… to empower Osinbajo as council chair

By Emman Ovuakporie

ABUJA—THE House of Representatives will soon pass a bill seeking to create a council on climate change and empower the country’s vice president to preside over it, in the coordination of efforts towards addressing emerging challenges of climate and environment in the Niger Delta.

House of Representatives

Briefing journalists,  yesterday, Chairman, House Committee on Climate Change, Mr  Samuel Onuigbo, said the bill, will provide a legal framework for the mainstreaming of climate change, responses and actions into government policy formulation has scaled through second reading in the House and will soon be considered by stakeholders at a public hearing.

He said when passed, the bill  which will pave the way for the creation of the National Council on Climate Change and Technical Advisory Committee, will  position Nigeria among countries which have introduced legislations to support their Nationally Determined Contributions, NDCs, to mitigate the devastating effects of climate change.

Under the NDCs, Onuigbo said, Nigeria will eliminate gas flaring in 2030 and installing 13,000 megawatts of solar systems over the next four years.

He said that the bill will further promote sustainable management of natural resources, address severe land degradation and desertification and reduce gas flaring by two per cent points – reduction a year.