By William Emmanuel Ukpoju
In a strategic move to advance Nigeria’s green industrial vision and bolster investor confidence, President Bola Tinubu has approved several significant appointments to the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC).
According to Chief Ajuri Ngelale,
Special Adviser to the President on Mediaa and Publicity, Dr. Nkiruka Maduekwe has been named interim Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the NCCC, pending confirmation by the NCCC Supervisory Council.
With over 15 years of experience in climate policy and project implementation, Dr. Maduekwe, 39, holds a Bachelor of Law degree, a Master’s in Environmental Law and Policy from the University of Dundee, UK, and a Doctorate in Law from the University of Hull, UK.
She previously served as Nigeria’s National Coordinator for Climate Parliament and as the legal adviser to the former NCCC Director-General.
Dr. Maduekwe will also serve as Co-Chairperson of the Inter-governmental Committee on National Carbon Market Activation Plan (NCMAP).
In addition, President Tinubu has also appointed Mr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Shelleng as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Finance and Stakeholder Engagement. Mr. Shelleng, 40, holds an MBA from Ahmadu Bello University and has extensive experience in financial institutions, including his recent role as Head of Business Development at the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company PLC (NMRC).
He will also serve as Secretary of the NCMAP and as a member of the Presidential Committee on Climate Action and Green Economic Solutions.
Also appointed is Mr. Olamide Fagbuji as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Technology and Operations. Mr. Fagbuji, 44, a policy analyst and computer scientist, previously served as Special Assistant to the President on Economic Matters and as Technical Adviser to the Director-General of the NCCC on Policy Research and Strategy.
He will oversee the digitalization of the new open procurement process and cross-departmental procedural optimization at the NCCC.
According to the Special Adviser to the President, these appointments are with immediate effect.
The President expects the new appointees to leverage their expertise to drive Nigeria’s green industrial development and climate action for sustainable growth.