Oxfam, an international organisation, has called on nations to honour their financial commitments made during the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) convention on climate change.
COP27, the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022
Mr Henry Ushe, the Oxfam Programme Manager for Accountable Governance in Nigeria, made the call at a two-day workshop organised by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), with the support of Oxfam in Port Harcourt.
Some developed countries had pledged $100 billion annually, at the Egypt meeting, to support the low and middle income countries in their climate action efforts.
The call comes against the backdrop of the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Climate Change Agreements, a development that is certain to undermine international cooperation on such a critical issue affecting the entire planet.
To this effect, experts have warned that the many financial pledges made at the Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt meeting may remain altogether unredeemed.
Oxfam said the actual amount already delivered is low with much of the finance provided as loans which are aggravating debt burdens in vulnerable countries.
Ushe, however, stated that Nigeria has developed the gas master plan following its commitment to COP27 to transit energy to net zero by 2060 and to the Paris agreement of accelerating climate action.
He explained that Nigeria has also passed the Climate Justice Act and established its secretariat to work with CSOs and other stakeholders to ensure the total implementation of the policy framework.
“But what we haven’t seen since then is the financial commitment to be able to drive through with all of this policy; what we need is the financing of all these plans,’’ he said, explaining the reason for the call on those who made financial pledges at COP27 to redeem them, “while we hold our government to account, ensuring that the support is used judiciously.”
“We are very optimistic about the safe transition because the country has put in place all the mechanisms that are needed, including a very robust gas master plan.”
In his remarks, Mr Lawrence Dube, the Head Community, Environmental Legal Desk of Natural Justice in Nigeria, urged the regulatory agencies to structure and enforce global energy security.
Dube who spoke on the “Aligning Gas Plans with Climate Goals” urged the government to put the policy framework into use by bringing investors to the round table discussion for investment and partnership.
Similarly, Mr Harry Udoh, Chairman of Civil Society National Regulation Council of Nigeria, decried the slow pace of the implementation of the plans since 2007 till date.
Udoh urged the government to accelerate gas infrastructure development, invest in pipeline networks, processing plants and storage facilities to improve market access.
He recommended the expansion of virtual gas pipelines like the CNG and LNG trucking system to reach underserved areas, calling for the strengthening of partnership within the West Africa Gas Pipeline (WAGP) framework to enhance regional energy security, among others.
Earlier, Mr Ayo Omowu, CISLAC’s Programme Lead, Department of Tax Justice, Environment, and Conservation of Nature, urged the government to implement the policy framework for renewable energy and its sustainable development goals for 2060.
