The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has called for immediate, structured legislative interventions worldwide to combat climate-related disasters and build sustainable resilience in vulnerable regions.
​Speaking on Thursday, October 8, 2026, during a high-level parliamentary session, Kalu urged lawmakers across the globe to move beyond non-binding resolutions and enforce direct legislative frameworks.
​Emphasising the severe impacts on developing regions, Kalu highlighted that communities are facing the brunt of extreme weather, severe flooding, land degradation, and food insecurity.
​”Our people are already living with the consequences of extreme weather, flooding, land degradation, food insecurity, and climate-related displacement,” Kalu stated. “Climate finance must therefore support both emissions reduction and human resilience.”
​He stressed that national parliaments hold the constitutional power over public funds, international treaties, and domestic oversight necessary to turn global climate promises into enforceable national actions.
​Kalu outlined key priority areas for global parliamentary action; Directing national budgetary appropriations toward adaptation efforts and resilient infrastructure in frontline communities and enacting laws that mandate structured relief and reconstruction funds for regions affected by severe climate disasters.
Strengthening inter-parliamentary diplomacy, through platforms such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), to harmonise regional climate policies and hold international stakeholders accountable to funding commitments.
​The initiative builds on Kalu’s expanding role in global legislative advocacy. His Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, along with parliamentary spokesperson Udora Orizu, noted that the proposal forms part of a broader effort by Nigeria’s National Assembly to lead parliamentary diplomacy across Africa and the Global South.
​The call comes as the Nigerian delegation prepares to join international lawmakers at the upcoming Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) engagements. Legislative leaders from participating countries expressed support for the framework, committing to introduce joint resolutions to integrate climate resilience directly into their respective national planning processes.
