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Olabode Adaramola
The Federal University of Technology Minna, has reiterated commitment to addressing the challenges of climate change across communities in Niger state in particular and in the country in general.
The Vice Chancellor , FUT,Minna Prof. Faruk Adamu Kuta gave the promise last weekend on the sidelines of a interview with the newsmen during the 10th anniversary celebration of the West African Science Service Centre for Climate Change WASCAL Centre in the University.
Prof. Adamu Kuta who disclosed that the Centre was established by the German Government in conjunction with the country’s Institute of Research to address emerging challenges of climate change most especially at the grassroots level in Nigeria and across the West African Sub-region, just as he commended the efforts of the past Vice Chancellors/ leadership of the university for supporting the establishment of the climate change research centre at the Gidan Kwano main campus of the University in Minna, the state capital.
According to him, “We want to have a centre closer to the grassroots so that our grassroots dwellers will understand more about climate change based on the research carried out by the University”.
Prof Kuta also commended the German Government for its funding of the program since its inception 10 years ago and the Federal government for paying it’s counterpart funding since the inception of the Centre.
He thereby appreciated the Nigerian Government for living up to expectations in the counterpart funding of the program.
Nationa Wires however gathered that the Program has produced graduates up to the level of PhD and very soon lots of innovation by the centre would be coming on board, not limited to climate change”.
The Director West African Science Service Centre for Climate Change WASCAL, FUT Minna, Professor Appolonia Okhimamhe said the centre has successfully graduated no fewer than about 30 Post- graduate students( (Masters degrees) within the last 10years adding that the programme is presently on PhD students in Nigeria and other African countries.
He further appreciated the role of the visionary past Vice Chancellors/Management of the University in supporting the establishment of the centre.
The WASCAL program has as its mission to provide information and knowledge services at the local, national and regional levels to West African member countries to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change.
The Head of the WASCAL Governing Board Professor Mahammadu Hassirou (from Niger Republic) who led members of the Board from other countries in West Africa including Nigeria said the main objective of this programme was to train West African sub- regional students and other stakeholders for better inclusion of climate change issues in the policies and sustainable development projects and programmes.
According to him, “We want to do this through capacity building support to young West African scholars in the fields of climate, natural and social sciences and by delivering climate and environmental services in member countries”.
National Wires further gathered that the WASCAL Centre,FUT Minna, is a field of study on climate change and adapted land use and it is a large-scale research-focused climate service centre with headquarters in Accra (Ghana) and a research competence centre (CoC) in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).
It was further learnt that the Center has 11 West African member countries, namely Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, The Gambia, Mali, Niger Republic , Nigeria, Senegal and Republic of Togo respectively.
Meanwhile, part of the 10th-anniversary celebration of the WASCAL Centre in FUTMinna was the presentation of awards certificates to researchers and other stakeholders in the University, mainly Academics in the climate change sector.
