President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, 22 October, 2024, called for collaborate efforts from all stakeholders and insist that there is need to accelerate and mobilize the necessary resources to achieve the nation’s climate goals.
The President stated this at a Climate Security Summit in Abuja organized by the National Council on Climate Change Secretariat in collaboration with stakeholders and development partners.
Represented by the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, the president noted that climate poses threats to the world including Nigeria.
He listed some of the efforts towards addressing climate change to include Nigeria’s Paris Agreement pledge which is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2030.
He lamented that: “The climate crisis is no longer looming threat but a present and undeniable danger inflicting devastation upon our nation.”
The President added that “it’s merciless actio. Is evidence nationwide from the relentless surge of the sea level threatening our coastal communities to creeping drought that ignores farmers/herders crisis that has brought insecurity upon Nigeria.
“The frequent and extreme weather effect such as flood and heatwave and harsh weather effect that have ravaged our economy and displaced vulnerable populace and destroyed infrastructure.”
He said: “Climate crisis are existential threat to our nation, continent and indeed the entire world. It is a threat that increase problems in our development plan,” stating that “with urgency, we must act now to address this very crisis.”
He however noted that: “Recognizing this urgent challenge, Nigeria has demonstrated its commitments to climate action through various initiatives most notably our promise through Paris Agreement.”
Also speaking the Director General, National Council on Climate Change, and the Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Change, Dr Nkiruka Maduekwe noted that the law provides for the establishment of climate change fund to enable Nigeria to strengthen her resilient and safeguard the people from the impact of climate change, but Nigeria is yet to operationalize the fund.
She noted that one of the reasons for the meeting was to bring together stakeholders to plan useful strategies that would ensure Nigeria is able to benefit from the fund.
She equally noted that the meeting would device Nigeria’s strategies at the upcoming COP 29, insisting that Nigeria should expect positive outcomes from the global meeting.
Maduekwe said already in place a trained negotiators which would be on attendance at the COP 29 for Nigeria so that the nation can come out from the meeting with goodies.
