• Pledges To End Gas Flaring • Nation To Rollout 100 Electric Buses

President Bola Tinubu says Nigeria is taking significant step towards a sustainable and eco-friendly future by pioneering initiative to deploy a fleet of 100 electric buses.

The President has also expressed his administration’s commitment to end gas-flaring in the country following the global push to halt methane emission.
 
President Tinubu spoke yesterday at a high-level meeting with stakeholders and investors on the Nigeria Carbon Market and Electric Buses Rollout Programme in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on the margins of the COP28 climate summit. 

He explained that the strategic initiative is aimed at significantly reducing Nigeria’s carbon footprint and modernising the country’s transportation systems as part of a larger effort to position Nigeria and Africa as the pioneering frontier of green manufacturing and industrialisation with a focus on natural gas as a transition fuel alongside other renewable energy sources.

To spearhead this transformative plan, the President announced the appointment of the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Zacch Adedeji, and the Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Mr. Dahiru Salisu, to co-chair the Nigeria Carbon Market Activation Plan.

‘’This initiative stands as a testament to our dedication to environmental stewardship as clearly exemplified through our collaboration with the Africa Carbon Market Initiative. Our visionary plan is a strategic guidepost, directing Nigeria towards becoming an investment-friendly destination for carbon market investments. 

‘’We recognise the imperative of fostering an environment that not only attracts investment but also upholds standardised and sustainable industrial practices. As a manifestation of our forward-thinking approach, we are actively looking to implement robust, enabling policies and frameworks that will serve as the catalyst for the burgeoning growth of the carbon market within our national border

‘’In further driving my commitment, I have recently approved an Inter-governmental Committee on Carbon Markets to be chaired by the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change to drive this visionary plan,’’ the President stated. He assured prospective investors that the initiative transcends being a mere pilot project. 

‘’It is a concrete manifestation of our unwavering dedication to a carbon-neutral future. I assure you; this is only the commencement of our ambitious plans, with many more impactful initiatives on the horizon,” he said.

President Tinubu, while acknowledging the pressing need for a comprehensive global collaboration on climate-related challenges, called on global partners to join hands in accelerating collective efforts towards a net-zero future. 

He added: ‘’As we unveil our initiatives, I challenge other nations to emulate our strides in mapping out their sustainable futures with a clear understanding that Africa is a beacon of innovative solutions to climate-related challenges. 

‘’In this pursuit, we acknowledge the pressing need for comprehensive global collaboration, and we reiterate our commitment to being an active participant in international efforts. 

‘’Nigeria’s plans for a greener and cleaner economy can serve as an inspirational narrative for nations worldwide. Our comprehensive approach, rooted in visionary leadership and pragmatic action supported by our technical partners, is poised to become a blueprint for countries aspiring to also develop and catalyze their markets for sustainable growth.”

In his remarks, FIRS Chairman, Adedeji, acknowledged the visionary leadership of President Tinubu as the guiding force behind Nigeria’s commitment to harnessing its vast carbon potential. He pledged the full commitment of the Committee to drive the implementation of efficient policies and frameworks to achieve sustainable carbon market growth.

Reiterating Nigeria’s readiness to lead the global effort to combat climate change, Adedeji described the initial phase of the rollout of the electric buses as a tangible symbol of Nigeria’s commitment to modernising its transportation systems while reducing Africa’s modes

‘’In the immediate term, Nigeria will proudly unveil a series of innovative, clean, modern and sustainable initiatives across diverse sectors. These initiatives are strategically designed to not only address climate change-related challenges but also to position Nigeria as an attractive destination for global investments.”

‘’The business-friendly environment and policy frameworks we are developing underscore our readiness to welcome and facilitate investments that align with our collective commitment to a greener future for Nigeria and the African continent,’’ Adedeji noted.

Speaking on gas flaring, Tinubu, who shared the platform with the President of COP28, Dr. Sultan Ahmed al-Jabar; the United States Special Envoy on Climate, John Kerry, and the Chinese Envoy on Climate, Xie Zhenhue, told the world that Nigeria has already imposed heavy penalty on defaulters.

Commending the drive to reduce greenhouse gases, the President said he was aware of the need for participants to make commitments to the goal of limiting the earth’s temperature increase to 1.5C by the end of the century.

He said: “Sitting here in this room, I know that we have to commit ourselves. We have been doing so before today. We are committed to critical steps to reduce methane emissions by ensuring gas flaring is eliminated. There is a huge penalty for that. There is equally a huge incentive to do so.

“The measures that are taken here are a welcome development, no doubt about that. I am with the leadership of the UAE for the commitment shown so far.

“We are consolidating on gas export, usage domestically and export to other countries. I can assure you that we will be partners in progress to achieve renewable energy.

“We are committed to energy mix; we are providing cooking gas for our large population. We will continue to do that. “We have signed off on reduction of methane. We will leverage on new technology and we hope that the two giant nations and the Emirates will be able to help us.”

President Tinubu pointed out that the world’s biggest economies, the U.S. and China, are the biggest culprits in greenhouse emissions. While expressing delight that both countries were represented at the summit, he said: “What I know of Africa is the fact that de-risking in additional investment and technological knowhow is very necessary and the largest economies that have benefitted immensely should do more real fast because the earth needs healing and needs more attention.”

Earlier, Sultan al-Jabar stressed that the efforts being made prove that success is possible in the objective to limit the earth’s temperature.He observed that the elimination of all CO2 gases could be done with the necessary cooperation and hard work on the part of the countries.

In his remark, John Kerry announced that over $1 billion in new grant funding has been mobilised since COP27 in Sharm el-Shiekh, Egypt. He expressed happiness that more countries have made methane pledge endorsements.

The Chinese Envoy said his country was willing to cut down on greenhouse gases but lack the capacity to do so. He, therefore, called support from the international community.