The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has described the Climate Change Law as life-changing legislation.
The Climate Change Bill, which was first tabled in the Seventh Assembly, had suffered several setbacks until it was recently passed and accepted by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In 2019, Buhari had rejected the bill to “replicate the role of the Federal Environment Ministry, which is charged with incorporating climate responses and actions into government policies, but does not suggest scrapping the ministry.”
Gbajabimaila said he plans to have 25 bills passed, but none of them are as important as the Climate Change Law.
This was stated on Wednesday when the House of Representatives Press Corps awarded the sponsor of the Climate Change bill, Sam Onuigbo, the ‘Legislator of the Year’ award.
Mr. Gbajabiamila explained that the legislation is one of those bills that “nobody bothered to even try to understand, but on closer examination and a proper understanding of what it entails, it is perhaps one of those life-changing bills, one one of those bills that can affect all of us for life. “
He noted that the legislation “may outperform generations to come.”
In his reaction, Mr. Onuigbo said that the legislation will help address the threat of climate change and a direct appropriate response.
Make no mistake about it, climate change is an existential issue and should be treated as such. Our country, Nigeria, must therefore take appropriate and coordinated actions in its transition to net zero to avoid being left behind with many stranded assets, ”he said.
He added that the new legal framework “will help us on our journey towards green recovery and will ultimately ensure that we develop sustainably while preserving this land for our children.”
Grace Ike, president of the Corps, praised lawmakers for ensuring the bill’s passage despite numerous setbacks.
He noted that the bill will help support carbon reduction targets and create a sustainable environment.
“The signing of the bill by the President has made Nigeria join an elite group of countries that have enacted emission target laws with the aim of eliminating carbon emissions,” he said.
A representative of the US Embassy, Jackson Smith, said that Climate Change is a global problem and praised the efforts of the National Assembly to address this challenge in the interest of the future of Nigeria.