From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged youths in the country to take the leadership in the campaign against climate change and push for the green economy with the aim of promoting sustainable development and make the world a better place to live in.
Obasanjo equally urged the youths not to be swayed by being called leaders of tomorrow as they are indeed leaders of today and should therefore go all out to remove any barrier that could hinder them from demonstrating their leadership capacity.
The former President stated this on Monday while speaking at the Presidential Youth Retreat with the theme “Contributing To Green Economy” held at the Youth Development Centre inside Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
“Let no one keep deceiving you that youths are the leaders of tomorrow. No, you are the leaders of today but don’t ever think that anybody will help you remove the barrier, those who put the barrier will never remove it because it is not in their interests to remove it.
“So, you have to get together and remove the barrier and go ahead to demonstrate that God’s given leadership capacity in you. As long as you continue to accept that you are the leader of tomorrow, that tomorrow may never come”, he said.
According to him, the adverse effects of the climate change caused by emissions of carbon dioxide include abnormal weather conditions, extreme temperatures, flooding, drought among others.
He noted that the environmental effects of climate change call for serious concerns and require the joint efforts of all to halt this disturbing trend.
“Climate change is a reality, though, some still believe it is a myth or not real but we have seen it in flood, drought, the extreme weather conditions among others.
“The scientists have helped us to understand that man has abused the balance of all that God created, the forest, the hills, valleys, animals among others to the extent that there is now imbalance and it is we that caused the imbalance will also be victims of these consequences like the sea level rising, victims of floods, drought, extreme weather conditions and of course changes in climate, food insecurity among others”, he stated.
Obasanjo, however, noted that individual and collective efforts are required to halt the worrisome dimension of the climate change challenge.
He posited that people must embrace the green economy which encompasses all efforts to generate less carbon and absorb more of it
He said: “Use of fossil fuels is one of the greatest sources of carbon dioxide emissions which contribute greatly to climate change. This is why we talk of clean and renewable energy like the use of wind, solar power and electric cars to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
“We also talk about planting of more trees that help to absorb carbon dioxide, the more trees we plant the less of the carbon dioxide that we have. The same thing goes for proper handling of waste generated, waste recycling especially. These are the areas as youth you must take leadership, these are the areas you can make your contributions to the green economy and help drastically reduce the challenge of climate change.
Welcoming the youth to the training, the Chairperson of Youth Development Centre, OOPL, Dr Bisi Kolapo told the youths that this year’s edition of the presidential retreat was geared towards creating an environmentally responsible future.
She added that as a set of pragmatic youths, there’s a need for them to be the driving force and inspire others to contribute to the green economy.
“Contribution to the green economy can be in many forms, it could be through renewable energy processes, sustainable agriculture, waste management, technology innovation or conservative efforts.
“Seizing the moment as youths, we can drive change and inspire others to do the same. We build a more sustainable future where economic growth and environmental preservation go hand in hand,” she submitted.