Tony Ezimakor , Abuja
Hon. Sam Onuigbo, has outlined the huge benefits that have accrued to the country following the birth of the Climate Change Act in 2021, noting that government climate policy and actions can now be measured in terms of their impact
Prior to the enactment of the law, Hon Onuigbo observed that MDAs operated in silos making it difficult to track progress or lack of in climate change and related environmental issues.
However, he stressed that with Act, a new vista of knowledge and vision has opened for businesses especially for the younger population and government as well.
,”The benefits of that law cannot be quantified . A lot is happening at private, bilateral and multilateral levels. Many people are following the law and investments are coming in as a result of the enactment of the law on climate change. At the private level,a lot is happening because investors are pouring in ,; there has been partnerships and collaborations because they look at the law and see areas they can come in.
“For instance you have heard about the Evergreen City envisioned by government in Nasarawa State , which will be built to run on renewable, green energy, no pollution. Such vision would not have been possible without a law. We have such cities in South Africa, India, Indonesia and in many other parts of the world. The one in India is a bozzling city of its own,run on renewable energy.
The one in Nasarawa ,I understand is to be located where they are planning to build the lithium batteries factory. Such is the vision that is made possible by such enabling laws .
“Again, we have received funds targeted renewable energy development, for instance when the country issued the first Green Bond , that money was targeted at some universities, several of them, to make sure they have regular power supply through renewable energy for them to do their studies and researches all year round without the usual complaint of power outages. In time this was escalated to other universities. So, some of these benefits , and collaborations become possible.
” The reason why today we have the National Council on Climate Change is as a result of the law, Now we have an umbrella body to monitor progress in that area,to know who or what has come in terms of investments as against the previous practice where we operated in silos.
“Now the NCCC as the focal person is in a position to monitor what progress we are making in that area of our national life. So whatever you are going to do in the area of climate change,you have a body that signs off and monitors progress in that area.So the law has been of great benefits.
Hon Onuigbo who is one of the Climate Change ambassadors at the concluded World Future Energy Summit and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Innovation Day events held in Abu Dhabi stressed that the greater beneficiaries of the law is the Nigeria youth who, he said are now leverage the opportunity the new law has opened .
“A lot of our young people have also benefited from trainings abroad .Let me tell you, most of the young people who worked with us at the time this law was being enacted during the 8th Assembly and 9th Assembly and thereafter left to do their Masters, ,most of them were in Dubai as part of World Renewable Summit, carrying Nigerian passport and perhaps counted among those that went with Mr president but most were sent there by their various universities and institutions! For instance those who came with Chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala I’m talking about the kind of benefits that that law has attracted to the country in such a short time.
“Like this young Nigerian inventor Ayo Braimoh , who has built an machine that use AI to separate and package waste in Lagos. There some people helping him to use the waste to provide energy to communities through this mini grid and all that. This man realized that there’s much energy to be evacuated. He is now selling it to neighbors and making more money from the uninterrupted power supply. He’s now thinking of how’s to expand”.
Onuigbo who pioneered the Climate Change bill in the 8th and 9th Senate before it was assented by President Mohammad Buhari in 2021, noted that law has in an unexpected way keyer into the liberalization of the Electricity sector by present administration, offering more opportunities for citizens to put the vast waste generated in urban cities to better use.
Citing a critical provision objective of the Act, Onuigbo who represented Ikwuano/ Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency in the 8th and 9th Assembly maintained that the nation would continue to reap benefits if it is applied to the letter .
“The legal framework aims to achieve low green house gas emissions, inclusive growth and sustainable economic development by mainstreaming climate action int.national development priorities”, and I think the benefit are gradually coming in” he said .
