How Buhari misrepresented Nigeria at Climate Change summit

Some stakeholders of goodwill in the Nigerian polity on Friday protested that President Muhammadu Buhari may have misrepresented Nigeria at the world leaders’ summit on Climate Change on Friday. The stakeholder argued that President Buhari had presented contradictory reports to the world leaders at the Friday summit on the socio-economic realities in the country. President Buhari making his presentation at the virtual summit on Climate, had highlighted the efforts of his administration to contain the consequences of climate change in Nigeria. The president, thereafter, claimed that “the overall outcome of the highlighted actions had translated into food supply sufficiency, improved nutrition, less hunger, increased employment, new jobs opportunities, better livelihoods, reduced poverty, decreased vulnerability to health challenges and higher quality of life.”

The Nigerian president was perceived to have gone into unnecessary exaggeration while countries of the world are deliberating more on reduction of emission. This, Nigeria is widely believed to have done nothing beyond rhetoric. Beside the vehicular emissions, millions of generators used for individual supply of electricity as a result of the failure in the development of the power sector, are still contributing menacingly to air pollution and increasing threats to further ozone layer depletion from this part of the world.

More so, the rate of unemployment, hunger, and starvation, increasing poverty, high prices of food and threats of food scarcity, deteriorating standard of living, etc., are alarming in Nigeria. Statistics from the NBS show that the President may have made his presentation at the world leaders’ summit on climate change on records derived from another country, outside Nigeria.This, some stakeholders who spoke on the condition of anonymity, pointed out could shut doors of foreign assistance to Nigeria.

President Buhari had assured the global community of Nigeria’s resolve to support actions towards the mitigation of climate change.

The president affirmed that Nigeria will provide necessary support at the regional level as well as at the continental and multilateral level for the attainment of the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

President Buhari noted that the fight to redress the impact of climate change is the responsibility of all countries and stakeholders.

He congratulated President Joe Biden of the United States of America for renewed interest and restoring US participation in the Paris Agreement.

President Buhari stated: “I would like to express my profound appreciation to the President of the United States, His Excellency, Joe Biden, for convening this Summit at a time the world is experiencing tremendous vulnerability from the COVID-19 pandemic and Climate Change impacts, among several other global challenges.

“The issue of Climate Change has taken the front burner globally, as its effects can be seen and felt all around us, ranging from increased atmospheric temperature to irregular rainfall patterns as well as sea level rise owing to the melting of glacial ice.

“Nigeria commends the Biden Administration for the positive decision of returning the United States to the Paris Agreement. In addition to bringing about abundant green economic opportunities to the US economy, the move further complements the larger transition process of global economies to low carbon development pathways”.

President Buhari stated that Nigeria is one of the most vulnerable nations, and it had started undertaking major environmentally sound and climate-friendly programmes, while treading the path of sustainability.

The Nigerian President, accordingly, declared: “We are expeditiously implementing programs that stimulate gradual transition away from the use of wood stoves to kerosene, Liquefied Natural Gas, biogas and electricity.

“The immediate effects include healthy competition among private sector players leading to higher productivity, employment and faster service delivery.

“In the Agriculture production and supply chain sector, we are targeting improved efficiency and productivity through the provision of accurate and timely weather forecasting to farmers, supply of drought tolerant and early maturing crop varieties and promoting empowerment towards the diversification of sources of livelihoods.

“Beyond ending gas flaring by 2030, the oil and gas sector has undertaken steps for diversification; risk management system; insurance hedging; research and development and emergency/crisis planning.

“The overall outcome of the highlighted actions had translated into food supply sufficiency, improved nutrition, less hunger, increased employment, new jobs opportunities, better livelihoods, reduced poverty, decreased vulnerability to health challenges and higher quality of life.”

The president, then, said: “Nigeria calls on countries to embrace Circular Economy and Sustainable Production and Consumption models in order to expedite attainment of the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement.”