The Office of the Secretary to Government (OSGF) on Sunday, 19 May 2024 announced the establishment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s climate and green economic initiatives, and the appointment of his special adviser on media and publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale as the Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action.
The initiative is tipped to focus on Nigeria’s green economy objectives on the path to equitable energy transition while unlocking new investments in the critical sector central to the nation’s economic future.
According to the OSGF, Chief Ngelale will serve in this role as part of a larger Presidential Committee, to be chaired by the President.
The Presidential Committee on Climate Action and Green Economic Solutions will coordinate and oversee all policies and programmes on climate action and green economic development. To remove the constraints to coordination, foster a whole-of-government approach to climate-action programmes, provide an efficient governance architecture, and ensure that all relevant institutions in the sector are plugged into the President’s vision and are collectively implementing the Renewed Hope Agenda on climate action.
The statement also reads that the following consists of the 25-member Committee on Climate Action and Green Economic Solutions:
(1) President Bola Tinubu – Chairman
(2) Balarabe Abbas Lawal (Minister of Environment) – Vice-Chairman
(3) Ajuri-Obari Ngelale (Special Adviser) – Secretary/Special Presidential Envoy
(4) Lazarus Angbazo (CEO, InfraCorp) – Member
(5) Salisu Dahiru (CEO, NCCC) – Member
(6) Michael Ohiani (CEO, ICRC) – Member
(7) Aisha Rimi (CEO, NIPC) – Member
(8) Aminu Umar-Sadiq (CEO, NSIA) – Member
(9) Yusuf Maina-Bukar (CEO, NAGGW) – Member
(10) Abdullahi Mustapha (CEO, ECN) – Member
(11) Abba Abubakar Aliyu (CEO, REA) – Member
(12) Uzoma Nwagba (CEO, CrediCorp) – Member
(13) Khalil Halilu (CEO, NASENI) – Member
(14) Fatima Shinkafi (CEO, SMDF) – Member
(15) Bala Bello (Deputy Governor, CBN) – Member
(16) Lolade Abiola (UN SE4ALL) – Member
(17) Teni Majekodunmi (NCCC Adviser) – Member
(18) Representative, Federal Ministry of FCT – Member
(19) Representative, Federal Ministry of Finance – Member
(20) Representative, Federal Ministry of Power – Member
(21) Representative, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment – Member
(22) Representative, Federal Ministry of Water Resources – Member
(23) Representative, Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Food Security – Member
(24) Representative, Federal Inland Revenue Service – Member
(25) Representative, Nigeria Customs Service – Member
The committee’s agenda is touted as identifying, developing, and implementing innovative non-oil & non-gas climate action initiatives and coordinating relevant federal institutions’ activities towards attaining all agreed climate action and green economic objectives and non-oil/non-gas ambitions of the federal government. The committee is also expected to collaborate with all relevant government, subnational governments, non-government, and civil society entities on the initiative.
The statement also claims that the committee will collaborate with national governments and multilateral institutions towards the attainment of the climate action objectives and carbon market ambitions of the federal government – as it monitors, evaluate, and guide the progress of all climate action and renewable energy projects and activities of the federal government. Tracking and guiding the implementation of initiatives and developments conducted by the Energy Transition Working Group with supervisory oversight of the work of the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.
The statement emphasizes the plan to prepare a half-yearly green ambitions update, covering all associated climate action achievements of the federal government. Noting that the initiative’s special envoy, Chief Ajuri Ngelale will retain his role as the official spokesperson of the president and special adviser to the president on media & publicity while serving on the committee.
