Heatwaves, Floods Threatening Learning, Healthcare In State — UNICEF
The United Nations Children's Fund has raised concerns over the growing impact of climate change on education and healthcare delivery in parts of northern Nigeria, warning that rising temperatures, floods, storms, and poor water infrastructure are increasingly disrupting learning and exposing vulnerable communities to health risks.
Speaking during the launch of the Climate Resilient Infrastructure for Basic Services (CRIBS) project in Gombe State, the Chief of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, Nuzhat Rafique, said climate change had become a present danger affecting schools and healthcare facilities across Gombe and other northern states.
According to her, extreme weather conditions such as heatwaves, sandstorms, rainstorms, flooding, and changing climate patterns are already damaging public infrastructure and affecting daily life.
She noted that some school roofs had reportedly been blown off during storms, further exposing students and healthcare users to unsafe conditions.
Rafique explained that the CRIBS project was designed to provide safer schools and healthcare facilities capable of withstanding harsh weather conditions while also improving water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
The UNICEF official stressed that access to clean water and sanitation remains critical for child protection, quality healthcare, and girls’ education, especially for adolescent girls and pregnant women.
According to her, thousands of children remain out of school partly because some schools lack proper toilets and water facilities, while unsafe healthcare environments continue to pose risks to mothers and newborns.
Under the intervention programme, nine schools and 14 primary healthcare facilities across selected local government areas in Gombe State are expected to undergo rehabilitation and upgrades with climate-resilient features.
The improvements will reportedly include stronger roofing systems, better ceilings, solar power installations, sanitation facilities, emergency exits, and other structural rehabilitation works.
Speaking further, UNICEF education specialist Abdurahman Ado said the intervention followed assessments showing that climate conditions were negatively affecting teaching and learning outcomes.
He questioned how students and teachers could effectively learn or teach in overcrowded classrooms under extreme heat conditions.
According to Ado, the selected local government areas were identified after assessments involving the education, health, and water sectors using indicators such as climate vulnerability, healthcare challenges, and the number of out-of-school children.
He disclosed that enumerators visited facilities across the state to gather data before vulnerable communities were selected for the intervention.
Ado added that contractors are expected to begin work immediately after technical review meetings, with the entire project scheduled for completion by December 2026.
The Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Manassah Daniel Jatau, described climate adaptation as a necessity for survival, insisting that governments and institutions must adjust to changing environmental realities.
He acknowledged concerns earlier raised by UNICEF regarding poor classroom conditions in the state, noting that the government had already begun efforts to improve school infrastructure following those observations.
