From Msurshima Andrew, Makurdi
The Environment and Climate Change Amelioration Initiative (ECCAI) in collaboration with Education as a Vaccine (EVA) has tasked girls in secondary schools across Benue State to take up the fight against climate change.
Executive Director of ECCAI, Victoria Esa, made this call at an event to commemorate the 2024 International Day of the Girl Child.
 ESA said it became necessary to encourage young girls who suffers mostly due to gender inequalities occasioned by climate change, harmful practices to step up their minds to become agents of change in mitigating impact of environmental menace.
She stated that as part of the organisation’s programme to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child in a powerful way, economic tree seedlings were presented to the girls to plant for future prosperity.
She said bringing together students from Unique Secondary School Makurdi, Government Girls Secondary School Makurdi, and Government Girls Colleges Makurdi, the event centered on the theme, “The Future of Climate Leadership: Why It Needs More of the Girl Child,” under the global banner, “Girls’ Rights, Our Future,” aimed to raise them as steward of positive change.
Meanwhile, the day’s highlight was a thought-provoking symposium where passionate young girls took the stage, sharing their insights on how female leadership is pivotal in the fight against climate change.
The panelists, made up of students, emphasised the need for more girls to step into leadership roles within the climate justice movement, as they offered their perspectives and unrelenting energy to drive change.
The organisers as symbolic gesture of hope ensured seedlings were donated to the participating schools, to encourage students to plant trees on their campuses as they stressed that the act reflects the growing climate consciousness of the younger generation, and their role as stewards of the environment.
Esa added that, “The passion and commitment displayed by these young leaders filled the air with optimism. Their voices are not just echoes—they are the catalysts of tomorrow’s climate action. We are inspired by their vision and eagerly anticipate the transformative roles they will play in shaping the future of climate leadership.”
