By Christiana Ekpa
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has called for urgent national action to address climate change, warning that Nigeria can no longer ignore the growing environmental and economic threats posed by global warming.
Abbas made the call on Thursday in Abuja while declaring open a National Decarbonisation Technical Roundtable organised by the House Committee on the Mandatory National Decarbonisation Programme.
Represented by Rep. Muktar Shagaya, the Speaker said climate change has moved beyond theoretical projections and is already affecting communities across the country through extreme weather patterns and environmental disruptions.
He noted that northern Nigeria is increasingly grappling with drought and desertification, while parts of the East continue to suffer severe flooding and erosion. According to him, rising temperatures in the West and irregular rainfall patterns in the South further highlight the widespread impact of climate change.
“Climate change is real, and its impact is no longer something we will face in the future; it is already here. From drought in the North to flooding and erosion in the East, and abnormal rainfall patterns in the South, climate change has become a lived experience for Nigerians,” Abbas said.
He stressed that Nigeria must align with global climate action following the Paris Agreement, under which 196 countries, including Nigeria, committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through nationally determined contributions.
The Speaker warned that failure to act decisively could have severe economic implications for Nigeria, particularly in critical sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, and energy.
Citing global estimates, Abbas said climate inaction could cost Nigeria up to 30 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product by 2050—equivalent to about $460 billion.
“As one of Africa’s largest economies and the most populous nation on the continent, Nigeria consistently ranks among the countries most affected by extreme weather events. The economic costs of inaction are enormous,” he said.
He, however, clarified that Nigeria’s decarbonisation agenda should not be seen as a move to undermine the country’s oil and gas sector, which remains a major pillar of the economy.
Instead, Abbas said the transition presents an opportunity for Nigeria to diversify its economy, develop competitive green industries and attract climate-focused investment.
Chairman of the House Committee on the Mandatory National Decarbonisation Programme, Rep. Sesi Whingan, said the National Assembly is currently considering legislation to establish a comprehensive legal framework for Nigeria’s decarbonisation efforts.
Whingan disclosed that the proposed National Decarbonisation Bill has already passed first and second readings in the House of Representatives and is expected to proceed to a public hearing before the end of the month.
According to him, the bill is designed to complement
existing climate initiatives, including the Climate Change Act 2021, the Electricity Act 2023, the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency Act.
He explained that the legislation would strengthen the work of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) while harmonising various emission reduction and energy transition initiatives across sectors of the Nigerian economy.
“We decided to bring all relevant stakeholders into one room, and currently we are working on a bill known as the National Decarbonisation Bill,” Whingan said.
“This bill is designed to complement what the National Council on Climate Change is already doing. It has already gone through the first and second readings in the House, and hopefully before the end of the month we will move towards the public hearing stage.”
Whingan said the roundtable formed part of broader consultations aimed at building consensus among policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, development partners and civil society organisations on Nigeria’s decarbonisation pathway.
He stressed that policy clarity and adequate funding would be essential to attract long-term investments in clean energy and low-carbon technologies.
The lawmaker also disclosed plans by the committee to convene a National Carbon Summit in June involving representatives from the 36 states and the 774 local government areas to deepen national engagement on the programme.
“There is no way we can achieve significant progress if local communities are not involved. We must move beyond conversations at the top and take the programme down to the grassroots,” he said.
Whingan added that the Federal Government has already approved a National Carbon Market Framework projected to generate between $2.5 billion and $3 billion annually over the next decade.
According to him, the framework will regulate carbon credit registration, issuance and verification while promoting emission-reduction projects in sectors such as forestry, renewable energy, clean cooking and climate-smart agriculture.
Also speaking at the event, Director for Africa at the Global Wind Energy Council, Wangari Muchiri, said Nigeria’s growing commitment to decarbonisation could unlock major opportunities for economic diversification, job creation and investment in clean energy.
She noted that although sectors such as oil and gas and agriculture remain carbon-intensive, the global shift toward cleaner energy systems provides Nigeria with an opportunity to benefit from the rapidly expanding carbon economy.
“The decarbonisation agenda for Nigeria is really critical. Many sectors in Nigeria, including oil and gas and agriculture, are very carbon-heavy. But in today’s global economy, this presents a big opportunity for Nigeria to capitalise on the carbon economy, create jobs, and bring new income into the sector,” Muchiri said.
She added that Nigeria’s policy direction, including commitments made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at international climate forums such as the United Nations Climate Change Conference, has encouraged development partners and private investors to support the country’s clean energy transition.
Muchiri called for deeper collaboration through financing, knowledge transfer and technical capacity development to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a sustainable low-carbon economy.
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