Stakeholders in the Climate Change sector have canvassed for the support of the Organised Private Sector (OPS), Non-Governmental Organisations and others for initiatives to drive Climate Change Act effective enforcement and engender sustainability.
They made the advocacy at the American Business Council (ABC) and Lagos Business School (LBS) Sustainability Law Review with the theme: “Pathway to Implementation for a Successful Energy Transition” which held on Friday in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Climate Change Act to provide a framework for Nigeria to achieve climate goals, net zero emissions, long-term social and economic sustainability, and resilience.
Prof. Bankole Sodipo, Senior Partner, G.O. Sodipo and Co., said that effective enforcement of the law was critical to achieving the goals.
Sodipo also emphasised the need for massive trainings for regulators of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to handle the oil and gas sector more effectively.
He urged the OPS, governments and other stakeholders to enlighten Nigerians on best practices to preserve the climate.
“It is commendable that government has passed both bills into law; so, the work ahead is to ensure implementation.
“There is need for campaigns, documentaries and movies that break down the impact of climate change on the environment, the country and the world at large.
“There is also need for tax rebates, incentives for people that are compliant to the Climate Change Act, to encourage organisations to adopt sustainability into their operations,” he said.
Ms Damilola Alada, Associate, Bloomfield LP, said that the Climate Change Act served as a mechanism to influence change, show more commitment, give direction and ensure awareness by everyone, of government’s position on sustainability.
She, however, noted that enforcement of both laws could not be left to the government alone.
According to her, everyone with the capacity should take the initiative to actualise the objectives of the laws.
Alada urged that action plans on climate change agenda should be broken down into phases and timelines to achieve desired results.
“There is also need to diversify energy mix in Nigeria to reduce reliance on fuel; there is need to improve investment in technology, develop local capacity and carry more people along.
“These same regulators are not going to be there by 2060, and the understanding, knowledge and technology need to be shared to carry on the goals and objectives of sustainability,” she said.
Ms Lovelyn Aniekwe, representative of Punuka Attorneys, called for incentives for companies with a carbon capture system and utilisation for gas.
Aniekwe said that capacity development for stakeholders was important to inform them about the laws and help them to know where they were headed with regard to sustainability.
“It is also important to have mechanisms to implement the frameworks in place and begin to ensure that all laws across sectors of the Nigerian economy are climate-proof.
“Nigeria must also get the judiciary involved, develop a registry, methodology and system that help to track reporting and verification of emissions.
“It is important to begin to guarantee every citizen a right to clean environment by allowing the right kind of investment that shows a shift from fuel to renewable energy, putting in place adaptive measures to drive the transition,” she said. NAN
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