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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Religious leaders in Nigeria under the umbrella of Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) have pushed for inclusive participation of all stakeholders including the faith-based institutions in the climate change discussions and campaigns.
Baba Aladura Israel Akinadewo, the Regional President of OAIC, and Prelate, Motailatu Church Cherubim & Seraphim Worldwide, amplified the push at the climate change adaptation consultative meeting with religious leaders and other stakeholders in Abuja, on Tuesday.
He explained that the consultative meeting was designed to strengthen dialogue between religious leaders, community stakeholders, policy actors, and development partners.
He noted that climate change is no longer a distant scientific concept or a future risk, but a reality confronting the congregations, the rural communities, farmers, women, youth, and coastal populations every day.
He added: “Across Nigeria and the African continent, we are witnessing rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, flooding, erosion, declining agricultural productivity, and increasing threats to livelihoods. These realities demand urgent, coordinated, and values driven responses.
“Hence, the consultative meeting was an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved, to identify gaps, and to chart a sustainable pathway for scaling up climate change adaptation initiatives that are locally grounded and globally supported.
“As faith leaders, we occupy a unique position in society. We are custodians of moral authority, social trust, and grassroots influence. Our churches are not only places of worship, but centres of learning, mobilisation, compassion, and community resilience.
“Our organisation, the umbrella body for indigenous African churches in Nigeria has therefore taken it as a sacred responsibility to place climate action at the heart of faith-based development and social transformation.
“We can affirm that the climate change in Nigeria through our organization was made possible from the OAIC International, and the Nigeria Region became the vehicle for the implementation.”
He called on international development partners, donor agencies, research institutions, faith-based networks, and global climate actors to deepen collaboration with the OAIC
He insisted that the International OAIC have done tremendously in championing the climate change campaign in Nigeria. “We still believe that these international partners in Nigeria could also enhance us through the opening of partnership process with us. We have documentary of some of the activities that we have done and effectively achieved since this began.”
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Baba Aladura further disclosed that OAIC represent millions of believers across Africa. “Our churches are embedded in rural and urban communities where climate impacts are most severe. We possess cultural understanding, social trust, and extensive grassroots networks. What we require is strengthened technical support, sustainable financing, capacity building, and knowledge exchange to expand climate adaptation programmes on scale.”
He suggested that future climate initiatives must go beyond short-term interventions, but must focus on long term community resilience, climate education, youth engagement, women empowerment, and faith-informed advocacy. “They must integrate indigenous knowledge with scientific expertise. They must recognise that climate justice is inseparable from social justice, economic inclusion, and human dignity,” he suggested.
Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, who was represented by Mrs. Ogungboye Adefolarin, noted that climate change remains one of the most significant challenges of the era, with far-reaching consequences for water availability, sanitation services, food security, public health, livelihoods and social stability.
He confirmed that Nigeria is already experiencing the impacts of climate change through increased flooding, prolonged droughts, desertification, declining water quality and heightened vulnerability of both rural and urban communities.
“This reality underscores the urgent need for coherent, inclusive and actionable climate change adaptation policies that are grounded in local contexts, socially responsive and aligned with global best practices,” he said.
He further noted that the consultative meeting provides a critical platform for knowledge sharing, harmonising perspectives and strengthening partnerships aimed at building climate-resilient water and sanitation systems, and improving livelihoods, particularly among vulnerable rural and farming communities.
The Minister recognised the immense value of faith-based partnerships in strengthening climate resilience, insisting that churches and faith-based institutions play a vital and influential role in Nigerian society. “They are trusted voices within communities; they shape values and attitudes; and they promote ethical responsibility, compassion and stewardship of the environment.
“By engaging faith leaders in climate adaptation efforts, we can, more effectively, raise awareness, encourage behavioural change, mobilise grassroots participation and foster a shared sense of responsibility to protect our water resources and national ecosystems for future generations,” he noted.
In a presentation, Prof. Theophilus Odekunle from the Department of Geography, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, urged the government to strengthen collaboration with the faith-based organisations so it can achieve more result.
He also suggested that government engage stronger and more result-oriented media tool to sensitize the people with the right information on the dynamic nature of the climate change.
