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

By Abigael Joshua

Some stakeholders gathered in Abuja on Wednesday to push for reduced carbon emissions due to the dangers they pose to public health and the environment.

They emphasised collective action toward cutting carbon emissions at the World Decarbonisation Day, with the theme ‘Accelerating Decarbonisation for a Climate Secure Future’.

Dr Dolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary for Health and Environment Services in the FCTA, warned that excessive carbon in the atmosphere was hazardous to human health and life.

“We have chosen World Decarbonisation Day to remind people of the dangerous effects of carbon emissions on air quality,” she explained.

Fasawe noted that extreme temperatures, bronchiolitis, asthma, lung diseases, and even cancers among young people are linked to inhaling polluted air containing harmful carbon particles.

She explained that decarbonisation meant reducing emissions from sources such as vehicle exhausts, generators, fossil fuels, and decomposing dump sites that sometimes spontaneously ignite.

Fasawe stressed that fossil fuels should not be abandoned carelessly, as this might disrupt the ecosystem, though she envisaged a future led by renewable energy.

“One day, inverters, solar batteries, and panels will power entire hospitals, villages, and districts. That day is possible and it will come,” she stated.

Dr Oladunni Owo, National President of Women in Energy, Oil and Gas Nigeria, described the summit as bold, strategic, and filled with transformative ambitions.

“Decarbonisation is not just a technology shift, but a power shift. Climate justice is about geopolitics, not charity,” Owo stated.

She stressed that women need not wait for permission to lead, as history shows women are always at the forefront during crises, supporting families and communities.

Mr Teseer Ugbor, Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, noted the importance of women in the clean energy transition and advocacy efforts.

He explained that the committee had visited gas flaring sites, engaged oil industry players, and was advancing a bill to penalise and stop gas flaring.

The bill, already at second reading, seeks tougher penalties for offenders and compensation for communities suffering health and environmental effects of gas flaring.

Ugbor assured that once passed, the bill would reduce gas flaring incentives and push companies to invest in capturing and productively using the flared gas.

Mrs Toyin Yusuf, Vice Chairperson for World Decarbonisation Day, said the 2025 summit theme focused on awareness creation, technological innovation, and driving decarbonisation globally.

She urged Nigeria and Africa to take leadership in global decarbonisation, stressing that while reliant on fossil fuels, Nigeria must still meet its net-zero target.

Yusuf highlighted technologies such as carbon sequestration, CCUS, and tree planting as vital tools in achieving sustainable climate action. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo