–By Fred Ojiegbe
As countries around the world move towards low carbon energy, governments are making concerted efforts and plans to ensure that there is a clear roadmap to achieve cleaner environments.
Consequently, Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari has committed to a zero-carbon emission plan in few years to come. While addressing heads of states and government at the just concluded Climate Change Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, he assured that Nigeria is committed to reaching net-zero by 2060.
According to the President, it has become imperative for such moves as every citizen is becoming more aware of the importance of tackling climate change.
“Desertification in the North, floods in the centre, pollution and erosion on the coast are enough evidence,” the president said. “For Nigeria, climate change is not about the perils of tomorrow but what is happening today. Nigeria is committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2060.”
President Buhari also called for international partners to support and fund natural gas development, which he called “transition fuels” before the realization of the net-zero target.
“Nigeria is actually more of a gas than an oil-producing country. Consequently, I am requesting for financing of projects using transition fuels, such as gas. Nigeria has energy challenges for which, we believe, gas can be used to balance a renewable energy-based system, be it wind or solar. This would enable us launch the long-term renewable energy infrastructure procurements and investments needed to have a sustainable energy supply. The country expects to use gas until 2040, he said. Such a move would be in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement”, the president explained.
He said it has necessitated the limiting temperature increases to 2 degrees Celsius and trying to reach an increase of only 1.5 degrees. “Gas will be key for addressing the clean cooking challenge, which is also a challenge of deforestation, and for giving our electric grid the stability and flexibility to integrate renewables at scale. Nigeria will need to integrate an unprecedented 7GW additional renewable capacity each year to achieve net-zero”.
Speaking further, President Buhari said Nigeria has set out an Energy Compact, which involves providing electricity to 5 million households. It also covers providing solar power to 25 million people.
The scale of spending required is substantial. Nigeria needs $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investment over the next 10 years, he said.
While there has been some criticism of the target of 2060, this still represents a major step for Nigeria. It mirrors similar declarations from India, which made a commitment to reach net-zero by 2070.
On the country’s energy transition plans, Buhari believes that Nigeria can achieve an Energy Sustainability Plan towards reducing the energy shortcomings by year 2030. Femi Adesina, the President’s spokesman in a statement said Mr Buhari spoke in line with Nigeria’s role as a Global Theme Champion for the Energy Transition, theme of the High-Level Dialogue on Energy on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The president said: “Nigeria’s commitment to a just transition is reflected in our ambitious Energy Compact, which includes the Government’s flagship project to electrify five million households and over twenty million people using decentralised solar energy solutions.
“This is a major first step towards closing our energy access deficit by 2030. Nigeria’s commitment is also reflected in the development of our Energy Transition Plan, which was developed with support of the UK COP26 Energy Transition Council.”
He called for support from developed countries to unlock the financing needed to accelerate a just energy transition for all, disclosing that “our focus and discussions on transition must now involve how we help countries develop detailed energy transition plans and commitments to mobilize enough financing to empower countries to implement those plans.”
According to him, the scale of financing required for Nigeria to achieve net-zero amounts to over US$ 400 billion across the Nigerian economy which is in excess of business-as-usual spending over the next 30 years.
“This breaks down to US$ 155 billion net spend on generation capacity, US$ 135 billion on transmission and distribution infrastructure, US$ 75 billion on buildings, US$ 21 billion on industry and US$ 12 billion on transport.”
The president, however, said that gas would continue to have a big role to play before it is phased out, explaining that solid fuel cooking is still wreaking havoc in Africa.
“As a global leader on the energy transition, it is imperative that I flag a major risk to development that stems from the current narrative around energy transition, particularly on the role of gas and the lack of financing.
“Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan has laid out our roadmap to reach net-zero and highlights the scale of the effort required, which includes the development and integration of renewables into current grid infrastructure at tremendous scale and electrification of all sectors.
“This is challenging for any country, especially a developing country. On our development objectives, gas will have a key role to play here for some years before being phased out,” he said.
President Buhari noted that these plans must also take into account, the provision of access to electricity and clean cooking solutions for those in Nigeria and around the world currently without access.
According to him, an often-overlooked point is the essential role of gas in addressing clean cooking challenges.
“Globally, there are 2.6 billion people who lack access to clean cooking – which is unacceptable.
“Even more concerning is that solid fuel cooking in Africa causes almost 490,000 premature deaths annually, making it the second-largest health risk in Africa,’’ he said.
He said his government is looking for partners, technology, and finance to make cleaner and efficient use of all available resources for a more stable transition in energy markets.
He informed the audience that Nigeria’s set of revised nationally determined contributions has additional priority sectors, water and waste, nature-based solution, adaptation and resilience, vulnerability assessment and a clean, cooking, gender and green job assessment for a bottom-up renewable energy transition pathway to 2030.
Speaking further, Mr Buhari said even though parties to the Paris agreement are expected to transition from fossil fuel to clean energy and reach a net-zero ambition for greenhouse gas emission, Nigeria is actually more of a gas than oil-producing country and requires financing of projects using transition fuel such as gas.
“Nigeria has developed a detailed energy transition plan and roadmap based on data and evidence; our transition plan also highlights the key role that gas will play in transitioning our economy across sectors and the data and evidence shows Nigeria can continue to use gas until 2040 without detracting from the goals of the Paris agreement,” he said.
President Buhari told the audience that Nigeria has approved a national action plan on gender and climate change.
“This document incorporates priority areas of our economic recovery and growth plan and nationally determined contributions, the implementation strategy for this national action plan is being developed,” he said.
“In a bid to commit to transitional change through climate policy, the revised national policy on climate change was approved in June 2021. This will enable us to implement mitigation measures and also strengthen adaptation towards a sustainable and resilient development. pathway in Nigeria.”
Buhari further called the attention of the COP26 President to the centrality of financial support to developing countries in order to attain national and global climate change goals, as it will require technical and financial support to developing countries.
Speaking further, the Nigerian president said the country plans to provide electricity for 5 million households and 25 million people using decentralised solar energy solutions.
“In Nigeria, in the area of energy access, Nigeria’s commitment to adjust transition is reflected in our initial energy compact which includes the government’s flagship project to electrify 5 million households and 25 million people using decentralised solar energy solution, this is a major step towards closing our energy access deficit by 2030.”
He said the outcome of COP26 must result in a quick resolution of all outstanding issues pertaining to the finalisation of the Paris agreement rule book, adaptation, mitigation, finance, article 6 loss and damages.
As a follow-up to the commitment made at the just concluded COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, President Muhammadu Buhari on19th November, 2021 signed into law the Climate Change Act. The bill which was recently passed by the National Assembly was signed by the President immediately after returning from the global climate summit in Scotland.
Following the President’s assent, the Climate Change law has now become part of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to a statement issued by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, the Climate Change Act owes its origin to a bill sponsored by a member of the House of Representatives, Sam Onuigbo and provides for, among other things, the mainstreaming of climate change actions and the establishment of a National Council on Climate Change.
It lays emphasis on the way for environmental and economic accounting and a push for a net-zero emission carbon deadline plan in the country.