President Muhammadu Buhari has called on international community to support Nigeria’s commitment to reducing the negative effects of climate change.
Speaking on Tuesday at the One Planet Summit in Paris, Buhari said Nigeria cannot implement the nationally determined contribution without adequate financial, technical and capacity building support from the developed countries.
The One Planet Summit is attended by over 60 Heads of State and Governments, as well as representatives of non-governmental and private organisations, with the theme, Climate Change Financing.
In a statement signed by his adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President said, “since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, we have been strengthening our national efforts towards the implementation of the Agreement and the Marrakech Call for Action,” and Nigeria had already ratified the Paris Agreement in May 2017.
Buhari said further that the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution to reducing emission by 20% by 2020 and 40% by 2030 cannot be attained alone having just come out of recession.
He said the adverse impacts of climate change such as temperature rise; erratic rainfall, sandstorms, desertification, low agricultural yields, drying up of water bodies like Lake Chad, gully erosions and constant flooding are a daily reality in Nigeria.
Highly vulnerable communities according to the President lack the capacity to cope, hence the need by Nigeria of external assistance in the following areas: “A long-term solution for a source of clean power, which can be achieved through private investments to create economic competitiveness for industrialization, job creation and agricultural programmes throughout the country; and the inclusion of Nigeria in Climate Regional Programmes, especially strong financial support to our planned project for the replenishment of the Lake Chad.”
The President said this long-term solution will ensure a sustained livelihood for rural and urban communities, and permanently address the conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism and terrorism, and stem illegal migration especially of our youths abroad.