Property & Environment Editor — Climate change stakeholders are taking considerable strides on ways to address the global menace as well as effectively position the nation to access inherent abundant opportunities.

Two major developments in Abuja (the Federal Capital City), in the last couple of weeks, appear to attest to this notion: first, is the move to harmonise the long-awaited bill for the establishment of the Nigeria Climate Change Commission (NCCC); second entails a commitment to get the Second National Communication (SNC) on climate change to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ready in six weeks' time.

The bill is seeking to establish the NCCC as a statutory body and to vest it with the responsibility to regulate, coordinate policies and actions on climate change in Nigeria and to set up a National Carbon Market Scheme in addition to tackling the effect of global warming and its impact on Nigeria.

When eventually operational, the commission would address issues related to environmental pollution, erosion, deforestation, desertification and climate change effects. The bill stipulates that 10 per cent of Ecological Funds and certain percentage of funds from the Consolidated Revenue Account will be given to the commission for the discharge of its duties.

At a two-day post Copenhagen workshop on "Strengthening Nigeria's Response to Climate Change" organised penultimate week by NigeriaCan, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change, Eziuche Ubani, confirmed the development, stating that a National Climate Change Policy and legislation that will guide various policy initiatives would likewise be fashioned by the chambers before the end of the year.

NigeriaCan is a coalition of groups and individuals working to promote government and individual actions on climate change.

Ubani will tomorrow in Abuja at the instance of the committee convene a daylong forum to initiate action on the development of climate change policy and legislation. Participants will attempt to fashion out a proactive framework for the proposed climate change policy/legislation.

When completed, the Climate Change Act will provide a robust policy and institutional framework for mainstreaming climate change into Nigeria's development goals, Ubani stated.

He adds, "It will reduce the nation's vulnerability to climate change impacts and crisis. It will enhance an investment friendly environment for low carbon economic growth which is sustainable."

Similarly, a team of climate stakeholders last week at the FCC courtesy of the Special Climate Change Unit (SCCU) of the Federal Ministry of Environment and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) explored avenues towards putting finishing touches on the SNC, which ought to have been submitted to the UNFCCC by December 2009.

Nevertheless, participants at the two-day forum expressed optimism that the preparation of the document, which is 70 percent completed, would be ready in April this year.

SCCU's Yerima Peter Terfa submitted, "Preparation of the NC is an obligation on all Parties to the UNFCC, of which Nigeria became a Party in 1994. The NC gives baseline information on national circumstances as it relates to climate change, and it will allow for intervention and mainstreaming climate change into National Development Plans.

Terfa appeared worried, identifying project constraints to include inadequate access to data as well as limited funding. But the UNDP seems more upbeat, with Team Leader, Environment, Muyiwa Odele, saying, "We have a task to deliver within six weeks and we are determined to address the various challenges."

The environmentalist went on, "This is a strategic document and ours is to help Nigeria achieve its climate change baseline obligations with the UNFCCC. Having identified gaps in the first NC, experts are exploring various studies to fill such gaps.

"This meeting is strategic and timely, coming on the heels of the COP 15 that held in Copenhagen, as countries are required to provide information in order to demonstrate some reasonable level of commitment to climate change, and also position themselves to access global opportunities in climate change related issues."

Ubani lamented at the NigeriaCan event that the inter-ministerial committee set up by government on the issues of climate change had made limited impact in mainstreaming the issues into government's efforts and firming up strategies in the country. He added that climate change required structural response and some level of funding and urged the Federal Government to increase its N140 million budgetary allocation to the SCCU if the country intended winning the war on global warming.

Norwegian Ambassador to Nigeria, Kjell Lillerud, said Norway supported a future REDD regime that also promoted incentives for conservation, stock enhancement and sustainable management of existing forests. Such a broad scope, he added, would reduce the risk of carbon leakage within countries.

Coordinator, NigeriaCan, Ewah Eleri, noted that despite improved national response, the impact of climate change on Nigeria deepens; policies remain weak, and national awareness inadequate. "Stronger domestic policies and measures will position Nigeria to benefit from international partnerships. The need for strengthening climate change governance has, therefore, never been more urgent," he said.

According to Ewah, in the past year, Nigeria has made significant progress in addressing the challenges of climate change on the national and international stage as both Houses of the National Assembly have passed the bill to establish the National Climate Change Commission.

"In Copenhagen, Nigeria presented an evidence-based position built on our national circumstances and commitment to international leadership on this issue. Today, climate change governance has become increasingly participatory and characterised by stronger formal accountability by government," Ewah said.

His words: "NigeriaCan is raising the awareness on the impending danger and opportunities for us help change the policy framework and support some institutions as well as help the government in engaging with the international community on climate change because climate change by its nature is time bound. It's not the challenge we can tackle alone. No matter how good our policies are, if we don't get the private sector on board, we have no agent to implement the new economy we must have to build."

He called on the Federal Government to incorporate climate change issues into the nation's development plans, particularly now that technologies are shifting from dependence on the use of fossil fuel.

Eleri went on, "There are no more important issues for our country than climate change and what we are doing is to raise the awareness level among key stakeholders. We are 90 percent dependent on the export of petroleum for our income from external trade. We are dependent on the export of petroleum for 80 percent of Federal Government budget and 40 percent of our GDP. Now, this is the same source the whole world is planning to divest from."

On the SNC, Terfa noted, "It is worthy of note that, as at end of 2009, only 20 countries across the world submitted their SNC, with five only from Africa (mostly small size countries). Despite the constraints enumerated at the workshop, the implementation of the project was rated impressive and encouraging. Development Partners present at the meeting committed themselves to support where necessary towards early and qualitative completion of this national document.

"Funding for the project is through a uniform envelope to all developing countries from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The envelope is irrespective of country's size, population or circumstance."

Ubani stated that research findings from the process of developing the SNC will ensure that the proposed climate policy and legislation is built on useful, timely and relevant information.