Nigerian Government Entrusts States with Climate Action
Zeniat Abubakar, Abuja.
State Ministries of Environment have been charged to set up a Climate Change department to regularly report climate action within their states for proper national reporting on issues of climate change.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Iziaq Salako, gave the charge during the launch of the report on “Mapping Climate Change Impact, Policy and Action at the Sub-national Level in Nigeria,” held in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Dr. Salako said that the Nigerian government was taking measures to address the challenges of climate change in the country, and these steps were reflected in policies, legal & institutional programmes, and projects initiatives.
“The project also provides the opportunity to localize the understanding of climate impacts specific to different regions and to identify the unique challenges faced by different subnational entities.
“This project is crucial to understanding local challenges, formulating effective policies, and coordinating climate action, while facilitating coordination and collaboration among various stakeholders at the sub-national level.
“It will help tailor-made policymaking and action plans with the specific needs and vulnerabilities of each state,” the minister pointed out.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Environment further said that the Ministry of Environment was also taking steps to create awareness of climate action at subnational levels in Nigeria by ensuring improved climate action and resilience among the 36 states.
At the federal level, he mentioned that the setting-up of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change mandates Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to have Climate Change Desks/Units/Departments to ensure the mainstreaming of climate change in their sectoral development activities. They are also to hold regular meetings on national climate actions.
The President, Society for Planet Prosperity, a non-governmental organization in Nigeria, Professor Chukwumerije Okereke, during the launch said that the report will assist states to generate income, access carbon finance and build climate resilience.
Prof. Okereke, who observed that the level of awareness of climate change in the 36 states across the country was very poor, explained that the organization has been working with the Federal Ministry of Environment, specifically the Department for Climate Change and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum. The aim was to aid in doing a mapping to understand the level of climate awareness in the 36 states of the country including the Federal Capital Territory.
“We also know that the federal government has put in place a number of major institutions and policies for climate action, but you don’t take climate change action at the federal level.
“Whether you’re planting forests, whether you’re doing erosion control, it has to happen in a state-owned level, etc.
“But everybody knows we do not know the state of climate action in the sub-national level; this is a major gap that has been present for the past 12 years since action on climate change in Nigeria.
“So we decided to tackle this gap by finding out what states are doing on climate change,” he said.
Only 8 States Have Climate Policies
According to Professor Okereke, only 8 states have climate policies out of the 36 states in Nigeria, while 7 have a climate change action plan. Twelve (12) states, he says, have captured climate change in their states’ budget.
“The report shows that states need to up their action to drive climate change action policy plans.
“The report will be forwarded to the states’ government across the country to help them develop policy and plans on climate change resilience,” he added.
The Chairman, Security and Special Interventions and Climate Change, North East Development Commission, Sam Onuigbo, urged the governors and the local government chairmen to take the threats posed by climate change very seriously because “the era of saying that climate change is issuing warning shots is over”.
“Governors and the local government chairmen must make adequate budgetary provisions for improved climate change action and resilience.
“Mapping Climate Change Impact, Policy and Action in Nigeria’s project aims to map the impact of climate change in the 36 states and 774 local government areas to analyze the existing policies and actions in these sub-nationals and identify the support needs of these sub-nationals to effectively domesticate climate change policies to attract climate fund and investments,” Onuigbo explained.
Niger State
The Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago said that the mapping of climate impacts, policy, and actions at the subnational level is crucial in formulating effective strategies to combat climate change.
He said this will allow state governments to understand vulnerabilities, identify areas that require immediate attention, and develop tailored policies and action plans.
The report was launched by a non-governmental organization in Nigeria, Society for Planet and Prosperity, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum.
The report will also help citizens, especially states and local governments, understand that climate change is a major developmental challenge facing Nigeria and know how to address its impact.
