The federal government has stated its readiness to support legislative action that would lead to emission reduction and encourage use of renewable energy saying that there is a need for the National Assembly to possess a good understanding of the dynamics of international and national climate governance.  Addressing newsmen at the ongoing 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Marrakech, Morocco, the Minister of Environment, Mrs Amina Mohammed disclosed the need for NASS to keep abreast with revolving issues especially the concept of green economy and green growth.

Recall that COP21 which took place in Paris, France ended with the landmark Paris Agreement known as the legally binding international agreement on climate change which has now been ratified by 79 Parties covering more than 55 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. According to her, “The role of National Assembly in providing laws for good governance will be incomplete without a good understanding of their expected role in ensuring a climate-resilient and climate compatible development to enhance economic growth.

She noted that the federal government is working to structure a common oversight framework that ensured that environmental and climate change concerns and efficient use of natural resources are factored by line ministries in the implementation of national development plans. On amount of support required by Nigeria to reduce climate impact, she said, Africa is least responsible for the effect of climate change yet we carry the burden but because we have huge population in Nigeria which is growing daily, there must be support, so we are working to attract international support”.

“We have to do more than just demand but show what we are doing so that we can leverage our resources and by doing that, we will put the Nigeria Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) on the table while looking for financing through our actions”, she concluded.

The minister assured that Nigeria is committed to integrating the elements of the agreement and the Nigeria NDC into its national development efforts stressing that federal government would utilize legislative instrument to explore international climate financing so as to complement national appropriation for sustainable development.