The Board of North-East Development Commission held its maiden Summit and a retreat on climate change from 18th – 19th September, 2024 in Gombe to discuss the challenges and offer practical solutions to this monster that is globally facing the world particularly the North-East region of the country.
In that retreat in Gombe, one of the lead paper presenters, Rep. Sam Onuigbo in his paper on ” Leveraging climate action for sustainable development of North East Nigeria” traced the root cause of climate change in Africa to global greenhouse gases emissions which account for 4% according to the African Development Bank.
While Africa’s contribution to global greenhouse gases emissions, which is the root cause of climate change, is minimal—- about 4% of the global GHG emissions— the continent continues to be massively impacted by climate change. This has led to a strain on the continent’s revenue, and even the livelihood of its people. With majority of its people dependent on rain-fed agriculture, climate change is therefore a huge menace facing the continent. According to the Africa Development Bank:
“One of the biggest threats to Africa’s people and their way of life, as emphasized by the IPCC, is how climate change will interact with non-climate drivers and stressors to exacerbate the vulnerability of agricultural systems, particularly in the semi-arid areas and lands. Increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation are very likely to reduce cereal crop productivity (including maize and wheat), with strong adverse effects on food security”.
Also, Africa’s efforts at dealing with this menace which has created a sinkhole for its development is severally hampered by a number of factors, including technology, lack of knowledge and awareness, poverty, finance, and politics.
In Nigeria on her own, a hydrocarbon dependent rentier state, contributes minimally to global greenhouse gas emission, the country is severely impacted by climate change. From gully erosion in the South East, through coastal erosion in the South South, flooding in the entire South, North Central, and even the North East region as confirmed by recent devastations in the region. The North West and North East have been impacted by deforestation, land degradation, desertification and drought as experienced in the drying up of the Lake Chad.
These impacts have also resulted in forced and hazardous migration, displacement, and competition for scarce resources, which directly exacerbated the perennial security challenges (banditry, insurgency, kidnapping and cattle rustling) in the North East, North West, North Central, and indeed in the entire nation. Nigeria is heavily impacted by climate change, and has been battling to adapt due to a number of limitations, which strain available resource interventions. Sadly, women and children are the most vulnerable during these trying times.
Rep.Sam Onuigbo who is a father of Climate change in 9th National Assembly pointed out that the country has made several efforts to ensure that it plays its part in mitigating and adapting to climate change. These have come in the form of the enactment of legal frameworks, policies, development of Action Plans, execution of projects, and a host of others.
It’s on record that the North East sits on a geographical size of 272,451 km2 of arable land. That is about one third of Nigeria’s land mass. Consequently, if this region sneezes, Nigeria must catch cold. There is available data, both negative and positive, to support this assertion. Research also shows that the major means of livelihood of majority of North East inhabitants is agriculture, especially livestock and crops. These farmers predominantly depend on rain to be able to carry out their activities. This becomes relevant when they take into account the fact that due to the impacts of climate change, land degradation, desertification, heat -waves, and drought constitute some of the major inhibitions to agriculture.
Furthermore, the major obstructions to growth and development in the region are insecurity, climate change (as visible in how it affects agriculture which is the major livelihood source), and of course skills, education, and technology, while the UN General Assembly Resolution 63/281 of 3rd June, 2009 which states that it was:
“Deeply concerned that the adverse impacts of climate change, including sea level rises, could have possible security implications.”
Also, the UN Security Council Resolution 2349 of 31st March, 2017, drawing from its previous resolutions on insecurity, counter terrorism and on its Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), states that it:
“Recognises the adverse effects of climate change and ecological changes among other factors on the stability of the Region…”
These two resolutions highlighted the critical link between climate change and insecurity, especially with regards to the North East region and with these challenges, coupled with an overdependence on the centre, have greatly impacted growth and sustainable development in the region.
Accordingly, there is a manner in which by addressing these challenges, leveraging recent international rave for climate action, the region can be firmly positioned on the path to massive sustainable development.
Government Interventions to Address Climate Change:For instance, at the national level, there have been several efforts at positioning Nigeria to leverage on climate action for growth. These well-thought-out initiatives, will help them meet their international obligations in a manner aligned with the national development.
In pursuit of an orderly and coordinated approach towards tackling the devastating effects of climate change, Nigeria enacted the Climate Change Act 2021, the Climate Change Act provides the legal framework for Nigeria’s efforts at addressing climate change. Section 1 of the Act stipulates;
“The Act provides a framework for achieving low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, inclusive green growth and sustainable economic development by ensuring that Nigeria formulates programmes for achieving its long-term goals on climate change mitigation and adaptation…in line with national development priorities…”.
It established the National Council on Climate Change chaired by the President, that body is the country’s highest climate change.
Also, the Act provides for the youths and women and children and people with disabilities, and the study of climate change from primary to tertiary levels. Section 22 provides for all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to have a Climate Change Department headed by an employee of a directorate rank.
Rep Sam Onuigbo said that One of the greatest achievements of the 9th National Assembly was the amendment of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which moved electricity from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List, stressing that the same 9th Assembly followed up by enacting the Electricity Act 2023 assented to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, with its provisions in Sections 164-167 for improved access to renewables.
By taking these actions, Nigeria opened herself up to benefit from international support, be it financially, technologically, or in knowledge exchange. Some of the key national initiatives according to Rep Sam Onuigbo are:
1. National Action Plan to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (2019): This is targeted at 83% reduction in black carbon emissions by 2030 and 61% reduction in methane emissions in relation to business as usual.
2. The Nigerian National Policy on Plastics Management (2020): This policy is aimed at addressing the issue of plastic waste management in the country.
3. Energy Transition Plan (2021): The ETP seeks to tackle energy poverty and climate change, deliver SDG7 by 2030 and net-zero by 2060; provision of energy for development, industrialisation, and economic growth; lifting 100 million people out of poverty in a decade by providing jobs through renewable energy and the overall energy generated for industrialisation. Achieving universal access to clean cooking is one of the major objectives of the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan as it aims to bring modern energy services to the full population by 2060.
4. Long-Term Vision for Nigeria 2050 (LTV2050): Nigeria’s LTV2050 makes provision for sectoral visions with focus on Agriculture, Forest, and Other Land Use (AFOLU), energy, fresh water and coastal wetlands, industry, urban settlements, oil and gas, transport, waste and gender inclusion. It also recognises the role of innovation in sustainable development. We have since leveraged this to develop and submit an updated Long-Term Low Emissions Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) to the UNFCCC earlier this year.
5. The Great Green Wall (GGW): In 2007, the African Union endorsed the commencement of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI) by 11 countries, although a few more countries have joined. This became imperative, because the West African forest, which once covered over 50,000 square miles, has shrunk to about 32,000 square miles since 1975 as a result of desertification. In 2015, Nigeria, in a bid to realize the vision of GGWSSI, established the National Agency for the Great Green Wall (NAGGW).
6. Critically, this zone also falls within the Sahel region, where it seeks to address desertification, land degradation, biodiversity loss, promote climate resilience and build alternative livelihood sources for residents within the NAGGW corridor in Northern Nigeria. This covers 11 states, namely Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states, (about 1350 km from Kebbi state on the West to Borno state on the East).
7. Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project: Similar to the NAGGW, ACReSAL is being executed in partnership with the World Bank for the entire 19 States of the North. It is targeted at land restoration, watershed planning, building community resilience to the impacts of climate change, and strengthening institutions and policies that will help attain its objectives.
8. National Action Plan on Gender and Climate Change in Nigeria (2020): Our women are significantly impacted by climate change. It is therefore important to ensure that every plan made must mainstream gender into climate considerations. This is what this Action Plan is all about. This position was amplified in section 5(1)(k) and (s) of the Act in recognition of the impact on women, youth and persons with disabilities.
9. Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas: This initiative is important, because in addition to providing an alternative to the high cost of transportation, it also ensures that they begin the decarbonisation of the transportation sector, which will help us meet our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and our net zero target.
10. National Clean Cooking Policy: In April, the Federal Executive Council approved the National Clean Cooking Policy. This policy aims at universal access to clean cooking in the country by 2030. This is in line with the Energy Transition Plan, and the Climate Change Act which provides legal backing to all of these. It is expected that the full implementation of this policy will at least prevent the annual 77,600 deaths in the country attributed to smoke inhalation from cooking.
11. Subnational Climate Action Within the Region; As a Federation, it is also very important that national actions are replicated at the subnational in a manner that takes into consideration the prevailing and unique challenges and needs of the respective subnational state.
The Act stipulates in Section 11(1)(a) and (b) that;
“the Secretariat to the National Council on Climate Change shall also have the following: Six Zonal Coordinators for the six geo-political zones; and State Directors for the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.” This is why the states are required to domesticate the Act to facilitate their collaboration with the Federal agencies in the attainment of national targets and objectives.
In the North East, the former Rep.Member, said are a number of commendable actions at the state and LGA levels, adding that a number of States in the region have shown commitment to increase climate actions with Yobe State going as far as having LGA and Ward level climate change focal points.
In the same vein, they have also seen some North East States developed climate change action plans with many more working to have theirs developed. Furthermore, all the States within the region have at one level or the other embarked on climate change-related projects funded directly by the State governments.
As part of ongoing efforts to address key climate and development issues, North East States have also committed to the Great Green Wall Initiative and the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) project. These two projects are strong climate mitigation and adaptation projects, which can play critical roles in the North East region.
The Nexus Between Climate Change and Insecurity:
With particular reference on the United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/63/281, and specifically the UN Security Council Resolution 2349, which recognises the linkage between climate change and insecurity, the fact remains that climate change has affected land and other ecosystems, impacts on food security and livelihood means, while also leading to displacement. These combinations lead to force migration, which eventually bring about conflicts. This is clearly the North East story.
Also, Land degradation, drought, and desertification, exacerbated by climate change, have led to the loss of livelihood means for majority of people, thereby forcing people to move downwards, while struggling for limited resources due to the dependence of communities within the region on land. This forced migration has led to conflicts. As Oyewo (2023) aptly observed,
“Resource scarcity induced by climate change can exacerbate tensions between communities, leading to competition for resources such as water, land, and grazing areas. As the availability of these resources declines, communities may increasingly turn to violence to secure their livelihoods, further entrenching the cycle of conflict.” (210). It is important to note on how climate change plays a role in almost all of these challenges starting from livelihood, health, to insecurity, climate change is situated at the nexus of it all.
The North East has immense potential laced with opportunities, which can be leveraged upon to align on the development roadmap of the region and mainstreaming climate action into their plans is the surest way to a sustainably developed North East, simply because of the immense opportunities available through climate action.
“We established earlier that the North East occupies a large expanse of land. We also established that agriculture is a critical livelihood source for the region. We did also state that drought and desertification are key climate change impacts within the region. What this entails is that the agriculture industry including its entire value chain can be explored as potentially a sustainable livelihood source for inhabitants, and a further source of massive Internally Generated Revenue for the States”.
Furthermore, the North East climate offers a great opportunity for massive advancement in the generation of renewable energy, which can then power industries and households, and serve as means of clean cooking for their women. This relieves them of the health implications of using unclean cooking means, while also reducing pressure on the forests. Renewable energy can also be leveraged to provide better access to potable water and water for irrigation and enhance agroforestry.
Also, the African Leaders Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change at the Inaugural African Climate Change Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, from the 4th to 6th September, 2023, committed to “Focusing our economic development plans on climate-positive growth, including expansion of just energy transitions and renewable energy generation for industrial activity, climate aware and restorative agricultural practices, and essential protection and enhancement of nature and biodiversity.”
Chief Ben Ngwakwe writes from Gombe.
