UNIC, movie stars take climate change message to the grassroots

It was all fun last weekend at the Alimosho Local Council of Lagos State, when movie stars under the aegis of The Golden Movie Ambassadors of Nigeria (TGMAN), collaborated with the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Lagos, in a public awareness campaign on climate change.

The President of TGMAN, Saidi Balogun, and the National Information Officer of UNIC Lagos, Mr. Oluseyi Soremekun, led the team. The awareness campaign attracted motorists and pedestrians, who were excited to see their idols.

The focus of campaign was on the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13, which says, ‘take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts’. The team informed and educated members of the public about climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.

From Lagos State University (LASU)-Isheri Road, through Idimu to Egbeda area, the movie stars pressed on, on foot to achieve their aim. The famous faces engaged members of the public in Yoruba, pidgin-English and occasionally, in Hausa language. With mounted sound system on a small truck, the procession stopped intermittently at major bus stops to address the public. As the campaign procession meandered through the streets, information and education materials was shared out to the public.

Speaking at the Egbeda terminus of the campaign trail, Soremekun noted that climate change remained a threat to all. He explained that the economy and people’s livelihoods were suffering due to unpredictable weather, as lakes were drying up and dry lands were getting drier, while flooded plains were increasing. This, according to him, had serious health implications. He therefore urged the public to be vigilant as flash floods have been predicted in some states of the federation.

In his message, Balogun urged the public to take tree planting as a way of life. Tree planting, he continued, was the best gift anyone could give to himself. “Trees break the devastating effect of storms; reduce erosion and flood; and provide cleaner and healthier air for the well-being of the people,” he said.

The SDGs awareness campaign was an outcome of a partnership meeting held between TGMAN and UNIC Lagos a few months ago and it is the first in the series of collaborative activities to leverage on creative arts and the movie industry for the promotion of sustainable development in Nigeria.