Ekweremadu lists limitations to Nigeria’s progress on climate change

The Chairman, Senate Committee on the Environment and Member of the Paris-based Climate Parliament, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has said the lack of funding, policies and legal framework limit Nigeria’s progress in the fight against climate change.

He, however, urged the president, Muhammad Buhari to sign the Climate Change Bill already passed by the National Assembly.

Ekweremadu, in a statement by his media aide, Uche Anichukwu, on the sidelines of the ongoing Climate Conference holding in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, said the proposed Green Grid remains Nigeria’s greatest takeaway from the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, noting that Nigeria stands to benefit immensely from the energy superhighway.

The Senator said the greatest takeaway from the COP26 was the launch of the Green Grid because “as Africans, we see an opportunity to contribute to world development and also to benefit thereof.”

“With Green Grid energy superhighway, it is most likely that there will be energy sufficiency across the globe.

“So, I am happy also that Nigeria has indicated an interest in being part of it. I am a member of the Climate Parliament,” he added.

He revealed that Nigeria and Kenya in Africa are going to partner with the rest of the world, including the United States of America, to drive the initiative, which is going to be a mega revolution.

Ekweremadu noted that doing so would avail the country of the needed quality legal framework to attract funds and better manage climate change.

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However, he said Nigeria has not shown sufficient interest and commitment in terms of budgetary provisions to the Ministry of Environment and its agencies as well as funding projects and policies in the environmental sector.

He continued: “So, COP26 is an opportunity for those of us here to attract investments, opportunities, and supports from our global partners and the international community to drive some of these initiatives because climate change is real.

“Before we can get funding or support, you must have the necessary and well-articulated legal framework for us to drive these policies.

“So, I am happy that we have been able to pass the Climate Change Bill, which is awaiting the President’s assent.

“Hopefully, the assent will be accelerated now that the President is here and saw what is happening in different parts of the world and he must have interacted with his colleague Heads of States and Governments.

“On our part as the legislature, we are also going to put pressure on the executive to ensure immediate implementation, making sure that all the necessary agencies that have to be set up are established immediately so that they will be able to take off.”

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