The Chairman Security and Special Interventions and Climate Change, North East Development Commission, Sam Onuigbo, has called on stakeholders in the environmental sector to be fully involved in the fight against activities that affect climate change by creating more awareness in Nigeria.
Mr. Onuigbo, who stated this in an interactive session with journalists in Abuja the nation’s capital, said the challenges from climate change is cross cutting in nature and that there is the urgent need to create greater awareness while appealing to religious bodies and traditional rulers to enlighten their subjects on the impact of climate change.
“Climate change contributes to pollution that kills 7 million people annually and that is about five dates per second. In the communities, we need to create this awareness by telling people that the traditional ways of preparing food, frying garri where you inhale too much smoke is not food for their health”.
He also explained that Climate change awareness should go beyond Federal level as the effects also contribute significantly to the crisis in the Northeast of the country.
“If you cannot farm because the land has been degraded by climate change, how then can you live for someone who thinks it’s not affecting him, If you cannot farm you cannot get food and if you cannot get food you are forced into migration when you migrate you are going to cause security problems because you are going to somewhere where people are already occupied, and there will be a clash we have to continue with our awareness campaign, by letting everyone know that all hands must be on deck today the crisis in the Northeast has spread so we have a duty to work together to tackle this menace.” He said.
Sam Onuigbo further explained that Climate change be inculcated as part of the syllabus in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions for speedy awareness.
Mr. Onuigbo also noted that the removal of petroleum subsidy by President Bola Tinubu is a giant stride in addressing issues of climate change in the country more so that the has also demonstrated commitment in the issues of climate change.
“The removal of Petroleum subsidy is a major policy towards renewables, he has approved the establishment of centres for compressed natural gas buses around the country, that is also a positive decision, in about 10 days after assumption of office the President signed the Electricity Act, the electricity Act we have, first the 9th assembly, amended the Constitution, when they amended the Constitution they removed electricity from the exclusive to the concurrent list and Mr. President upon assumption of office, I want to emphasise that again, in about 10 days, he assented it to that he has liberalised everything about electricity for us I think these are positive steps.” He said.
Mr. Onuigbo also commended the government’s commitment towards achieving renewable energy.
According to him, “We have over 970 million people within Africa who do not have access to clean cooking facilities, we have over 600 million people who do not have access to electricity, and part of that Nigeria contributed about 90 million people. So we have to create the awareness we also have to work towards renewable energy so that people can access clean cooking, either through the kind of facilities that are provided, people can also access electricity without anybody being in danger.”
Sam Onuigbo who has been nominated as part of the Climate Action 30 Global Leaders 2023 and is the sponsor of Nigeria’s Climate Change Act 2021, he was among 30 of the top global activists identified by Climate Action 30 around the world who are working toward climate and environmental solutions.
