By Perpetua Onuegbu
Oxfam Country Director, John Makina, says Nigeria needs reforms in its political representation to make it more inclusive.
He said this in Abuja on Friday at the Power of Voices, Fair for All , African Activists for Climate Justice Awards and Close-out five-year programme, of the Oxfam=supported programme.
He identified several areas that needed urgent improvement to including low women’s representation in politics and insecurity affecting girls’ education.
“Women representation is very poor; there should be deliberate national policies such as quotas to increase female participation in legislative houses.
“In other countries, they would actually have a quota allocated to women.”
He, however, praised Nigeria’s cultural richness, food diversity, and the warmth of its people.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s exceptional food diversity — from yam and potatoes to cassava and gari — which he said makes the country stand out across Africa.
Makina described Nigerians as very friendly, very welcoming, and people with integrity, noting that negative media portrayals did not reflect the character of most citizens.
Speaking on the impact of the just-concluded programme, Makina said testimonies from community members showed that the initiative had strengthened local capacity.
He said the programme would continue beyond Oxfam’s direct involvement.
He commended the Federal Government’s partnership through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the implementing partners such as the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Connected Development (CODE).
Others are BudgIT Foundation, Women Development and Resource Centre, Nature Resource Centre, Healthier Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystems Preservation (GIFSEP), and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).
Makina reiterated that Oxfam was not leaving Nigeria and would continue to support communities and partners in driving long-term development.
Speaking on the sustainability of the project, Dr Kenneth Akpan, the Project Lead for Climate Justice in Nigeria, AACJ, said the project had strengthened community resilience.
According to him, it helped in driving state-level implementation of Nigeria’s climate policies.
“The intervention has contributed to the domestication of the Climate Change Act in Adamawa, Nasarawa and the ongoing process in Bauchi State.
“It enables states to take decisions, develop policies and implement actions that feed directly into Nigeria’s nationally determined contributions and national climate ambitions.
“With increased awareness, communities have begun adopting practical adaptation measures.
“These include learning to interpret early warning signs of flooding, taking climate information seriously, and reducing harmful practices that exacerbate environmental risks.
“Some communities have established tree plantations to help protect their environment while creating alternative income streams beyond farming,” he said.
Akpan said these efforts have helped communities build resilience and better prepare for climate-related shocks, marking a significant shift in both knowledge and action at the grassroots level.
Enebi Opaluwa, Team Lead, Natural Resources and Climate Governance, BudgIT, one of the partners in the project said the communities were trained on how to sustain the project.
He said that many women and the People with Disabilities (PWDs) are now taking their destinies in their hands.
“This knowledge has strengthened their capacity as communities and as individuals to see how they build resilience and adapt to impacts of climate change”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event featured presentation of awards to partners, individuals and a documentary of testimonies from beneficiaries of the project as well as magazine capturing the project’s milestones. (NAN)