‘Nigeria wobbles under insufficient support for climate change’
What is your assessment of climate finance in Nigeria? Globally, climate finance is fraught with many challenges ranging from climate finance commitments from developed countries not being scaled up to meet the needs. Others include the absence of a roadmap to ensure that financing is predictable, attempts to count private finance toward climate finance obligations, imbalance […]
What is your assessment of climate finance in Nigeria?
Globally, climate finance is fraught with many challenges ranging from climate finance commitments from developed countries not being scaled up to meet the needs. Others include the absence of a roadmap to ensure that financing is predictable, attempts to count private finance toward climate finance obligations, imbalance between mitigation and adaptation activities, to mention a few. All these have greatly impacted on the flow of finance for climate-related projects in Nigeria but we must also not lose sight of the fact that governmental insensitivity and clear absence of sincerity of purpose have constituted the greatest impediment to climate finance in the country. Nigeria still wobbles under insufficient support for climate change efforts, deficit of political will, and insufficient clarity of intent. Regulatory reforms, policies, related national development plans and investment priorities are non-existent. Where they exist, lack of strategic coherence reigns supreme. A case in point is the Climate Change Commission bill still awaiting presidential assent after two years of serious legislative struggles. Relevant agencies of government still struggle with governance and coordination occasioned by limited transparency and accountability, poor stakeholder participation, and alignment. Our government still see CSOs as competitors, instead of partners in development. These and many more, including the absence of capacity to meet standards and eligibility requirements of climate funds particularly with reference to direct access, and donors requiring assurance that funds disbursed will be spent effectively, and with due regard to social and environmental safeguards.
What is the role of civil society organisations on climate change in this country?
The adverse effects of climate change are taking place in the form of prolonged droughts, shifting seasons, rising sea water levels, flooding. More so, the emergent issue of environmental refugees and diseases have compromised Nigeria’s quest for sustainable development and poverty reduction aspirations. The Nigerian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) obviously have their role already cut out for them. This includes advocating and campaigning for a positive policy and legislative framework that puts into account the effects of climate change and issues related to sustainable development. They have a role in reducing climate change vulnerability of poor communities in Nigeria through awareness and strengthening the capacity of Nigeria’s local communities to implement community based adaptation and mitigation projects. They also help in promoting environmental sustainability, through sustainable management of natural resources and supporting communities to effectively participate in same.
What is your take on Nigeria’s participation in the conference of parties?
In recent time, Nigeria’s official participation in the conference of parties and climate related conferences has become the butt of silly jokes across the world as they either arrive very late or do not participate at all. At the last African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) which held in October 2013 at Gaborone, Botswana, the Nigerian delegation was allegedly stuck in Ethiopia as they left Abuja without knowing that they required visas to enter Botswana!
At the Conference of Parties (COP) 19 in Warsaw, Poland, a greater number of Nigeria’s official delegates and negotiators came to Warsaw a week after negotiations had commenced. For us in the civil society, this repeated show of shame gives us grave cause for concern as Nigeria, just like other African countries, had 12 months to prepare for Warsaw, yet chose to arrive at the conference very late, poorly prepared and motivated to engage other negotiators. However, the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) Office and the Governor of Delta State Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan must be commended for their prompt and business-like approach at the 2013 conference of parties in Warsaw.
You attended the 19th session of the UNFCCC conference in Warsaw, what were the significant outcomes?
To be candid, Warsaw failed to deliver! There is no sense from the outcome of Warsaw that climate justice is any closer than before the COP was inaugurated. The delay in countries disclosing how they will address reducing greenhouse gas emissions continues. It seems that we are moving almost inevitably to a four degree centigrade warmer world. Having been billed as a climate finance COP, Warsaw failed to deliver. The need for both finance and disbursal mechanisms that genuinely reflect and respond to the needs of countries and people that need to adapt and become more climate resilient become even more important. In the absence of an agreement on a mid-term target and a clear pathway, poor and vulnerable countries are unable to understand how the developed countries are going to deliver the promised target of US$100 billion annually by 2020. Looking at decisions related to long term finance, developing countries can see a few gains, but there were reassuring words and little else. In Warsaw, countries were exposed at the climate negotiations, as beholden to vested interests, such as the dirty fossil fuel lobby, after they once again missed an opportunity to put the world on a pathway to securing a comprehensive climate action plan in 2015. At the time when climate impacts are hitting communities around the world, we saw the true nature of international climate politics in Warsaw. Economic interests keen to maintain the status quo were the unseen hands pulling the puppet strings of governments in these negotiations. The comatose nature of most of the negotiations sends a clear signal that increased civil disobedience against new coal plants and oil rigs is needed to prevent catastrophic climate change.
Tell us about Climate and Sustainable Development Network of Nigeria (CSDevNet)
It is a national coalition of civil society organisations, media, and individuals in Nigeria, brought together by a common agenda of promoting and advocating for climate related and equity based initiatives for sustainable development.
The network which comprises over thirty member-organisations across Nigeria aspires to be an effective platform for Nigerian Civil Society Organisations to share information and strategise jointly, advocate for environmental sustainability and implement development programmes, and coordinate engagement with the Nigerian government and other stakeholders on climate change and sustainable development issues.