FG, Stakeholders Tackle Climate Change

The Federal Government has said that awareness on renewable energy technologies will aid in tackling the challenges facing the country on climate change.

Minister of Environment, Mr John Odey who disclosed this at the first Nigeria Renewable Energy Day organised by his ministry, last Thursday in  Abuja called for more awareness campaign stressing that the step was imperative in tackling the challenges facing the country on climate change.

He emphasised the need for all development agencies, financial institutions, and other stakeholders to build synergy on renewable energy for the development of the country and also urged to see the renewable energy programme as an opportunity for greater economic development.

Odey said the programme is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Environment which was established in May 2010 as part of the nation’s efforts at tackling the challenges of climate change through voluntary emission reduction.

The main purpose is to explore the available sources, technologies, economies, regulatory and policy challenges of renewable infrastructure development in Nigeria”, the minister said.

He disclosed that the ministry was working in collaboration with the states and private sector practitioners on renewable aspect of power generation with the aim of deriving benefits through the carbon market structure of the United Nation’s framework convention on climate change.

Meanwhile, the managing director of Concession Development Company (CDC), Valentine Ozieh said Nigeria can save over a trillion naira in the cost of power generation from the use of  convertion to energy saving bulbs.

In his presentation of the company’s Nigeria Clean Energy Access Programme, (N-CEAP) the managing director noted that with the adoption of the energy-saving bulbs, Nigeria will be contributing its own quota to addressing the environmental challenges of global warning.   

Explaining that N-CEAP, an initiative designed to reduce power consumption has the consequence of reducing carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases and pointed out that net effect for the average Nigerian household and corporate organisation is an instant reduction in power generation, consumption and costs.

He further disclosed that the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Environment has already issued a letter of endorsement and a letter of approval for the N-CEAP initiatives.

Chris Oluoh