Nigerian House of Reps Urges MDAs to Establish Climate Change Desk

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Service Matters has directed all Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to integrate a ‘Climate Change Desk’ into all their core mandate, in line with the 2021 Climate Change Act.

The committee, chaired by Hon. Kama Nkemkanma, a member representing Ohaozara-Onicha-Ivo Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State, urged the Head of Service to implement the establishment of Climate Change Desk in all Federal MDAs.

The recommendations include urging Ministers to implement the obligations of their ministries under the Climate Change Act 2021.

Furthermore, the House urged the National Council on Climate Change Secretariat to set up a carbon budget and action plan, directing the Federal Ministry of Finance to require MDAs to include climate considerations in their 2025 budgets.

Also, the House resolved to mandate the Committee on Public Service Matters to ensure compliance and report for further legislative action within four weeks.

These recommendations, among others, are contained in a report obtained by West Africa Weekly as submitted to the House by the committee during a plenary on Thursday, October 24, 2024.

The Climate Change Act, which was signed into law in November 2021 following the approval of former President Muhammadu Buhari, mandates the government to set a National Climate Change Action Plan and a five-year carbon budget (with quantified annual objectives) accordingly.

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However, critics and experts argue that the push for African nations, including Nigeria, to adopt green economies might be a neo-colonial strategy by the Western communities to keep African economies underdeveloped and dependent.

Meanwhile, a recent report by the Afro-Asia Institute for Strategic Studies (AAISS) has proven it to be true, but with alternative recommendations for addressing the climate change crisis from an African perspective.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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