President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in New York announced plans and initiatives by his administration to reverse the negative effects of climate change in Nigeria.
A statement via the official twitter account for the President of Nigeria said Buhari joined other world leaders to address the United Nations Climate Action Summit, with the theme, “A Race We Can Win. A Race We Must Win”.
The statement said Buhari’s speech “was a welcome opportunity to restate Nigeria’s commitment to fulfilling all our obligations under the Paris Agreement”.
The full text of my speech:I share the sentiment expressed by the Secretary-General that the world is on the verge of climate catastrophe. Undeniably, Climate Change is a human-induced phenomenon.It is now imperative that we must step-up our collective climate actions in line with the request of the Secretary General.It is in this regard that I wish to reiterate Nigeria’s commitment to its obligation under the Paris Agreement, the aspirations enshrined in our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and ensure a resilient future that mainstreams climate risks in our decision making.I want to announce that@NigeriaGov will develop a more robust sectorial action plan, and expand the scope of our Sovereign Green Bonds in line with our intended upward review of Nigeria’s NDC’s towards the inclusion of the water and waste sectors by 2020.In the water sector, Nigeria will issue a Green Bond for irrigation and construct multi-purpose dams for power, irrigation and water supply. We will strengthen solid and liquid waste management systems to attract more private sector investors.Specifically, Nigeria is progressively working to realize 30 percent energy efficiency and renewable energy mix by 2030. This is envisaged to lead to 179 million tons of carbon dioxide reduction per annum by 2030.In addition, our Administration intends to develop a shelter belt across 11 States of the Federation spanning a distance of 1,500 km and 15km across through the Great Green Wall initiative.Furthermore,@NigeriaGov has commenced implementation of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Programme@HYPREPNigeria in Ogoniland, to recover the carbon sink potential of the mangrove ecosystem of the one thousand square kilometers of polluted sites in the affected areaI should also inform the summit that our Government has introduced Climate Smart Agricultural Practices to unlock Seventy-Four (74) Million tons of carbon dioxide per annum, through relevant technologies, advocacy and best practices.As you are aware, the Lake Chad Basin, which used to be a region of productivity, food security and wealth for an estimated 40 million citizens living around the Chad Basin, has shrunk significantly from its original size due to Climate Change.We will continue to lead in efforts to have solid partnerships for the ecological restoration and recharge of the Lake. We are confident that this would improve the living conditions of the diverse nationals living in the area, promote inter-state cooperation, […]… strengthen community resilience, as well as assist in addressing the environmental and security crisis that threaten the region, its resources and inhabitants.Finally, permit me to add that the forty million citizens in the Lake Chad area expect this Summit to take into consideration their concerns. They anticipate that the outcomes of this meeting would include solutions to address the Climate Change impact in the Lake Chad area.I am glad that the Secretary General and some of the member states represented in this hall are partnering with us in this endeavor. We thank them for their cooperation and I look forward to deepening our partnership. I thank you. //#ClimateActionSummit#NigeriaAtUNGA2019.
See Photos from the Summit below
Photo Credit: Muhammadu Buhari