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The Society for Planet and Prosperity, in collaboration with the Department of Climate Change, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Nigeria Governors Forum, developed a Study Project on “Mapping Climate Impacts, Policies and Actions at the Subnational Level in Nigeria”. The study is conceived as a first step to galvanise awareness for climate action at sub-national levels in Nigeria and ensure improved climate change action and resilience among the state actors. The project, while measuring the extent of climate change awareness and action in the 36 states of the Federation including the FCT, aimed to map the impact of climate change in the 36 states; map the nature of climate policies and actions in place in the states; and provide a better understanding of the kind of support needed by the states to domesticate climate policies and attract climate finance and investments. This is a timely one; because it underlines the peculiar needs of the different subnational units of the country, in other to encourage improved action either by government, civil society, the private sector, or international donor agencies.

The study took on two methodologies to get the required result on the subnational climate mapping. The first research methodology was a desktop study and literature review, which involved a comprehensive review of online publicity, state policy frameworks, allocated state budget on climate finance, programs/activities and action plans; evaluate the effectiveness of climate actions in each state and how they can be improved; assess the alignment of subnational climate actions with existing national frameworks and economic development plans. The second methodology was the use of a survey tool to collate feedback on the opinions, perspectives and thoughts of subnational stakeholders on climate impact, policy and action at the subnational level in Nigeria as part of our research study.

The information from the data analysis of the study is presented in a report finding, which was launched on the 17^th of November, 2023, and can be accessed and downloaded via: https://sppnigeria.org/climate-impacts-policies-and-actions-at-the-sub-national-level-in-nigeria/

Study Findings from the SURVEY ANALYSIS

A survey tool was designed to gather feedback, perspectives and inputs from subnational stakeholders on the mapping of climate impacts, policies and action plans at the state level. A total of 1,306 participants responded to the survey across all states (study area) of Nigeria and the FCT; of which about 90% of respondents agree that climate change is a big issue amongst the subnational; with 91% of the survey participants concurring that their states are vulnerable to climate change induced environmental challenge and impacts. Respondents, who were mainly from the relevant state government civil service, were asked to rank their knowledge of climate change. The climate knowledge rating of the 1,306 respondents shows that 61.3% of the respondents claimed to have an average knowledge of climate change, while 33.1% claimed to have a high-level knowledge of climate change. Only 15.6% said they have low knowledge of climate change. This means the respondents have a wide knowledge of climate change.

Study Findings from DESKTOP REVIEW

Online Awareness of Climate Issues

The research review shows that States with High Online Visibility, in terms of climate change awareness, functional websites and internet mentions of climate change activities by the state government include 5 states only: Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Plateau and Taraba.

States with Low (6 states) and Very Low (5 states) Online Visibility are Ekiti, Kogi, Benue, Abia, Bayelsa and Jigawa States; and Zamfara, Katsina, Imo, Rivers and Edo States respectively.

This is according to the score rankings, as seen in the Map below.

Climate Policy

Only seven (7) states have climate policy documents that can be found online. These include Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Lagos, Osun, Rivers, and Yobe. Amongst them, Rivers and Ebonyi States have upgraded their policies to Climate Change Law/Act. Eight (8) States seem to have climate policies or some related documents that are not fully finalised or adopted. These include Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Enugu, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa, Plateau, and Ondo. The rest 24 states have no evidence of a climate policy in the states, according to the desktop review of existing subnational climate policies in Nigeria.

 

It was observed that most of these states with an existing active Climate Action Plan are very close to establishing a Climate Policy. The survey analysis also confirms that most State Governments have also started the process of establishing a Climate Policy.

Climate Action Plan

Thirteen States and the FCT have climate change action plans. These include Nasarawa, Yobe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Anambra, Ebonyi, Niger, Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers, Lagos, Osun and Ondo. Lagos State has the most ambitious Climate Action Plan (2020-2025) to transform “the State into an emission-neutral city by 2050”.

Climate Change Appropriation as provided in the State Annual Budget

The 2023 budget of the 36 states was reviewed to see the extent to which specific provision is made for climate action in these states. It was found that a large number of States make provisions for climate-related activities and procurements. However, most states do not make a particular appropriation specified for climate change; as the 8 states found to have a clearly labelled Climate Change Budget Allocation for climate project programs and activities include Nasarawa, Plateau, Yobe, Jigawa, Anambra, Ebonyi, Ondo, and Ogun.

Climate Impacts and Vulnerabilities

Climate impacts vary across the states in Nigeria.  States within the same or similar ecological zone share broadly the same climate impacts and vulnerabilities. In the North-central region, Flooding, Desert encroachment, Farmers/herders clashes, and Drought are the dominant climate impacts in the north-central states of Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Plateau, FCT, and Niger. These impacts, in addition to Heat extreme and loss of crop yield, are also attributable to the other 12 States of the North-west and North-east regions. The main impacts of climate change in the South (South-east, South-west, South-south) include Gully Erosion, Loss of crop yield and arable land, Farmer/herders clash, Flooding, Coastal Erosion, Sea level rise, and Heat waves. It is important to point out that temperature changes are constant climate change impacts for the entire country. This has resulted from an increase in global warming and irregular rainfall patterns.

The map below shows the Climate Impact, as spread across the entire subnational.

 

With the recent gains from COP28, Nigeria now has an opportunity to incorporate subnational action plans and state policies on climate change. As the federal government progresses on their National commitments, there needs to be a way to ensure their actions are mainstreamed into the state level and even tracked consistently, such as through the enactment of climate policies and allocated budget and action plans on climate change programmes, projects and activities, including high-level climate education and intentional capacity building.

Timothy Ogenyi
Senior Climate Policy Analyst,
Society for Planet and Prosperity

 

Enugu State government plans to establish a trust fund for climate-related activities, which will be driven by young leaders and plant about 10,000 trees in a pilot scheme in the Udi local council of the state.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, made this known when he received renowned climate change governance scholar and advocate, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, and young climate leaders in the Enugu State government house to discuss their vision for how Enugu State might become a greener and more resilient city.

He stated that the Ndubuisi Mbah administration is taking the issue of climate change seriously. “The evidence can be seen in the modification of the State’s Ministry of Environment to accommodate climate change and appointment of some senior officials in the climate change sphere to ensure success and sustainability,” Onyia said.

The visit is one of the activities planned as part of the implementation of the International Visitors’ Leadership Programme (IVLP) impact award given to Okereke by the U.S. Department of State Bureau for Education and Cultural Affairs.

The IVLP impact project, which was implemented in partnership with the Society for Planet & Prosperity, Centre for Climate Change & Development (CCCD) Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike & Eco-Cyclers is designed to train young climate and environmental advocates from Enugu State and environs on the role of urban greening in combating urban air pollution and climate change.

Thirty-one young climate leaders were selected from a pool of over 4,000 applicants to participate in the prestigious training programme. The purpose of the visit was to inform the state administration about the activities carried out under the project’s activities and their impact.

These activities included two-day training on climate change, urban greening, and air quality measurements. It also included a climate education exercise involving over 7,000 children from three public secondary schools in Enugu, as well as the planting of over 100 economic and ornamental trees in strategic locations throughout the city.

Young leaders also took advantage of the visit to express their vision and ideas for transforming Enugu into a green and climate-resilient city in keeping with the city’s reputation as a clean, ambient, and family-friendly metropolis. The young leaders were accompanied in the visit by the State’s Commissioner for Environment, Prof. Sam Ugwu.

Young climate change leaders in Enugu have pledged to plant 10,000 trees in Enugu as part of activities to make the state greener.

The leaders made the pledge during a visit, coordinated by Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, to the Enugu State Government to inform him of their plan to make the state greener and more resilient.

The visit to the Enugu State government was one of the activities planned as part of the implementation of the International Visitors’ Leadership Programme (IVLP) impact award given to Prof. Okereke by the U.S. Department of State Bureau for Education and Cultural Affairs.

The IVLP impact project which was implemented in partnership with the Society for Planet & Prosperity, the Center for Climate Change & Development (CCCD) Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike & Eco-Cyclers, was designed to train young climate and environmental advocates from Enugu State and environs on the role of urban greening in combating urban air pollution and climate change.

Thirty-one young climate leaders were selected from a pool of over 4,000 applicants to participate in the prestigious training programme.

The purpose of the visit was to inform the state government about the activities carried out under the project’s activities and their impact.

These activities included a two-day training on climate change, urban greening, and air quality measurements.

It also included a climate education exercise involving over 7,000 children from three public secondary schools in Enugu, as well as the planting of over 100 economic and ornamental trees in strategic locations throughout the city.

Young leaders also took advantage of the visit to express their vision and ideas for transforming Enugu into a green and climate-resilient city in keeping with the city’s reputation as a clean, ambient, and family-friendly metropolis.

The young leaders were accompanied in the visit by the honourable commissioner for environment in Enugu State, Prof. Sam Ugwu.

The SSG, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, was very delighted to meet with the young leaders, stating that the present government in Enugu State, under the leadership of His Excellency Barrister Ndubuisi Mbah, is taking the issue of climate change seriously.

The evidence can be seen in the modification of the state Ministry of Environment to accommodate climate change and the appointment of some senior officials in the climate change sphere to ensure success and sustainability.

The SSG also informed the young leaders of a proposed trust fund for climate-related activities, which will benefit the young leaders once implementation commences.

The target is to plant about 10,000 trees around the Awhum axis in the Udi local government area of the state as a pilot.

The team presented the two artworks to the SSG on behalf of Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke.

The presentation was done by Ogechi Nwonye, Basil Ojengwa, and Elochukwu Anieze.

The SSG appreciated the young leaders and promised to ensure that the members of the team were carried along when the implementation of the trust fund is flagged off.

The Hon. Commissioner pledged to contact the young leaders once the tree-planting campaign is underway so they can join forces with the state government to make it a success.

Both the SSG and the commissioner commended Prof. Okereke for the initiative and his wider contribution to manpower and sustainable development in Enugu State, describing him as a worthy ambassador of the state

Renowned climate change governance scholar and advocate, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, has coordinated the visit of young climate leaders to the Enugu State Government House to share and discuss their vision for how Enugu state might become a greener and more resilient city.

The visit to the Enugu State Government on Thursday, December 21, 2023, is one of the activities planned as part of the implementation of the International Visitors’ Leadership Programme (IVLP) impact award given to Prof. Okereke by the U.S. Department of State Bureau for Education and Cultural Affairs. The IVLP impact project which was implemented in partnership with the Society for Planet & Prosperity, the Centre for Climate Change & Development (CCCD) of the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, and Eco-Cyclers as designed to train young climate and environmental advocates from Enugu State and environs on the role of urban greening in combating urban air pollution and climate change.

Thirty-one young climate leaders were selected from a pool of over 4,000 applicants to participate in the prestigious training programme.

The purpose of the visit was to inform the state administration about the activities carried out under the project’s activities and their impact. These activities included a two-day training on climate change, urban greening, and air quality measurements. It also included a climate education exercise involving over 7,000 children from three public secondary schools in Enugu, as well as the planting of over 100 economic and ornamental trees in strategic locations throughout the city. Young leaders also took advantage of the visit to express their vision and ideas for transforming Enugu into a green and climate-resilient city in keeping with the city’s reputation as a clean, ambient, and family-friendly metropolis.

The young leaders were accompanied in the visit by the Commissioner for Environment in Enugu State, Prof. Sam Ugwu.

The SSG, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, was very delighted to meet with the young leaders, stating that the present government in Enugu State, under the leadership of Barrister Ndubuisi Mbah, is taking the issue of climate change seriously. The evidence can be seen in the modification of the state Ministry of Environment to accommodate climate change and the appointment of some senior officials in the climate change sphere to ensure success and sustainability.

The SSG also informed the young leaders of a proposed trust fund for climate-related activities, which will benefit the young leaders once implementation commences. The target is to plant about 10,000 trees around the Awhum axis in the Udi Local Government Area of the state as a pilot.

The team presented the two artworks to the SSG on behalf of Prof. Okereke. The presentation was done by Ogechi Nwonye, Basil Ojengwa, and Elochukwu Anieze. The SSG appreciated the young leaders and promised to ensure that the members of the team are carried along when the implementation of the trust fund is flagged off.

The Commissioner pledged to contact the young leaders once the tree-planting campaign is underway so they can join forces with the stage government to make it a success. Both the SSG and the commissioner commended Prof. Okereke for the initiative and his wider contribution to manpower and sustainable development in Enugu State, describing him as a worthy ambassador of the state.

By Elochukwu Anieze, Research Fellow at the Centre for Climate Change and Development, AE-FUNAI

Director, Centre for Climate Change and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ebonyi State, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, has charged young climate activists in Enugu to aspire to be champions in their field of advocacy.

Okereke gave the advice at the International Visitors Leadership (IVLP) Impact Award in Enugu, the Enugu State capital.

At the hybrid event that was monitored virtually, 30 participants, including nine female activists, took part in the competition leading to the award.

The award was tagged: “Impacts of the Urban Greening Training, Education and Advocacy”.

Okereke reminded the participants of the huge media coverage of the just concluded COP28 in Dubai, UAE, especially on the issues of fossil fuels and emissions.

“I hope that you will continue to be leaders in this space; deepen your activities to go further and higher.

“Become superstars on urban greening and climate change based on the kind of exposures and motivations you have derived from the training.

“I see a lot of African voices that are being promoted by the global media to become champions in their space and they don’t have two heads,” Okereke said.

He noted that the interactive teaching sessions the participants had been exposed to gave them the opportunity to prepare their own campaign plans.

Ogechi Nkonye, the Executive Director, Eco-Cyclers, remarked that the topic for the project, Urban Spaces and Greening, had been an eye opener for everyone.

“When we started this project, we were not expecting the type of momentum and commitment by young people from Enugu applying.

“At first, we had to choose about 15 persons from those who applied, but because of the magnanimity of Okereke, we had to increase it to 30.

“The programme was very successful, it was not just a talking shop but we had some practical aspect of it.

“We brought an expert from the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, to help us to test the quality of air from two different locations in Enugu.

“We planted about 35 trees in Enugu Metropolis; we also took it further,” Nkonye said.

She said that, through the project, a community of young climate change agents were formed.

Nkoye added that the community looked forward to a state-wide tree planting exercise to combat deforestation in the Enugu metropolis.

She expressed gratitude to the US Department of States that gave the award to Okereke and also to the awardee himself for his passion in raising young climate change activists, not just for Nigeria, but also for Africa.

The participants were grouped into three, A, B and C, with group B emerging as the winner, followed by A.

Group B wrote its proposal on: “Community Tree Planting and Fight Against Deforestation: Sustainable Solutions for a Greener Future”.

Okereke said: “The winners goes to Group B because they have the clarity of objectives. They want to plant 2,000 trees in Enugu State.”

Recall that the participants underwent a few days training in August, on Urban Spaces and Greening, in Enugu, which built their capacity to pitch on climate advocacy.

The event was put forward by Okereke in partnership with the Society for Planet and Prosperity, Centre for Climate Change and Development and Eco-Cylers.

By Fabian Ekeruche

First published in www.environewsnigeria.com