By Perpetua Onuegbu

The All Progressives Congress Climate Change Network (ACCN) has called on the ruling party to formulate a clear, concise, sector-specific climate action to strengthen Nigeria’s response to the global climate crisis.

Dr Greg Odogwu, National Coordinator, ACCN, made the call of Friday in Abuja, in his remarks at the inaugural Climate Policy Dialogue organised by the the group.

The dialogue has as theme “Exploring Options for Electoral Capture of Green Voters”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the network is a climate arm of the ruling party established within its structure as part of efforts to curb the adverse effects of climate change.

Odogwu said the APC Climate Change Network was birthed out of necessity to guide the party and country towards climate-smart solutions.

According to him, this is the time for clear, concise, sector-specific climate action.

“Let us teach our party members, and indeed the entire citizenry, how to build dams to stop the floods.

“Let us teach them how to produce our food in a climate-smart way and in an efficient and renewable manner.

“Let us all adopt the use of clean energy in order to prevent future carbon emission which worsens global warming and climate change.

“Most importantly, let us teach both the young and the unborn citizens how to join us to work towards a net-zero future.”

The coordinator also announced plans to present 95 recommendations to the APC leadership after the roundtable.

“These proposals, referred to as the ’95 Theses’,  will be submitted as part of the party’s ongoing constitutional amendment process.

“At the close of business, we shall give them 95 reasons why they should set up a climate wing, constitutionally speaking,” he said.

Similarly, Dr Murtala Mohammed, an environmental expert and consultant, in his keynote, called for political commitment to address climate change issues in Nigeria.

According to Mohammed, climate change is no longer an abstract discussion but a lived reality in Nigeria.

He, therefore, urged political leaders to embed climate action into party agendas and governance structures.

“How do we transform climate action from technical conversation into a political opportunity that mobilises millions of Nigerians? That is the question before us.

“Three pathways for Nigeria’s climate response include embedding green growth into political party manifestos and government policies.

“Green growth is growth that responds to climate change and is resilient. Lagos, for instance, has developed a resilience strategy to respond to emerging challenges. We need such strategies across the country.

“Secondly, mobilising young people, women, and local communities into a climate constituency that can drive solutions.

“There should be support for rural farmers and young agripreneurs through climate-smart agriculture. I am 100 per cent against GMOs,” Mohammed said.

The expert added that the third solution was building capacity and credibility for innovative and disruptive policies while fostering partnerships with civil society, the private sector, and international development agencies such as the World Bank, UNEP, and the African Development Bank.

In the same vein, Hamzat Lawal, Founder, Connected Development (CODE) and Chairman, Advisory Board, ACCN, said the platform was timely and would bring about climate action in government.

According to him, the political party has created an enabling environment for elected party officials and the platform can galvanise action from the highest decision making structure of the party organ.

“This is the time as the country goes into 2027 elections where we have millions of green voters who are particularly affected by climate change like the rural farmers.

“I believe this dialogue will help us shape what will become an agenda for a climate action that will inspire not only Nigeria, but other African countries.” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Deborah Coker

By Sumaila Ogbaje/Angela Atabo

The Country Director of Search for Common Ground, Mr About Ouattara, on Thursday said that carbon offset initiatives could offer a practical solution to the triple challenges facing the Niger Delta.

He identified these challenges as pollution, poverty, and violence, noting that a well-structured carbon market could help address both environmental and socio-economic issues in the region.

Speaking at the National Dissemination of the Carbon Offset Study Report and Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue in Abuja, Ouattara described the region as “a paradox of abundance and adversity.”

In spite of its resource wealth, he noted, decades of gas flaring, oil spills and artisanal refining had left communities struggling with environmental degradation, loss of livelihoods, and severe health risks.

He pointed out that the Niger Delta recorded some of the highest emissions in Africa, largely due to gas flaring and informal oil activities.

“These emissions not only fuel global climate change but also deepen socio-economic vulnerabilities, creating a cycle where environmental damage drives underdevelopment, which in turn fuels conflict and criminality,” Ouattara said.

He highlighted the EU-funded Community-Centred Approach to Transforming Criminality and Violence in the Niger Delta, implemented with the Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) and PIND Foundation, as a promising model.

By aligning carbon offset strategies with local aspirations, he said the initiative offered both environmental and peacebuilding benefits.

In his remarks, Eric Pitos, Programme Manager at the European Foreign Policy Institute in Dakar, reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to climate action.

He said the initiative aligned with the European Green Deal and broader efforts to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

“Carbon offsets can complement direct emissions cuts, if governed with integrity,” Pitos said, citing the EU Emissions Trading System, which had cut emissions by nearly half and generated more than 200 billion euro for clean innovation.

He stressed that while Nigeria’s exposure to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism may be limited, its leadership potential in renewables and carbon pricing was significant.

Also speaking, Ms. Florence Kayemba, Country Director of SDN, warned that environmental degradation continued to fuel insecurity in the Niger Delta, with long-term impact on livelihoods and social stability.

“We have seen the scars of gas flaring and pollution for more than 20 years.

“These drive unemployment and crime, which regrettably continue to rise,” she said.

Kayemba urged Nigerian regulators to adopt global best practices for managing carbon markets to ensure local communities benefit directly.

“Carbon offset initiatives must not only reduce emissions but also address root causes of insecurity.

“The most affected should be the primary beneficiaries,” she said.

The Abuja dialogue brought together policymakers, researchers, civil society, private sector, and community leaders to build consensus around embedding carbon offsets in Nigeria’s development and peacebuilding strategy.

Organisers said the forum followed previous state-level dialogues in Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta States, which identified urgent concerns including environmental degradation, youth vulnerability, and drug abuse in the region. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru