Reps member seeks upgrade of climate change council to commission

Terseer Ugbor, the deputy chairman of the house committee on environment, says the national climate change council should be upgraded to become a commission and not defunded.

Ugbor, a member representing the Kwande/Ushongo constituency of Benue, spoke on Thursday at a stakeholders’ preparatory workshop organised by Oxfam ahead of the conference of parties (COP28) scheduled to be held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12.

In June, it was reported that the federal government in a letter approved the discontinuation of budgetary allocations to professional bodies and councils effective from December 31, 2026.

Speaking at the workshop, the lawmaker said the committee is aware that councils would be defunded by the government because they are meant to be financed by memberships and participants.

“We think that the idea of defunding all councils, including the climate change council will not be to the best benefits of our climate change efforts in this country,” Ugbor said.

“So we are proposing that the climate change council should become a climate change commission so it becomes a more established and prominent feature in our regulatory implementation efforts for climate change activities in Nigeria.”

Ugbor said the house committee on environment considers the engagements at COP28 as  “paramount if Nigeria is going to achieve positive results from all the engagements over the years at COP”.

“For Nigeria’s participation at COP to be valuable and fruitful, there must be a unified vision for tangible proposals that prove the country’s commitment to environmental sustainability, resilience and inclusive economic developments, particularly for a nation like Nigeria experiencing rapid urbanisation and industrial growth,” he said.

“At COP28, Nigeria is not just a participant but a proponent of substantial climate initiative, striving to activate the $100 billion loss and damage funding, and championing an equitable climate action and finance distribution.

“I’m hoping that our presence in COP28 will see that Nigeria comes home with at least $1 billion of investment commitments to help support our climate change efforts in the country.”

He added that more funding needs to be secured to support climate adaptation initiatives and ensure successful implementation.

‘IMPACT OF CLIMATE MUST BE REDUCED’

On his part, Salisu Dahiru, director-general of the national climate change council, said Nigeria still represents one of the 10 countries worst hit by climate change.

“We are not forgetful of what’s happened last year with respect to the floods. What we experienced last year is a reenactment of what happened in 2012. But when the floods came back last year, it came back angrier and stronger,” he said.

“This is a signal that the reoccurrence of this flood may continue to be more aggressive.

So, the need to come together to reduce the strength and the impact of the climate change actions or events that we are having in the country is extremely important.”