Tinubu Flags Off Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has launched the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour, (REHCCAT) a nationwide initiative aimed at promoting climate resilience and sustainable development across the country. Speaking during the ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday, President Tinubu represented by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal called on governors, the private […]

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has launched the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour, (REHCCAT) a nationwide initiative aimed at promoting climate resilience and sustainable development across the country.

Speaking during the ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday, President Tinubu
represented by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal called on governors, the private sector, and other stakeholders to championed Nigeria’s climate transition and transform awareness into action.

Addressing stakeholders present at the event, the President declared that the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour is a national call to action in innovation and opportunity, adding that Climate change is no longer a distant focus, as “It affects our farmers in the north who are facing encroachment of the drought. It affects our coastal communities in the south, who are confronted with erosion and flooding across the country. It affects our businesses, management of energy costs and supply chain disruption and it affects our young people whose future depends on the choices we make today.”

He explained that Nigeria stands at a defining moment in history because the global transition to low-carbon development is accelerating, “Markets are evolving. Technology is transforming industries. And the nations that position themselves wisely today will lead tomorrow. We intend to be one of those nations.

“Through this tour, we will take climate awareness beyond conference halls into communities. We will engage governors and traditional rulers. We will work with students, innovators, entrepreneurs, farmers and financial institutions. We will identify bankable projects, we will unlock local solutions and we will strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to mobilize climate finance on scale.” He said.

President Tinubu charged stakeholders that commitments must be matched with action. And action must be supported by investment, insisting that “we will also use it to deepen our understanding of carbon markets and green finance. We will use it to mobilize partnerships between the public and the private sector. And we will use it to inspire a new generation of climate leaders.”

“To our governors, we are set as the engine of climate resilience and green growth. To our private sector, the future economy will reward those who innovate boldly and invest responsibly. To our development partners, Nigeria is ready to collaborate with transparency, ambition and accountability.” He said.

In his remarks, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal represented by Director Forestry, Federal Forestry, Halima Bawa said underscored the urgency of confronting climate change, noting that its effects are already evident across Nigeria from desert encroachment in the North and flooding in riverine communities to coastal erosion in the South and erratic rainfall patterns affecting farmers nationwide.

He said “Nigeria has responded with decisive leadership. The enactment of the Climate Change Act 2021 established a historic legal framework for coordinated climate governance, carbon budgeting, and a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2060. It institutionalized climate action across all sectors in the country, signaled Nigeria’s solemnity under the Paris Agreement.

“However, climate governance must move beyond the federal level, it must be domesticated at the subnational and grass root levels levels.”

He stated that the Ministry has partnered with state governments to formalize climate governance structures, including appointing Subnational Directors of Climate Change and establishing Climate Change Desks across state Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to drive coordinated policy implementation.

Chairman of the REHCCAT Committee and Special Assistant to the President on Climate Change Matters, Comrade Yussuf Olatunji Kelani said the launch mark a national movement grounded in leadership, collaboration, and the government’s commitment to Nigeria’s environmental and economic security.

He stated that climate change is no longer a distant threat, but a present reality evident in flooding, desertification in the North, coastal erosion in the South, and rising food prices nationwide, stressing that it has become a development, security, economic, and social justice concern.

Kelani said the Tour was conceived to do three critical things:
Democratize climate knowledge ensuring that citizens understand both the risks and the opportunities of climate action. Bridge federal and subnational action, aligning state-level implementation with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Energy Transition Plan, and National Adaptation Plan.

“Mobilize partnerships and investment, unlocking innovation, climate finance, green jobs, and private sector participation.”

“Following today’s historic launch, REHCCAT will proceed across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, beginning with two strategic states per zone in the first phase. In each zone, the Tour will convene:
High-Level Policy Dialogues with Governors, Commissioners, and State Legislatures; Town Hall Meetings bringing together youth, women, traditional institutions, farmers, artisans, private sector actors, and community leaders.” He said.

In addition to Kelani, President Tinubu also appointed, Senior Special Assistant on Climate Change Matters, Ibrahim Shelleng and Olamide Fagbuji, Special Assistant on Climate Change Financing, as Co-Chairmen of the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour Committee.