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Gombe State has received an award for emerging with an AA rating in the climate governance performance ranking among the 36 states of Nigeria.

This recognition was bestowed on Gombe State by the Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP) during a high-level event held in Abuja.

The state was ranked second in the country, accumulating 128 points, just behind Lagos, which clinched the first position with 182 points. Ebonyi, Borno, and Ekiti states followed in third and fourth positions, respectively.

The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawan, who chaired the event, stated that this first-ever rating and ranking of climate governance performance among states is aimed at promoting climate awareness and encouraging greater action at the subnational level.

He commended the Gombe State Government and other high-performing states for their significant strides in climate change action.

Governor Inuwa Yahaya, represented by the Commissioner for Environment, Water, and Forest Resources, Mohammed Sa’idu Fawu, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for recognizing the state’s achievements in climate change action.

He emphasised that the award would motivate his administration to intensify its efforts in environmental sustainability.

The Governor used the occasion to provide an overview of his administration’s efforts to address climate action, combat land degradation, and support livelihoods in Gombe State.

He said to address climate action, combat land degradation, and support livelihoods, his government launched the Gombe Goes Green Project (3G) in 2019 through aggressive reforestation and natural regeneration efforts.

The 3G project, he explained, set an ambitious target of planting and nurturing at least one million trees annually, providing direct employment to thousands of individuals, mainly youth, who are engaged in tree planting and nurturing.

“The pilot phase, which began in June 2019, has successfully planted over four million assorted seedlings in various parts of the state.”

In addition to the 3G Project, the Governor added, his administration is implementing a strategic policy to facilitate a gradual but sustained transition to renewable energy.

This includes the all-in-one solar-powered streetlights project, with nearly 200 kilometres of solar streetlights installed to date. Furthermore, all new government buildings, health facilities, and education institutions are now being equipped with solar power.

The administration has also prioritized flood and erosion control by rehabilitating gullies and restoring lands and communities threatened by these issues.

The impact of these interventions, according to Governor Inuwa Yahaya, has been significant.

He said that “Degraded lands across the state have been restored, effectively combating desertification, erosion, and soil nutrient decline. Biodiversity has been revived by reintroducing various indigenous tree species, with a particular focus on those facing extinction.”

Additionally, livelihoods have improved, and sustainable development has been promoted through the planting of exotic fruit-bearing trees that benefit local communities.

Adaptation to climate change has also been enhanced by planting fast-growing tree varieties.

Furthermore, societal awareness and understanding of human-induced ecological problems and their solutions have increased, along with the adoption of renewable energy technologies”.

Earlier, the President /Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Society for Planet and Prosperity, Professor Chukwumerije Okereke, explained that the project follows the successful mapping of climate impacts, policies, and action plans at the subnational level.

This evaluation, completed in collaboration with the department of climate change and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), aims to enhance climate leadership at the state level by using standard metrics and rating criteria.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, Senator Seriake Dickson, has described the Climate Governance Performance Rating and Ranking (CGPRR) of Nigeria’s 36 states project as a timely and innovative intervention.

Dickson spoke in Abuja shortly after receiving the report of the project which was launched by the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP) in close collaboration with the Department of Climate Change (DCC), Federal Ministry of Environment.

Senator Dickson in his endorsement remark said: “This project will encourage increased climate action at the subnational level with resounding effect on national climate actions that will help Nigeria accelerate its commitment into achieving global climate change goals.”

The former Bayelsa State Governor stated further: “We have just concluded a two-day retreat of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Ecology and Climate Change which took place from July 25 to 26, 2024, in Abuja where we discussed how further stakeholders’ collaboration can help advance climate action in the country.

“This Climate Governance Performance Rating and Ranking report will now serve as a tool for further engagements as the Joint Committee embarks on its proposed engagements with the subnational and private sector and consequently spur more actions in the areas where gaps exist in specific states,” he said.

“I have reliably gathered that this report is the first-ever Climate Governance Performance Rating and Ranking of Nigeria’s 36 states, I am delighted to endorse it as a resource and tool for the advancement of climate change actions at the subnational level especially the local governments and senatorial districts where the most vulnerable communities experiencing the direct impacts of climate change are domiciled.”

Senator Dickson commended SPP, led by foremost Professor of Environment, Global Climate Governance & Public Policy, Professor Chukwumerije Okereke, the Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, and the entire Ministry, for embarking on such an outstanding and unique work which will now be the evidence-base for aggregated and improved subnational climate actions.

The Subnational Climate Change Governance Performance Ranking project evaluated the extent of climate change governance and performance in Nigeria’s 36 states using five key ranking criteria namely: climate institutions and governance; climate policy and action plan; climate budget and finance; climate change projects implementation and monitoring; and climate online visibility.

After months of rigorous reviews and scrutiny, Lagos State emerged the overall best state, with Gombe and Ebonyi occupying the second and third positions respectively. The winners were announced at a high-level event chaired by the Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal, on Thursday, July 26, 2024.

By Nnaemeka Oruh (Senior Policy Analyst, SPP) and Gboyega Olorunfemi (Project Lead, SPP)

Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Lawal, has said that climate governance at the sub-national level is essential for several reasons.

Lawal said this in Abuja on Thursday, July 25, 2024, at the Sub-National Climate Governance Performance Ranking and report of the 36 states of Nigeria.

“This event marks a pivotal moment in our collective efforts to addressing the impacts of climate change which has become a challenge that transcends borders and requires concerted effort of government at all levels.

“This ranking not only serves as an acknowledgment of their achievements but also as a beacon of encouragement for others to emulate.

“We will highlight the pivotal role that sub-national entities play in driving sustainable environmental practices,” Lawal said.

The report is a collaborative effort of the Society for Planet and Prosperity, the Department of Climate Change of the Federal Ministry of Environment, and the Nigeria Governor’s Forum.

“It provided us with an understanding of the status of climate challenges and opportunities within the sub-national level to mitigate the challenges.

“It also gave an insight on the impacts of climate change, the policies enacted to mitigate these impacts and actions taken across various sectors,” the minister said.

Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, Chairman, Board of Trustee, Society for Planet and Prosperity, said that climate governance is essential to tackle climate change.

Okereke said that climate change is not only environmental but also an economic problem and urged stakeholders to tackle it at the state and sub-national levels.

An important highlight of the event was the presentation of prizes to some states according to their performances.

Lagos, Gombe, and Ebonyi came first, second and third respectively while Borno and Ekiti were both in fourth position.

By Abigael Joshua

Nigeria is ranked among the countries that are most vulnerable to climate change impacts according to multiple reports and indices. With an estimated population of 230 million people inhabiting 923,769 square kilometres, it is impossible to address Nigeria’s climate change challenges from a single central government. This presents an opportunity for multilevel approaches whilst aggregated subnational climate change action becomes imperative.

Indeed, the visible gaps between federal-level climate action and subnational climate action hugely impacts on Nigeria’s efforts at addressing climate change. While there are several policies at the federal level, the impacts of these policies are not been felt across the country due to the disconnect between the national actions and the subnational. This failure at holistic action is a nagging problem which underscores the importance of subnational action in complementing the national actions.

As a federating State, Nigeria’s governance system is structured such that efforts from the subnational must combine and feed into federal efforts, for a holistic goal towards achieving national targets. It follows then that with climate change being mostly felt at the subnational, genuine efforts at addressing climate impacts must include strategic and well-intentioned subnational actions to effectively achieve national and international goals.

By leveraging on State-level polices and action plans, Nigeria’s subnational can effectively address climate change from the community-level up, and this cannot be overemphasized. As it stands, none of Nigeria’s national climate change goals can be attained without corresponding efforts and actions by the States and Local Governments.

It is therefore imperative that urgent attention must be shifted to subnational climate change governance especially the important roles of climate change policies and action plans at the subnational levels towards the attainment of the short- and long-term climate change goals and sustainable development aspirations of the country at large. Therefore, these visible gaps created by lack of effective climate action is unacceptable and must be addressed urgently.

In essence, with differing impacts of climate change in the constituent 36 States and 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) which make up Nigeria’s subnational; States and LGAs are better positioned to identify necessary actions, which they must undertake to address climate change within their respective geographical locations. These actions which should be adaptive in nature can then be complemented by mitigation actions which will further feed into national greenhouse gases emissions reduction plans in order to forestall future climate change impacts. One effective way of achieving this is through the development and implementation of climate change policies and action plans.

In a bold move to galvanise climate awareness and encourage greater climate action at the subnational, the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP) in collaboration with the Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria, undertook the first-ever rating and ranking of the climate governance performance of the 36 States of Nigeria. The ranking of climate governance performance of Nigerian states was based on five themes: i) Climate change institutional arrangements and administrative structure, ii) Climate policy and action plan, iii) Climate budget and finance, iv) Climate change project Implementation and monitoring and v) Online visibility with reference to climate action.

The report identifies key climate change governance criteria, reveals a gap in subnational climate change policies and action plans amongst Nigeria States, and ultimately provides key elements for an effective climate change governance system for Nigeria’s subnational. This effort is critical to boosting climate action in the country, meeting the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions, address salient developmental issues, and ultimately drive towards Nigeria’s 2060 net zero ambitions which is hinged on green growth.

On Thursday, July 25, 2024, key stakeholders on climate change in Nigeria, ranging from State Governors, Ministers, Heads of Climate Change Councils and Departments, Environment and Climate Change Commissioners, members of the academia, civil society, community and youth groups, women and persons living with disabilities, the media, will converge on the Abuja Continental Hotel to share ideas, recognise top performers  review and evaluate, for the first time, the nature of climate change governance in Nigeria’s subnational during the High-Level event. This event, once launched, becomes an annual evaluation metrics aimed at bolstering subnational actions for the good of the country.

By Nnaemeka Oruh, Senior Policy Analyst, Society for Planet and Prosperity, @_Oruhnc