogi State is now driven by collaboration, science and community ownership. He noted that the State Government, through the newly established Climate Change Agency chaired by Governor Ododo himself, is coordinating statewide strategies on resilience and sustainable development.
He explained that the government’s approach is anchored on four pillars: building resilience in vulnerable communities, encouraging transformative ideas towards low-carbon technology, developing mitigation strategies specific to Kogi’s vulnerabilities, and actively seeking partnerships to meet international obligations on climate change.
“Our Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has a clear vision and is determined to ensure Kogi State is at par with its counterparts and will adopt and implement global best practices on climate change,” Ajibade reiterated, referencing his earlier engagements with the Presidency and development partners.
He disclosed that the State Government has engaged consultants to map critical ecological sites across the 21 LGAs, with over 300 critical erosion and flood-prone sites identified, for which comprehensive designs have been developed and submitted. The state is already intervening in three major erosion sites in collaboration with the World Bank-assisted ACReSAL project.
According to him, the government is also strengthening Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs) as frontline defence against climate disasters, improving early warning systems, flood forecasting, and capacity for risk mapping and evacuation planning, particularly for Lokoja and other confluence communities that face annual flooding.
He commended the UNDP GEF-SGP and CSDevNet for the Enjema intervention, describing it as a practical model of community-led environmental action that aligns perfectly with the state’s climate agenda.
Earlier, the National Network Coordinator of CSDevNet, Mr. Steve Abuh, said the project which ran from October 2025 to May 2026 demonstrated that investments in climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, sustainable aquaculture and community institutions can restore degraded landscapes.
He listed the legacies to include demonstration farms, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), solar-powered water system and the Community Green Action Plan (CoGAP).
“Environmental challenges are best addressed when communities are not simply beneficiaries, but active partners,” Abuh stated.
In her remarks, National Coordinator of UNDP GEF-SGP Nigeria, Dr. Ibironke Favour Olubamise, said lasting environmental solutions are achieved when communities lead, noting that CoGAP offers a replicable framework for mining-affected communities.
Representing the Governor, the Commissioner for Environment and Ecological Management, Engr. Olusegun Joseph, enumerated the state’s strides in flood mitigation, erosion control and regulation of mining activities.
Chairman of Ankpa LGA, Hon. Ademu Yahaya, lauded the partners for choosing Enjema, while other stakeholders present included the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Mr. Muktar Atima, representatives of Ministries of Agriculture and Health, NGOs, traditional leaders and beneficiaries.
Speaking on behalf of beneficiaries, Mr. Umar Othman said pollution from coal mining had contaminated rivers and destroyed farmlands, forcing residents to travel long distances to farm.
“For years we cried out without response until God answered through CSDevNet. For the first time in Enjema, we learned that fish can be reared at home,” he said, noting that fish farming, maize production, sack farming and palm tree planting have created new livelihoods.
Othman appealed to the state government to enforce reclamation of mined lands by mining companies and thanked the Ododo administration for allowing the programme, describing it as people-oriented.