The Nasarawa State Network on Environment and Climate Justice (NASNECJ), in collaboration with the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), has urged Governor Abdullahi Sule to sign the climate change bill into law in the interest of the State.
Mr Emmanuel Envoh-Okolo, the Coordinator of the Group, made the appeal in Lafia when he visited the State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to solicit support.
The climate change bill was recently passed by the Nasarawa State House of Assembly to streamline actions, adaptation and mitigation against the impacts of climate change in the state.
According to Envoh-Okolo, the climate change bill, which was passed by the State House Assembly, received technical support from African Activists for Climate Justice and NASNECJ.
Envoh-Okolo said that the assent of the bill by the Governor to become law was critical in the fight against climate change in Nasarawa state, given that the state was among the states ravaged by the impacts of climate change in the country.
He noted that passage of the climate change bill was one of the best things that has happened to Nasarawa state, the NASNECJ, the Ministry and other stakeholders who developed the bill.
“Considering the importance we attach to the passage of this bill, we are here today to have a conversation with the ministry to see how the bill can be signed into law by the state governor.
“We felt that this Ministry being an umbrella body handling climate change-related issues like policy and programme implementation.
“We want to see how they can stir up the conversations and engage with the governor to ensure that the bill is assented to,” he said.
Envoh-Okolo said the only opportunity the state has to push for the signing of the bill was now, noting that failure to get the bill signed into law means that the effort made in the last five years would be wasted.
“Because if this legislative tenure is over, we still have to start afresh again, and we do not want to start the whole of this process afresh again.
“We are not doing anything different from what is at the national level, what we’re doing basically is to replicate what has been done at the national level.
“If this bill is eventually assented to, it will give the Ministry a better opportunity to coordinate all climate actions across ministries in the state, and we believe strongly that the assent of this bill would bring enormous benefit for the state,” he said.
Responding, Princess Margaret Elayo, Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, said that the administration of Gov. Sule was committed to mitigating the impacts of climate change, adding that the bill would be assented to by the Governor.
The Commissioner, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Barrister Ede Yakubu commended the group for championing the fight against climate change in the state, adding that their efforts would not be wasted.
“I commend you for the project that you are undertaking, your project is encompassing. So, I also appreciate you for that.
“The issue of climate change is universal, It’s a global phenomenon.
Nasarawa state is taking it seriously. We are making frantic efforts to ensure that the impacts of climate change are mitigated.
“On the climate change bill, I want to assure you that we are going to collaborate with you to ensure that the bill is signed into law,” the Commissioner assured.
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