By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
In a major boost to Nigeria’s fight against the impacts of climate change, the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have commissioned 11 climate-resilient health and education facilities in Jigawa State.
The projects, handed over to the state government in Chamo town, Dutse Local Government Area, are part of the Climate Resilient Infrastructure for Basic Services (CRIBS) programme, designed to strengthen essential services against floods, droughts, and extreme heat.
FCDO Development Director, Ms. Cynthia Rowe, revealed that the UK government has committed £19 million to CRIBS projects across Jigawa and Kano States.
“This initiative is safeguarding 39 primary healthcare centres and 45 schools against the growing risks of climate change—floods, droughts, and extreme heat,” Rowe said, noting that Nigeria ranks second globally in climate-related risks to children.
She praised Jigawa’s investment in human development and emphasized that the new facilities were scalable, community-owned models capable of protecting lives and learning opportunities for generations.
UNICEF Country Representative, Wafaa Saeed, commended Jigawa for becoming Nigeria’s first state to achieve and sustain open defecation-free status, while also recording more than 60 percent progress in polio eradication.
She pledged UNICEF’s continued support to tackle out-of-school children and to work with the state towards achieving full polio eradication by year-end.
Governor Umar Namadi described the projects as timely, given Jigawa’s recurring battles with floods and rainstorms that routinely damage infrastructure.
“The remodeled, climate-resilient facilities will serve as a model. We promise to monitor their efficiency and scale them up to other local governments for cost savings, sustainable service delivery, and environmental protection,” he said.
Namadi recalled that the Chamo Primary Healthcare Centre and Primary School, built in the 1960s, had undergone several renovations but had never experienced the kind of transformation delivered under the CRIBS programme.
The commissioning ceremony drew key stakeholders, including the representative of the Minister of Health, Dr. Okara Dogara; officials of the National Sector-Wide Approach Coordination (SWAP) office; Lafiya-UK Programme National Team Leader, Dr. Usman Gwarzo; and Senior Technical Lead, Dr. Hassana Hussaini Adamu.