The Member representing the South-East on the Governing Board of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Sir Sam Ifeanyi Onuigbo, has said that former President Muhammadu Buhari’s death has left a huge vacuum for the country.
Onuigbo, a former two-term federal lawmaker, recalled the tortuous journey of the Climate Change Bill, which was first declined in the 6th and 7th Assemblies. The late President also declined it in the 8th Assembly and eventually signed it into law during the 9th Assembly, on 17 November 2021, thereby gifting the country the iconic Climate Change Act.
“By that singular act and focus on proactive legislation, the former President made Nigeria stand tall in the international community. His death has robbed the country of a rich source of international pride. The late President Buhari won respect for Nigeria through his insistence on excellence,” Onuigbo stated.
He noted that Nigeria’s Climate Change Act created the National Council on Climate Change and provided a legal framework for the country’s climate action goals,m particularly its strategies for sustainable economic development and the path to attaining net zero by 2050–2070.
He stated: “Thanks to Buhari, Nigeria did not attend COP27 empty-handed.
We went to the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with our heads held high, actively participating in discussions that led to the agreement to establish a ‘loss and damage’ fund to assist developing countries in addressing the adverse effects of climate change.
“This fund, officially named the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), aims to provide financial assistance to vulnerable nations grappling with climate-related impacts, including extreme weather events and slow-onset disasters,” he said.
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