A non-profit organisation, Queen Moremi Ajasoro Initiative QMA has urged governments at all levels to raise more awareness about issues relating to climate challenges.
According to the group, doing so would equip the country with the necessary education and understanding of the causes and potential solutions to climate change concerns.
Mrs Aderonke Ogunwusi, Chairperson of the organization and Vice Chairman of the House of Oduduwa Foundation, made the call in Osogbo while revealing the program of activities for this year’s QMA Leadership and Cultural Pageant.
The QMA Leadership and Cultural Pageant, according to Mrs. Ogunwusi, is unique in that contestants are camped and coached on leadership, culture, and environmental sustainability.
Mrs Ogunwusi who is one of the wives of Ooni of Ife said the culture and environment part of the QMA initiative is integral to building a new generation of responsible leaders.
According to her, imbibing good cultural values is the foundation of a leadership that appreciates how global challenges affect the local population and how indigenous people proffer local solutions to global problems.
She said, “it is our moral obligation and our duty to make sure that we keep this planet and sustain the planet for generations to come.
The UN Ambassador on Climate Change, Yemi Olapeju, who also reiterated the need for more climate change awareness in the country, said it must begin at the grassroots.
She noted that for the campaign to care for the environment to become effective, all hands must be on deck, starting from individuals in their little ways.
“Recently, the world has been experiencing issues related to climate change, but this awareness is not widely shared in Nigeria. I believe that as a Nigerian, I should be able to return home and spread this awareness on climate change, and this awareness begins from the grassroots, not the government,” she said.
The Year 2022 QMA Leadership and Cultural Pageant finalists have been training since November 27 in advance of the grand finale on December 3, 2022.