With the current reality, there is an urgent need for the Mr President to revisit and realign the activities of the NCCC, particularly with the requirements for Nigeria to access climate finance for adaptation to and mitigation of climate effects, as well as to benefit from the rapidly developing voluntary action, and to participate in carbon trading markets.

In the contemporary landscape, the spectre of climate change looms large, compelling me to delve into a multifaceted exploration of perspectives and urgent imperatives.

As the world grapples with the far-reaching consequences of environmental shifts, it is worthy of note that our collective choices carry a profound weight, echoing through the tangible consequences of the shifts.

The concept of climate change revolves around long-term alterations in earth’s climate patterns, primarily attributed to human activities. It encompasses global warming, shifts in weather patterns, and the increasing frequency of extreme events (disasters such as flood, drought, earthquake, and fire outbreaks).

The idea underscores the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from activities like the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, leading to an all-time warming planet, with temperatures higher than ever experienced in human history.

Addressing climate change involves mitigating the human-induced factors, adapting to the changes already underway, and fostering sustainable practices to ensure the health and resilience of our planet, while accessing emergency funding for the loss and damage suffered from the effects of climate change.

Man as the Driver

Human activities have significantly contributed to climate change and solutions. From the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, Iron Age, to the Classical Era, which led to the Industrial Revolution of the last 300 years.

The quest for progress, fueled by mankind’s insatiable appetite for resources — water, woods, sands, gravels, stones, granite, limestones, coal, oil, gas, and iron ores — has led to a profound transformation from our evolutionary ape-man to modern civilisation.

One can applaud humanity’s achievements in fossil-fuel-driven automobiles, aviation, and maritime voyages. All these have greatly benefited modernity and productivity.

Nevertheless, the widespread use of airplanes and ships, while boosting prosperity, comes with incalculable climate change costs in the form of emissions and rising temperatures. This is why the recent ESG policy framework for any investment and financing has become mandatory globally.

In the pursuit of resource mobilisation across the planet, man-made canals such as Suez and Panama interconnected seas and oceans. The repercussions of these endeavours, coupled with oil and gas drilling, quarrying, and mining, have resulted in significant distortions to our planet earth.

As a layperson, it appears that the profound impacts on geography are unfolding in an unprecedented manner and this is why climate finance has become imperative.

A typical success story of climate financing is what is going on in modern-day China, where renewable energy, solar, and wind are becoming very dominant in their energy mix.

The burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial processes, and agricultural practices release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, leading to phenomenal global warming.

This warming has no boundaries, and the argument that Nigeria and Africa do not do up to four per cent of the global warming does not insulate us from the effects and consequences of climate change, and that is the more reason why Nigeria must quickly have well-coordinated climate change and energy transition policies.

The effects of warming include general increases in temperature; variations in rainfall; the rise in sea levels; resulting shoreline erosion and flooding (the UN recently estimated that at least 27 NIgerian states are now increasingly at the risk of serious continuous flooding); drought and desertification (which is causing the depletion of Lake Chad and the consequent southern migration of Fulani herdsmen and insecurity); land degradation (which is making farming more difficult and affecting our food security); and significant damage to the ecologically-sensitive Niger Delta.

Also, improper waste disposal, industrial emissions, and reliance on non-renewable resources contribute to pollution, thereby impacting air, water, and soil quality. Methane is a serious issue in climate change management.

All these elements gave man its food, clothing, and shelter – which is life sustenance. The evolutionary ape man transformed these natural elements into the era of modernity, which we can attribute to the special natural gift of brain power which is higher than that of the other lower animals.

Now the BIG Questions

• How rational has man been in extracting all these materials?
• How rational have all these materials been processed?
• How rational has man been in appropriating all these materials among his various multidimensional uses and applications across the large spectrum of needs – demands and supply?

From the primal use of wood for survival to the current reliance on hydrocarbons like coal, bitumen, and petroleum, the evolution of resource utilisation is a testament to the intricacies of human ingenuity.

According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, December 2023 set a historic milestone as the warmest December globally, capping off a year marked by record-breaking temperatures.

Each month from June to December in 2023 surpassed previous temperature records, solidifying the year as the warmest ever recorded since the beginning of climate records.

In 2023, the global average air surface temperature reached 14.98°C, surpassing the previous 2016 record by a significant margin of 0.17°C.

According to Copernicus, 2023 exhibited an average temperature of 1.48°C higher than the pre-industrial levels, marking the period before the widespread human use of fossil fuels.

This inquiry is not merely a contemplation of the past but a call to action for a sustainable and conscientious future. Nigeria’s energy transition must be articulated and must accommodate our peculiar developmental needs for the next twenty-five years, because while fossil fuels are globally transiting away, yet Nigeria needs fossil resources to earn revenue for its urgent developmental requirement.

This highlights the concerning trend of escalating global temperatures and underscores the imperative of concerted efforts to address and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The induced production of carbon and methane impacts air quality, and the rise in surface temperatures crystalises the narrative of intense resource exploitation from our activities on the planet earth.

The Elements

Water: Potable water, essential for survival, intertwines with activities like fishing, irrigation, river roads, and seas. Water is a lifeline for the global populations, regardless of their size.

As the global population hovers between seven and eight billion, the demand for potable water is intensifying. The River Nile water conflicts are escalating, and proliferation of boreholes worldwide for water extraction and agricultural irrigation. The impending consequences prompt us to question the rationale and optimisation of water resources across the spectrum: Must every household have a borehole?

Can’t neighbourhoods and communities have just one giant borehole for their use through reticulations?

Many related issues, such as the power generation system, must be rationalised, with optimisation employed to save our environment. The ecosystems of our national lives must be rationalised and holistically reviewed to comply with the new normal of green lifestyles.

These are serious and fundamental issues that will require the National Council on Climate Change, with the approval of Mr President, to revisit the energy transition policy and all the critical stakeholders for effective climate financing governance.

Land: A foundational support carrying all organic and inorganic elements, land plays a pivotal role in agriculture, housing, and mining activities — both on the surface and subsurface.

To what extent does mankind abuse the use of land in Nigeria, particularly whether in agricultural practice, urbanisation, or mining? The NCCC, as may be approved by Mr President, must revisit our land use and mining activities.

Hydrocarbons: From the early use of coal to the pervasive application of bitumen and petroleum, hydrocarbons have taken centre stage in modernity, permeating various aspects of human life.

As we reflect on the journey from evolutionary dependence on nature to the current anthropogenic era, the overarching question persists: To what extent have we exercised rationality in managing, extracting, processing, and appropriating these resources, recognising our responsibility as stewards of the earth?

This inquiry is not merely a contemplation of the past but a call to action for a sustainable and conscientious future. Nigeria’s energy transition must be articulated and must accommodate our peculiar developmental needs for the next twenty-five years, because while fossil fuels are globally transiting away, yet Nigeria needs fossil resources to earn revenue for its urgent developmental requirement.

It is a delicate policy that Mr President and the NCCC must deliberately pursue.

Solar: In the 19th century, the pillars of industry relied on coal, limestone, steel, and cement, as well as the advent of oil and gas. However, the 21st century has witnessed a transformative shift towards renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind power.

Solar energy, in particular, has emerged as a sustainable alternative, prompting humanity to reconsider and reduce dependence on traditional, environmentally impactful sources.

This transition reflects a growing awareness of the need to harness cleaner energy options and minimise the exploitation of non-renewable resources.

Even farming and agricultural practices are fast transforming to smart agriculture with minimal use of fossil-driven apparatus.

The urgent call to action for Nigeria and the government of President Bola Tinubu

Fortunately, Nigeria is well placed to drive forward a dynamic and home-grown climate action agenda. The passage of the Climate Change Act 2021 paved the way for the creation of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), which reports directly to Mr President, with the mandate to act as a clearing house and convening platform for climate action initiatives within and across government. It is important to distinguish NCCC’s convening role from the still critically important operational role of the Ministry of Environment, which sits as a key member of the Council.

With the current reality, there is an urgent need for the Mr President to revisit and realign the activities of the NCCC, particularly with the requirements for Nigeria to access climate finance for adaptation to and mitigation of climate effects, as well as to benefit from the rapidly developing voluntary action, and to participate in carbon trading markets.

A big lesson from COP28 was that we need to accelerate action and take more deliberate steps to ensure greater coordination of activities, both in and between the public and private sectors. Also flowing from COP28 sessions, Mr President will need to reconstitute the NCCC and infuse new vibrance into the Council. It is important that all the critical stakeholders are co-ordinated and appropriate working groups are created around and within the Council.

His Excellency has already taken bold steps to accelerate the potential to access greater flows of climate finance through the recent creation of the Carbon Market Committee, ably led by Zach Adediji, the executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). The NCCC provides a platform to ensure coordination with the Ministry of Finance.

In navigating Nigeria’s energy transition, a critical reassessment of existing policies is imperative, including a revision of the Energy Transition Plan promoted by the former Vice president, especially given the given the complex interplay of forces advocating for and against the phasing-out of fossil fuels in the new administration.

For example, the National Energy Commission is expected to play a significant role in the energy transmission policy. Given the new ministerial portfolios, the ministers, sitting as members of the Council, need to be re-designated. The Council already has provision for representatives from the organised private sector representatives, civil society, and all the state and local governments, and these representatives need to be appointed immediately. Also provided for is a role for the National Security Adviser in the NCCC, underscoring the potential role of climate change in worsening conditions that could increase conflict risks, such as poverty and food insecurity.

The past missed opportunities by Nigeria to access the Loss and Damages Fund can still be regained. Our position for the ability to access climate financing can be strengthened, while the building of technical capacity for the NCCC is urgently required if we are to catch up with countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The establishment of the Climate Fund, as the repository of such funding, as well as other flows of climate finance, is a critical function of the NCCC under the Climate Change Act, and we must move quickly, working closely with the Ministry of Finance, to accelerate progress on this.

To expedite decarbonisation and achieve swift progress on carbon credit, it is crucial for Mr President to actively request monthly updates. This approach will ensure proper coordination and effective monitoring of the activities surrounding climate change issues in Nigeria.

In navigating Nigeria’s energy transition, a critical reassessment of existing policies is imperative, including a revision of the Energy Transition Plan promoted by the former Vice president, especially given the given the complex interplay of forces advocating for and against the phasing-out of fossil fuels in the new administration.

The National Energy Commission is also expected to play a significant role in the energy transition policy.

The nation stands at a pivotal juncture, carefully balancing the complex interplay of forces advocating for and against the phasing-out of fossil fuels; the need for continued oil and gas exploration against market constraints for petroleum products; and the delicate equilibrium between decarbonisation targets and credits,  which is essentially a debit and credit game. A revised plan must consider also the time-sensitive nature of attracting investments in both conventional and renewable energy sources, particularly solar, which necessitates meticulous oversight by the NCCC.

While acknowledging the significance of oil and gas as essential resources for economic growth, and the feeding of our sizable population, we must also recognise agriculture’s potential, albeit requiring substantial mechanisation.

Optimising power generation entails a strategic shift towards hydro, gas, and solar options, with the proposal of a 6,000 MW nuclear power base load to be constructed by the Chinese, as may be approved by the President.

This minimum nuclear power supply base for Nigeria, when added to our current 4,000MW per day, will give Nigeria a minimum of 10,000MW every day, and that can propel our GDP growth to two digits.

This choice becomes imperative for Nigeria to overcome its energy deficit and alleviate poverty. Careful consideration and progressive adjustments over the next two to three years will be essential in achieving a balanced and sustainable energy landscape.

In maintaining a delicate balance with fossil fuels, it’s crucial to consider transitioning fuels such as LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas). While these alternatives offer cleaner options, their production is energy-intensive and carbon-laden. Nigeria currently requires about five million tonnes of LPG to replace traditional cooking methods involving firewood, charcoal, and kerosene.

One of the working groups of the NCCC could  be made to deliberately drive this LPG/CNG deployment, as was done in Indonesia 11 to 12 years ago.

Nigeria currently faces mounting pressure from the encroaching Sahara Desert, demanding immediate attention from the Ministry of Environment.

In the short term, a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Environment and the Sahelian states can swiftly implement the strategic planting of special desert trees. Such tree-planting campaigns must be supported with irrigation systems.

This proactive measure holds the potential to generate positive carbon credit footprints in Nigeria.

Concurrently, urbanisation and housing strategies must undergo rationalisation, adhering to set standards by various government agencies to ensure climate change compliances are captured in design and building.

These are just a few examples of the issues that need to be co-ordinated and become part of a holistic climate action plan. There are many other initiatives, including in transport and industry, that require accelerated development.

To expedite decarbonisation and achieve swift carbon credit progress, it is crucial for Mr President to actively request monthly updates from the NCCC on progress with these initiatives. This approach ensures proper coordination and effective monitoring of the activities surrounding climate change issues in Nigeria.

My submissions as articulated above are to guide Mr President Tinubu appropriately and to draw the attention of all the critical stakeholders to the urgent need for reorganising the NCCC and engaging in capacity building, as well as proper alignment with the Ministry of Environment, Finance, the National Energy Commission, the Federal inland Revenue Service, etc and others.

I share this reflection as a private citizen who had the privilege of attending COP28. I intend to ensure that the essence of the conference isn’t lost amidst the day-to-day dynamics of governance in this administration.

Dan D Kunle writes from Abuja, Nigeria.

The internal memo at the Central Bank intimating the staff of management’s plan to move certain departments to its other facilities in Abuja, Lagos, and understaffed branches in the country has generated so much negative vibes. The reason given is that the Central Bank offices in the headquarters are congested. The carrying capacity of the building is 2,700 workers, but the current staff load is 4, 223. The management, therefore, has expressed health and safety concerns, especially in view of warnings by the organization’s facility manager about the danger of the bank exceeding the capacity limit to such a level. The findings of a Committee purposely set up to look into the issue confirmed the fears of the facility manager who, I want to believe, must be a structural engineer who must know his onions. The management then decided to implement the recommendations of the committee. It is not as if Yemi Cardoso just woke up from a bad dream and out of a brain wave he decided to move some units to other branches to decongest the head office building in Abuja. For the opposition to garner maximum effect, the memo is being twisted to concentrate attention on only movement to Lagos.

The memo mentions another facility in Abuja as well as “under-staffed branches.” It is amazing to see far-sighted safety and good health measures being embroiled in ethnic jingoism and war drums being beaten. Listen to Senate Chief Whip Ali Ndume in an interview with Channels Television: “…they do not know how Nigeria works and will not be able to help the President when the repercussions come.” He was referring to those he derisively called “Lagos Boys.” He went on to tell Politics Editor of Channels, Seun Okinbaloye: “Some of them think that they know better than everybody. But they don’t know anything. When you don’t know Nigeria, you only know Lagos, then you start doing things as if Nigeria is Lagos. Lagos is in Nigeria.

“Why was the headquarters moved from Lagos to Abuja? Was it not because of the congestion there? I don’t even see any issues of congestion…Don’t try to bring tribalism into it…” He said it was not Lagos votes that made Tinubu to be President. “Those misleading the President are not doing him any good because this is going to have some political consequences. If Tinubu was not elected president, the CBN governor would not be there. It was not Lagos votes that put Tinubu there.”

“That’s a wrong decision. We will not accept it. Besides, you know they are not doing any favour to Mr. President because this will have political consequences. Yes, I’m telling you this. And these guys who are just sitting down there trying to hang on to Mr. President will not be there to amend the political mistakes or even to correct it because they don’t know anybody. They only know their offices. And they only know that they have brains.”

The Human Resources department had stated in the memo as follows: “The action is necessitated by several factors to ensure compliance with safety building standards and hence the efficient utilization of our office space. Our current occupancy level of 4, 223 significantly exceeds the optimal capacity of 2, 700 designed for the Head Office building. This overcrowding poses several critical challenges.”

Professor Kingsley Moghalu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank wading into the issue cannot understand what the storm is all about. He said there is no reason for the disquiet whatsoever. From his interjection, it can be seen that the issue of the relocation must have predated the Tinubu Administration. I have the feeling that the possibility of decongesting the Abuja Headquarters was mulled when he was in the Central Bank although he did not quite clearly state that. He said in his tweet that the Lagos office was inaugurated 12 years ago during his tenure as Deputy Governor, but the facility has been underutilized. He believes that the relocation addresses the overstaffing challenges at Abuja Headquarters where the staff count exceeds the recommended health and safety limits. He believes, indeed argues that the decision is logical because the departments to be moved oversee market entities based in Lagos. In his words: “I don’t see any serious basis for such disquiet…Moreover, the market entities supervised by the departments that will move to Lagos are mostly in Lagos. So, what’s the problem? Seems a rational decision to me.”

Moghalu has ready support from Mohammed A Yakasai, a retired Director of the Central Bank. He said: “With the massive political employment in CBN, the Head Office is overpopulated. The majority of those young men and women prefer to work only in Abuja and the Head Office, and so it was. I am of the view that what the current management is doing is corrective and should be supported. The thought has since been that most of the important banks’ Headquarters are in Lagos. Those departments that are supervisory in nature should relocate for effectiveness and cost minimization.”

He continued: “Those young boys that were untouchable because of their political lineage are beginning to see the rule of law re-emerging. It is not their prerogative to determine where they should work. After all, everyone signed a declaration that the bank can post you anywhere. We are beginning to see the restoration of discipline in the system. The act of the new management should not be politicized.”

In a climate of building collapse here and there in the country should the Abuja Head Offices give way, with heavy casualties, how are the authorities going to explain it? There were warnings; a competent committee was set up which recommended decongestion of the place. A building with a carrying capacity of 2,700 is populated by 4, 223. The load is in excess of 1,523. Surprisingly Ali Ndume and his ilk, going by his emotional outburst, cannot see a sense of responsibility in taking pro-active steps to avert a serious disaster waiting to happen! Senator Ndume asks why the relocation is not to Nasarawa, Kogi, or Kaduna. We do not know yet because the circular says the redistribution of some of the staff would go to understaffed branches. Kaduna may well receive some of them as it already has a branch there. It is also so easy to see that movement to places where there is the absence of branches would entail finding suitable property and having to pay rent whereas the property in Lagos belongs to the CBN. This means extra costs. The fear that officials of the bank would have to be traveling up and down between Lagos and Abuja with the attendant risks should be allayed by the promise of the technological wonders of these times. In this day and age, such travels can be reduced to the barest minimum. The units can work effectively from anywhere. The Central Bank Governor, Yemi Cardoso, and his four deputies are firmly in Abuja. The headquarters remain in Abuja. The policy-making team in the bank is in Abuja. What does Abuja lose with relieving Abuja of its overload? The Presidency has also made it plain that Tinubu is not relocating the Federal Capital to Lagos.

Senator Ndume spoke with nauseating arrogance: “I am not a Hausa man; I am not a Fulani man. I am a Northerner, I am first a Nigerian.” That he is a Nigerian sounds like an afterthought. What he appears to be saying is that he is a Northerner. Is he thereby suggesting that Abuja belongs to only Northerners? Why are we making a mountain out of a molehill? When are we going to grow up in this country? Everything ought not to be seen from an ethnic prism, especially from principal officers of the state. Of course how we see things are governed by the level of inner maturity of each person. For this reason, perception and cognizance must differ from individual to individual. Why can’t we learn from what obtains in other places? South Africa, a sister African country, has something to teach us in this respect. The Executive arm of government — the President and his Ministers are in Pretoria, the capital city, but the Legislative arm, the Parliament is in Cape Town while the Judiciary, the Supreme Court is in Bloemfontein. The Constitutional Court is in fact at Johannesburg.

Senator Ndume also spoke about NNPC. Yes, what is wrong in relocating its head offices to Port Harcourt? That is the heartland of oil production. Being in Port Harcourt will make for close monitoring and efficiency. It will enable the company to attend promptly to oil theft and curb it; also to oil spill and have greater understanding of empathy for environmental degradation in the Zone — Warri, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Imo axis.

General Murtala Mohammed, Dr. Tai Solarin, and Justice Akinola Aguda must be feeling exceedingly ill at ease wherever they may all be on the several planes of the Beyond, seeing the twist being made of the vision that led to building a fresh capital city to which all parts of the country can lay claim. Dr. Solarin wrote articles pressing for a new capital city citing as an example Brazil moving her capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia as a purpose-built and centrally located city in the 1950s. That was of a particular attraction to him. He also mentioned Russia which moved her capital from St. Petersburg to Moscow in 1918. Tai Solarin said Lagos was too congested for continuing meaningful development and for fresh air. General Mohammed was persuaded by Dr. Solarin’s arguments. Upon driving his tanks into Dodan Barracks to dislodge General Gowon on 29 July 1975, the founding of a new capital city was given life on his mind. It became uppermost in his thinking. He raised a committee headed by Justice Akinola Aguda. Of course, Tai Solarin was on the committee so he could realise his dream. The members went round the country and eventually settled for Abuja which was considered centrally placed. Head of State, General Mohammed announced the Federal Capital moving from Lagos to Abuja before his assassination on 13 February 1976. Upon General Obasanjo’s coming to the saddle in succession to him, Bolaji Ajose-Adeogun was made the first Minister, empowered by Decree 6 of 1976 to see to the planning and development of the new Federal Capital. The development went apace when Shehu Shagari became President. It was Babangida who intensified efforts and gave the development such a necessary push with General Nasko as Minister that made the proper movement possible from Lagos to Abuja in 1991.

President Bola Tinubu has said he has no plan to relocate the Federal Capital from Abuja to Lagos. The Lagos city fathers themselves have for some time been complaining that Lagos is too congested. That should settle the wild and unfounded speculations.

State Police is the answer
As I was saying last week…Former Senate President, General David Mark, concerned about the mindless killings, banditry, and spate of kidnapping, said it is as if most Nigerians have lost their humanity. He spoke in the wake of the murderous attacks on Plateau. During the week, according to reports, bandits dressed in military uniforms kidnapped 31 persons at Tashar Nagule in Batsari Local Government area of Katsina State. Before this incident, three students of Al-Qalam University, Katsina State were seized and whisked away by heavily armed gunmen. Some 10 days ago, bandits killed nine persons and burnt five vehicles at Kukar Babangida village, also in Katsina State. That state is one of the worst besieged by kidnappers in the worsening state of insecurity sweeping through the Middle Belt, that is, the North Central States and Nigeria in general. In December last year, five abducted students of Federal University, Dutsin Ma, in Katsina State were set free after being in captivity for 74 days. Ekiti State had a bitter taste of the insecurity at a portion where a road is being reconstructed from Iju and vehicles necessarily have to slow down. Reports state that about four persons were kidnapped. The Governor of Plateau State has declared a state of emergency in parts of the state following restiveness and reports of continuing security concerns after more than 200 people were killed in a night attack in the axis on Christmas Eve.

As I did ask former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018, and posed the same question to President Bola Tinubu his successor last week: How many more of our people are we waiting to see killed before doing the right thing? Till a senior government functionary, a governor, a federal lawmaker or a minister falls victim? Already the criminals have attacked military and police formations, one of the security organization’s headquarters — the most fearsome violence–unleashing weapons of state power.

We may wish to borrow a leaf from some other countries of the world. Take Belgium as an example where there are two main forces: The Police Communale and Gendarmerie Nationale. Police Communale is made up of 589 Municipal Police Forces, each independently funded by the local town mayor to whom it is accountable, and with powers to operate only within their particular municipal territory. Gendarmerie Nationale operates at what we may call a “supra level” covering the entire country with special responsibility for traffic on national roads, drugs, terrorism, and organized crime. In Belgium there are also smaller, specialized forces — judicial police, maritime police, airport, and railway police forces. In Holland, there are 148 such municipal forces.

I say that it is delusional to think it is only training, equipment, and motivation our security forces need as at present constituted — very key as these are. As Ali Ndume rightly stated, our men in uniform are very poorly paid and looked after, calling for an urgent rectification. No doubt about that. This column is talking about structure which a country of Nigeria’s size requires to stem bothersome criminality in the land.

Denmark and Norway have police forces which, although are decentralized, yet are autonomous because the Districts are independent.