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The Director, Centre for Climate Change and Development Alex Ekwueme Federal University (AE-FUNAI), Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, has expressed dismay over the negligence of the local people in intervention efforts on climate change adaptation and mitigation in Nigeria.

Prof. Okereke, who is also a Senior non-resident Fellow at APRI,  stated this during the final stakeholders’ workshop organised to share the key findings of the project on understanding the effectiveness of Local Communities in taking necessary action through locally-led adaptation (LLA) which started in 2022 with sponsorship from Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI) Berlin, Germany, in close collaboration with the Centre for Climate Change and Development (CCCD) of AE-FUNAI and the Department of Climate Change (DCC) of the Federal Ministry of Environment, held in Abuja on Tuesday, August 8, 2023.

Prof. Okereke lamented what he described as “over-concentration” of intervention efforts at the national and sub-national levels at the negligence of the local people who are sometimes the most vulnerable. He pointed out that the often-neglected local people possess potentials such as intelligence and resourcefulness in innovating ways of adapting to climate change. These potentials, he said, must not be overlooked by policy makers.

Prof. Okereke cautioned against Mal-Adaptation which causes more problems in the bid to introduce adaptation strategies. According to him, adaptation strategies should be context-specific and context-sensitive if they must effectively address existing problems. He encouraged capacity building of human resources through training and re-training so as to achieve country and community ownership for sustenance of project results and recommended practices.

Speaking on the project context, Dr Grace Mbungu, Head of Climate Change Programme, APRI-Berlin, noted that much work had been undertaken by individuals on climate adaptation with several climate change adaptation and mitigation plans and frameworks in Nigeria, yet the status of available adaptation practices is not clear in the policy documents, thus no clear assessment of implementation gaps and locally led processes.

Dr. Mbungu further advocated for Nigeria’s adoption of a bottom-top approach during decision-making process by involvement of vulnerable communities and stakeholders in order to harness their ideas, local knowledge and practices. Through this strategy, she said that Nigeria can mainstream locally led adaptation (LLA) in her adaptation plans which would ensure effective, efficient and equitable adaptation action implementation.

In her opening remarks, the Director, DCC, Dr Iniobong Abiola-Awe, who represented the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, expressed happiness on the high turnout to the workshop amidst the short notice. She reiterated the impacts of climate change as experienced by everyone today in all aspects of life hence the need to assess the adaptation strategies adopted by communities to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Dr Eloka Okeke, senior research fellow, APRI-Berlin, while presenting the report of the project, made a summary presentation of findings from the project. Dr. Okeke explained that the project focused on the experiences of the three case study communities, their adaptive strategies, best practices and pathways, gaps and challenges. The presentation elicited comments and questions from participants including passionate appeals to extend the project to the other parts of the country and the integration of climate change education into the curriculum of schools for improved awareness creation on climate change concepts and issues.

In his brief remarks, Prof Chinedum Nwajiuba, the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike, reminded the participants about the contributions of NASPA-CCN in creating a pathway for climate change adaptation and mitigation plans and framework for Nigeria.

The final stakeholders’ workshop was attended by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Environment represented by Dr Iniobong Abiola-Awe, Director, Department of Climate Change (DCC); Dr Abimbola Olumide, the Executive Director, APRI-Berlin; Dr Grace Mbungu, Head of Climate Change Programme, APRI-Berlin; Prof Chukwumerije Okereke, Director, CCCD AE-FUNAI; and Prof Chinedum Uzoma Nwajiuba, immediate past Vice-Chancellor, AE-FUNAI.

Other participants included representatives from civil society organisations (CSOs), policy makers, think-tanks from the academia, and representatives of student groups, among others.

The APRI project report was presented and launched by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Environment, represented by Dr Abiola-Awe of the DCC.

The workshop was aimed at working closely with key policymakers, CSOs, NGOs and other relevant stakeholders to develop key policy priorities for locally-led adaptation in Nigeria as well as launching of the flagship report titled “Unlocking Adaptation Potential: Insights into Nigeria’s Climate Change Policies, Initiatives, and Local Actions”.

This comprehensive report delves into the critical issue of climate change adaptation and explores locally-led strategies and initiatives to address the challenges posed by climate change in Nigeria, identifying barriers and enabling factors for adaptation to inform the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) implementation.

The report, which is based on rigorous research and case studies conducted across various ecological zones of Nigeria, highlights the growing impact of climate change on vulnerable communities and ecosystems. It sheds light on the importance of locally-led adaptation as a key approach to building resilience and safeguarding livelihoods in the face of climate-related risks. The report also underscores the significance of placing local communities at the heart of climate change adaptation efforts.

During the event, speakers emphasised the importance of collaboration in climate change adaptation and the role of locally-led initiatives.

By Chinwe Ogunji

First published in Environews

Prof Chukwumerije Okereke in partnership with Society for Planet Prosperity, Center for Climate Change and Development AE-FUNAI and Eco-Cyclers is implementing the International Visitors Leadership Program Impact Award Project (IVLP) project funded by the United States Department of State.

The aim of the project is to create awareness about the problems of air pollution, deforestation, and climate change in the city of Enugu, and also empower young intended climate advocates to become more skilled and effective campaigners for climate action.

The project intends train young climate leaders on the topic of urban air pollution and the contribution of urban space greening in addressing the challenges of climate change and air pollution in cities.

Part of the training will include taking air quality measurements with the young leaders to paint a real-life picture of the air quality situation in the city.

The training will be accompanied by tree planting activities in the city of Enugu and a visit to three secondary schools in Enugu by the young leaders to raise awareness on climate change and air pollution as well as the role of tree planting in urban spaces in addressing the challenges.

To apply kindly click on the link: https://bit.ly/3O9mGvN

The Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP) in collaboration with the Center for Climate Change and Development, Alex Ekwueme University, Ebonyi State launched a nation-wide survey on sub national action  on climate change.

The survey aims to collect stakeholders’ perspectives on the impact of climate change on Nigeria’s 36 states and Abuja, as well as the actions taken by the states to adapt to climate change in their respective jurisdictions. The survey also seeks to identify the nature and breadth of climate policies and projects being implemented across the Federation’s states.

 The study is part of a project being undertaken by the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), a Nigerian registered NGO, to help raise awareness of climate change at the sub-national level in Nigeria.

Professor Chukwumerije Okereke, President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of SPP, stated that the initiative is envisioned 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 state actors.

He stated that the project will assess the level of climate change awareness and action in the Federation’s 36 states, including the FCT, as well as the willingness of states to engage and increase their action, as well as the type of support they will require from national and international development partners in this regard.

According to Professor Okereke, there has long been a realisation that most climate action and policy in Nigeria has been centred at the national level, with very few actions taking place at the state level.

He stated that the initiative provides an opportunity to document what is happening at the state level and determine which states are leaders and which are laggards in climate policy and action.

Professor Okereke stated that the project will assess Nigerian states based on their degrees of climate action, as well as their needs and priorities, and will create an evidence base to promote climate awareness and action at the sub-national level in Nigeria.

 The also said that the project outcome will be of benefit to many people within and outside Nigeria including the Nigeria Governors Forum which has recently annciucned their intention to partner with various agencies to address the menace of flooding in their states and international development partners that will be looking to fund climate change action at the subnational level in Nigeria.

To participate in the survey, click the link http://bit.ly/3PSCXYJ

The Society for Planet and Prosperity is a Nigerian non-governmental organization devoted to advancing action to enhance environmentally sustainable economic growth in Africa.

Press Release was issued by Mr Timothy Ogenyi and Mr Wole Adegbule both of who are Senior Researchers with SPP

An expert in Climate Change and Development, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, has hailed the contributions of Nigerian academics in shaping the country’s long term climate strategy.

Okereke disclosed this in an interview in Lagos during the stakeholder consultation on Nigeria’s Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS).

He said that, for the first time in the history of the development of major climate policy documents, the quantification of Nigeria’s current and future greenhouse gas (GHG) emission by sectors and the analysis of possible options for emission reduction to meet Nigeria’s climate pledges have been undertaken by Nigerians academics.

According to him, this analysis has been handled by the Nigerian Deep Decarbonisation Project team (DDP) led by Okereke himself.

He explained that the Nigeria Deep Decarbonisation Project is an innovative programme funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) which is intended to mobilise and reinforce the capacities of Nigerian experts and researchers to produce scientific analysis of low-emission development pathways

“There are several important differences between the Long-Term Strategies which Nigeria is about to conclude and previous strategies for Nigeria’s decarbonisation such as the Energy Transition Plan (ETP).

“One of the key differences is that the development of the LTS has involved extensive and sustained consultation with many stakeholders in Nigeria.

“Therefore, the product cannot be seen as a technical document written by some experts from the comfort of their offices. Accordingly, the LTS integrates the input of a broad range of stakeholders in Nigeria.

“The second, as I already mentioned, is that the modelling work that informs the LTS has been developed by Nigerian experts. This is quite significant.

“It means that the era of flying in foreign consultants to develop Nigeria’s long term climate policy is gone. Nigeria now has its own data base on which it can rely for future emission scenario development.

“As the one that is leading the modelling part of the LTS, I can tell you that what we have done is that for the very first time we now have Nigerian academics being able to provide the energy balance of Nigeria,” Okereke said.

He said that a closer observation at the country’s energy mix showed that the amount of emissions that were coming from the different sectors in Nigeria combined were more than what had been projected in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and the Energy Transition Plan (ETP).

He said that the reason is that “we went much deeper and broader, including accommodating emission from the maritime sector, from ships and even from tricycles (Keke).”

“And so, we are now able to say with some level of confidence and authority that we have the broadest and deepest and most comprehensive emission profile of the various sectors in Nigeria.”

The professor noted that his team found that a significant growth of emissions in Nigeria in the next 10 to 20 and 30 years was going to come mostly from the transportation sector.

He said the numbers were much more than was envisaged in the NDC and the ETP.

“Another big and troubling discovery is that emissions from enteric fermentations, that is emissions from cows, are much higher than originally thought.

“So, Nigeria will really be thinking hard about what to do with open grazing,” Okereke said.

The professor said that the country’s search for how to increase energy generation and access in ways that do not add massively to its emission profile remained one of the central changes in achieving sustainable energy transition in Nigeria.

“Our modeling shows that Nigeria needs to be able to produce about 250 gigawatts of electricity by 2050 in order to be able to provide access to everybody in Nigeria.

“That requires more than 10 per cent annual growth of electricity production between now and 2050 and the amount that is needed to achieve that runs into billions of US dollars,” Okereke said.

He said that the incoming government must think long and hard about how they could mobilise the vast resources needed to finalise Nigeria’s green transition.

“It is doable but this will require creative and innovative thinking as well as good strategy and policy will,” Okereke said.

By Fabian Ekeruche

First published in www.environewsnigeria.com

An expert in climate change and development, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, has called on the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prioritise climate change.

Okereke made the appeal in an interview on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in Lagos.

The don, who is the Director, Centre for Climate Change and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, said that climate change poses one of the greatest economic, physical, financial, and development risks to Nigeria.

He said that the call became imperative as the global community reflected on the environment on the week of the celebration of World Environment Day.

Nigeria swore in a new President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who took an oath of office on May 29, 2023, at the Eagle Square in Abuja.

The professor noted that, during his inaugural speech, Tinubu laid emphasis on the rule of law, security, and combating terrorism as priorities for his administration, as well as the pursuit of prosperity and development through job creation.

He said that the president also indicated that he would pursue the effort to build more infrastructure, adding that he would try to unify the exchange rate and remove subsidies.

“Most of the things highlighted by the president were, in many respects, extremely laudable goals that should be pursued.

“For example, according to the most recent reports from the World Bank and other international organisations, Nigeria has the highest unemployment rate, so it is right that a focus on job creation should be a priority for the new administration.

“However, the speech of the President has one very big and glaring omission. This significant omission is the President’s failure to identify combating climate change as one of his top priorities.

“This is a very important omission because climate change poses one of the greatest economic, physical, financial, and development risks to Nigeria,” Okereke said.

He said that if climate change was not appropriately prioritised and tackled, that could compromise the ability of the President to achieve all these other laudable objectives which he has enumerated, including job creation, food security, and economic prosperity.

The don said that Nigeria was among the top 10 most vulnerable countries in the world and that climate change was already wreaking havoc on all aspects of the nation’s economy.

“It has been calculated that climate change as of today is costing Nigeria up to $100 billion. This represents about N15 trillion and close to 20 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP.

“Calculations show that by 2050, climate change could cost Nigeria about N460 billion. This is in the region of about N69 trillion and this could be between six to 30 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP.

“Climate change is already causing drought and loss of crop yield in Nigeria.

“In some cases, up to 50 per cent of crop yield loss is expected by 2050,” Okereke said.

The expert said that about 70 per cent of the Nigerian population was engaged directly or indirectly in various forms of agricultural activities accounting for about 22 per cent of Nigerian GDP.

“So, it is easy to see that without a concerted effort to tackle climate change, the new president will struggle to fulfil his goal to fight hunger and poverty in the country,” Okereke said.

He said that another way in which climate change was affecting the economic situation in Nigeria was through the floodings that had become recurring in the nation.

“Just recently, we’ve seen the number of deaths and displacements that have been caused by unprecedented floodings which had affected nearly 30 of 36 states of the country.

“Up till today, clear estimates have not been provided by the government on these losses.

“But we do know from the government’s own figures that the direct estimate of damage and loss caused by the 2012 flood is about $16.9 billion, which is about N2.63 trillion naira.

“Up to nearly 4000 kilometres square in the coastal regions of Nigeria will be inundated by a minimum rise of sea level due to climate change.

An estimated 53 million people in the country may need to be relocated, If the sea level rises to 0.5 metres.

“Places like Bonny, Forcardos, Lagos, and Port Harcourt will be at risk with vast amounts of property and oil infrastructure at risk,” Okereke said.

The don said that climate change was also contributing to desertification and drought, “which is helping to fuel insecurity in Nigeria”.

On the other hand, Okereke said that climate change posed a great opportunity for Nigeria.

He said that Nigeria was blessed with abundant natural resources like wind and solar, geothermal, and other critical minerals that would fuel the global transition in the coming decades.

“International climate finance is now worth over $3 trillion.

“So, by positioning Nigeria effectively to tackle climate change, the president can unlock billions of international climate finance and help to address the perennial challenge of lack of energy access.

“This represents one of the biggest constraints against economic growth in the country.

“If climate change is properly understood and tackled, it can offer Nigeria enormous opportunity to unleash the green growth transition potential that it has to create jobs security and help in the fight against terror.

“So, as we celebrate the World Environment Day, it is important to really bring to the attention of the president, the need to prioritise climate change in his agenda to make it the left, right, and centre of his administration,” Okereke said.

He advised the president to appoint someone with the knowledge, experience, passion, and technical know-how needed to situate climate change as an important, if not the most important economic issue facing Nigeria.

He added that such a person should be able to navigate and deal or negotiate with the international community in such a way that will unlock streams of climate finance that can help Nigeria to make a transition to a green economy and show leadership in this area.

By Fabian Ekeruche

 

First published by EnviroNews Nigeria