Nigeria has expressed its determination to continue to use its influence to lead the way in seeking solutions to climate change matters in Africa and beyond.
The Special Adviser to the President on National Economic Council (NEC) and Climate Change Matters, Rukaiya El-Rufai, disclosed this in an interview with Voice of Nigeria on the sidelines of the ongoing Conference of Parties on Climate Change, COP 30 in Belem, Brazil.
She said Nigeria will exert her influence to mobilise finance for the country as well as other sister African nations, in order to collectively tackle the problem of climate change across the continent.
“One thing that I know the whole world will look out for is Nigeria’s leadership in Africa. So we do have our influence in the regional ECOWAS and also at AU platforms to demonstrate that we are that big brother. So it’s just to go and really galvanise all stakeholders, both in public and private sectors, to make sure we implement our National Determined Contributions NDCs and make it work for us,” she said.
The Special Adviser said that the natural resources of Nigeria will also play a key role in mitigating the effects of climate change.
“The natural capital we have; don’t forget that we are an oil-producing nation, and the vast natural gas resources and renewables, we will also continue to use that to implement the NDCs in a way that works for us and addresses the sustainable development challenges that we are facing,” Rufai added.
Commenting on the passion of the Nigerian government in seeking solutions to climate change matters, the presidential adviser on climate change said life is all about nature, and climate is critical for the survival of every nation.
“Nature and climate are the very home that makes our economy thrive and also give us the stability to live good lives. So we are dependent on nature. That is why how you consume and use the natural resources is important to ensuring the sustainability of livelihoods, economies, and everything. So this is how we live our lives responsibly and also leave a better future for generations to come.
“So the government led by President Bola Tinubu is concentrating on resilience and ensuring that there is long term shared value creation, and the government will continue to prioritize climate and nature and continue to ensure that we lead regarding climate policies,” she stated.
Rukaiya Rufai, who noted that many countries are yet to submit their National Determined Contributions NDCs to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), used the opportunity to call on them to emulate Nigeria.
“There are many countries that haven’t submitted their NDCs yet, but Nigeria has. China and EU just submitted. So you see, we are leading because we also have our Climate Change Act as well as our carbon market framework in place, and that is why when you look at the theme for this COP 30, It is apt; COP of action and implementation,” Rufai stressed.
“That is why they said they are not creating anything new; rather, let’s set and operationalize NDCs and make sure all those climate related finance pledges made at Baku that were brought down from $1.3 trillion to $300 billion, let’s make that happen,” she stressed.