By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
A Director in the National Council for Climate Change Secretariat (NCCCS), Mrs Halima Bawa-Bwari has expressed optimism that Nigeria is on track to meet the NDC 2.0.
Bawa-Bwari made the statement during the “Stakeholders Consultation, Engagement, and Data Collation Workshop for the Preparation of Nigeria’s NDCs 3.0” in Lagos.
The event was organised by the NCCCS with the support of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP.
She stated that the preparation of the 3.0 is the outcome of various national policies, programs, and projects that need to be reviewed, as well as projections.
“Nigeria sent in its NDC, the first one, and thereafter reviewed it to the 2.0, and just like a lot of other countries, trying to send a review to the third one, 3.0. So if in the angle of the NDC, I think Nigeria is very well on point, and we want to even do more, because we can see that even states are beginning to develop their climate policies and strategies and all that”. She said
According to her, the success of the review in the northern part of the country necessitated the review of the ongoing process in the southern zone.
“So, now we are here to do the consultations for the southern part of the country after having done one for the northern part of the country. Basically, to ensure that almost everyone’s voice is heard and almost everyone’s voice that has an input to provide to the NDC data that is required to make it a much more inclusive NDC process so that at the end of the day, we have a much more robust, much more inclusive NDC that will be much more implementable. At the national, sub-national and global level.” Bawa-Bwari stated
“The review is now focused on the southern part of the country, ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard and input is considered.”
“The review has been successful in the northern part of the country, with good participation and data from states. The southern part of the review has seen a positive impact on climate action and greenhouse gas picture, particularly with the removal of the subsidy.”
Speaking on the gains and insights of the workshop, one of the of the participants from the South-South zone, Wakede Davidson Ere, Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Ministry of Marine and the Economy, and immediate past Director, Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, spoke on the importance of addressing gaps in Nigeria’s climate change reportage.
“This is one of the best trainings, orientation if I would put it this way, highlighting key areas of gaps that are existing in Nigeria’s climate change reportage. You know, one of the things that are very key is knowing the kind of data and the quality of the data that needed to be sourced”.
He highlighted the need for better data quality and depth in sourcing data for reporting obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Ere also mentioned the June deadline for completing the report, which he believes will be met by most South-South states.
“You know, every nation has a reporting obligation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, but because of this lack of depth on the kind of data that is being requested for, we have not gone far enough”.
Ere stated that their Ministry will be focusing on policy formulation and implementing initiatives to contribute to Nigeria’s National Climate Change Desk (NDC) 3.0.
“You know, understanding what is going on now is key. Nigeria has a nationally determined contribution to climate change. And so for me, I think one of the things we need to be doing is policy formulation.”
“And for us, before even we came, planned initiatives. Some of them I would have loved that the National Climate Change Desk should look at it, and perhaps we can have it as a national program. And so my take-home is to begin to implement the programs to contribute to Nigeria’s NDC.”
Another participant from Cross River, Eneme Sebastine Alu, a Principal Scientific Officer with the Ministry of Environment, highlighted the importance of data in addressing issues, as most statistics were not taken due to inadequate data.
Alu stated that she plans to meet with relevant agencies to obtain statistics and verify them before forwarding them to the National Council for Climate Change.
“As I go back home, we’ll meet with all relevant agencies to get the statistics. And then when we get the statistics, we’ll try and verify the statistics to know if those are the actual statistics. And then we’ll forward it to the National Council for Climate Change for forwarding to the NDC”.
“We’ll meet with all relevant stakeholders, put our heads together to see how far we can walk, how fast we can walk to deliver and meet up with the deadline. The sample has been sent, so we’ll try as much as possible to meet that deadline”.
Another participant from the South-East, Arum Nnamdi, a Director from the Enugu Ministry of Environment and climate stressed the importance of southeastern states collaborating to enhance climate change data collection and improve their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
He said the workshop has provided an opportunity for states to learn from each other and share best practices.
Nnamdi furthermore encouraged participants to implement recommendations from the workshop to strengthen coordination among ministries and agencies.
According to him, that is a key element to ensuring inclusive data collection processes, with suggestions to disseminate findings widely for sustained improvements in climate initiatives.
Abass Mohammed, from the Lagos state ministry of Environment and Water Resources, also emphasized the importance of southwestern states collaborating on climate change, particularly regarding updating their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
He highlighted the need for improved data collection and sharing best practices among states to enhance overall outcomes.
Speaking on how he plans to leverage insights gained from a workshop, Abass said he plans to make recommendations to involve all relevant ministries in Lagos State in the data collection process, ensuring sustainability and enhancement of climate change initiatives.
The event brought together representatives from the NCCC, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), academia, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The workshop is expected to set the groundwork for a more robust, inclusive, and scientifically grounded update to Nigeria’s NDCs, aligning national efforts with global climate commitments.
