Climate Change: Nigeria making progress in energy transition—Onuigbo

Climate change activist, and former federal lawmaker, Chief Sam Onuigbo says Nigeria is making progress in meeting its energy transition efforts.

Onuigbo, who is participating in the ongoing 29th session of the UN Climate Change Conference, CoP29, said this during a telephone interview with Newsverge on Tuesday.

The conference is taking place in Baku, Baku, Azerbaijan.

Onuigbo said the Climate Change Act which he sponsored as a member of House of Representatives and the establishment of National Council on Climate Change Nigeria, laid a solid foundation for climate change actions.

Onuigbo is member, representing South-East, Governing Board, and Chairman Committee on Security, Climate Change, North-East Development Commission.

He said the Act and the Council provide the legal framework and institution for climate change policy implementation.

The former lawmaker said that the Compressed Natural Gas initiative as an alternative for fossil fuel vehicles by the Bola Tinubu`s administration was a bold step towards energy transition.

Onuigbo said the Electricity Act 2023 was a further impetus to providing cleaner energy.

The Act liberalises the nation’s electricity generation, transmission and distribution at the national level and empowers states, companies and individuals to generate, transmit and distribute electricity.

The Act also permits private investors to obtain generation, transmission and systems operations licenses.

Onuigbo said CoP29 presented an opportunity for Nigeria to boost investment in climate change initiatives.

According to him, Nigeria’s delegation to the conference will market Nigeria’s climate change market to international investors.