*What President Jonathan must do!

By Jide Ajani

At the Oxford University’s Smiths School of Enterprise and the Environment, SSEE, a Nigerian scholar, Chukwumerije Okereke, a Professor at Reading University, brought home the dangers of Nigeria’s approach to the issue of sustainability and the environment in a constantly changing world.

At one of the lectures on Sustainability and Development during the course, packaged by These Executive Minds, TEXEM, and the SSEE, Oxford University, Okereke presented a paper to a diverse group of Nigerians in government and the private sector, including the media, on the dynamic nature of sustainability in a world that is inter-connected.

Now, in this interview, he explains why the Nigerian authorities should make hay and fix the roof while the sun shines.

Excerpts:

Just taking a bird’s eye view of the Nigerian nation within the context of sustainability, what strikes you?

I am struck by many things, most of which, I am sad to say are negative.

I am struck by the fact that Nigeria remains a monocultural economy with over 90 per cent of its foreign exchange earning coming from one single commodity – oil.

An economy that is not diversified is not sustainable.

•Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke

The recent fall in the price of oil and the immediate impact it has had on the economy amply  demonstrates the need to promote resilience t hrough economic diversification.

Furthermore, to enhance national energy security, Nigeria should be looking for ways to get more of its energy through renewable sources.

I am also struck by the fact that our country somehow still allows a huge amount of oil spillage every year.

I am sure you remember the media attention and the reaction of the US government in 2010 when the BP oil disaster occurred. Now, I have read somewhere that there is an oil disaster of equal or more magnitude to the BP oil spill, every year in Nigeria. I am struck that as a country we are still flaring a huge amount of gas that could easily be converted to energy, while majority of the people go without electricity.

I am struck at the rate at which our forests are disappearing and the seeming lack of political will to tackle it. I am struck that there is lack of environmental awareness and well designed policies to tackle a host of sustainability related challenges in the country such as  erosion, desertification, climate change, waste accumulation, etc.

Looking at the complexities inherent in and contradictions arising from policies that are not well thought out in Nigeria, how can a framework or a pathway be charted for those in government with a view to strengthening areas of sustainable development?

You have put your finger on the pulse, as they say..

In my view one of the greatest problems in Nigeria, in terms of sustainability management, is lack of coordination among relevant  government ministries  and agencies involved. This disjointed and fragmented approach means that sustainability issues are not addressed in an integrated and holistic fashion.

It is worth pointing out that many countries have now moved away from seeing environmental issues as something that is the concern of the Environment Ministry. The national flood disaster is a good example in demonstrating the national  economic  importance of environmental  issues.  Lives were lost, livelihoods were endangered and properties  worth several hundreds of millions of naira were destroyed.

I read somewhere that the economic cost of the flood was about 0.5 % of Nigerian GDP, which is a lot of money. A few years ago, a bill to create a National Commission on Climate Change was passed by the two houses of parliament.

This bill was expected to bring Nigeria in line with other progressive countries in the world in terms of climate governance infrastructure. It would have given political visibility to the complex issue of climate  change and brought about greater inter-ministerial coordination in tackling the problem.

However, for reasons best known to the politicians, the bill was not signed into law but was allowed to die a natural death.

But how can we use the discourse on sustainable development to better Nigeria’s present economic situation?

This is a good question.

While the tendency in many quarters is to see sustainable development as a threat – something that limits economic growth – there are actually many ways in which the pursuit of sustainable development can create opportunities or provide platforms for stronger economic development.  Nigeria, for example can become richer by harnessing rather than flaring its gas. By exploiting its abundant renewable energy (such as sun and wind), Nigeria can move closer to addressing the lingering electricity problem that have hindered economic growth for decades. China as of today is one of the largest manufacturers of wind turbines and solar panels.

Given how rich we are in oil resources, the county should be promoting plenty of allied chemical and pharmaceutical industries that can feed off the by-products of oil manufacturing processes.

Furthermore, taking sustainability seriously would require paying closer attention to how the country can improve local manufacturing (textiles, for example), local agricultural  production, local tourism, and many such other sectors to reduce dependence on external imports and create employment.

I am sure you know that nature-related tourism (eco-tourism) is one of the most important sectors in countries like Kenya and Rwanda. Finally government could attract a lot of green fund from the international community if it is seen to be showing good interest and implementing good policies in the pursuit of climate and environmental sustainability.  For example international climate finance is worth about USD 100 billion per year and I can tell you that Nigeria is attracting very little of that money at the moment – way behind smaller African countries like Ethiopia and Rwanda.

Is it possible to isolate Nigeria from the grid of underdevelopment and the backlash occasioned by global trends, and focus on how to deal with the crippling ethno-religious and economic tensions that have brought the nation to where it is today? 

Well, yes and no. Yes, because, at all times the priority of any government should always be national security and national sustainable economic development.

It will be wrong to be focusing on so-called global issues when your house is on fire.

But, I also say no, because many of the things you might describe as global trends actually have far reaching consequences for national economy and national security.

Let me give you a concrete example. Somebody, very high in government once told me that attending to climate change and seeking ways to pursue low carbon development are not things that the government should be getting too exercised about. The suggestion is that, if you like, this is a white man’s problem. But I tell you this kind of thinking is ignorant and myopic. Are the white men the only ones that are dying as a result of climate change?  Are the white men who are suffering from climate-induced drought and famine?

The fact is that whether it is flooding, drought, sea-rise or indoor pollution, it is developing countries like Nigeria that are bearing the greatest impact of climate change.

Indeed, available research suggests there are about 5 million climate change induced deaths per annum and that 98% of these are in developing countries.

Take another example, the fall in oil price which is adversely affecting the Nigerian economy today has a lot to do with the shale gas oil boom in the US and  the increasing dependence on renewable energy by China. So, you see, it is not always possible to create a distinction between local and global issues.

Global and national trends are connected and any sensible government will think systematically about these things and seek long term sustainable approaches for tackling them.

I’m sure you would agree that Nigerian leaders have not keyed into the sustainability paradigm.  Therefore, what strategies would you suggest that we put in place to achieve sustainability?

One way forward is to create a national, high level, inter-ministerial body on sustainability with sufficient powers to integrate and mainstream policies into national development planning. The National Planning Commission, NPC, could be a home for such an agency, at least for a start.  Another critical thing would be to build human and institutional capacity within the ministry of the Environment. The government needs to have highly  capable and experienced people running the ministry – from the minister through the senior to medium level officials. I am not making any judgement on the abilities of those in the ministry; but I am saying that it is important to have a culture of excellence, as well as continuous training  and human capacity building.

Are there ways you plan to collaborate with the Nigerian government on the scale you did in Rwanda?

Rwanda is an exemplar for other African countries, when it comes to trying to mainstream sustainability into the national economy plans of governments.

I was the founding project manager of an Oxford University-led project to design a National Green Growth Strategy for Rwanda, in 2010, which was first of its kind in Africa. Following on from the project, Rwanda has now received about USD 20 million to implement the  recommendations made in green growth report.

I am desperately hoping that Nigeria will follow in the footsteps of Rwanda by commissioning a detailed study that can highlight  the opportunities for low carbon  development green growth in the country. It is not necessary that I must be the one to lead such a study. The important thing is that government is doing the right things  that will lead to  sustainable economic development for the country.