…Prof. Okereke: Why we came up with ranking, rating of climate governance initiative across the 36 states
By Dele Ogbodo/Hillary Asemota
The Federal Government and the Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), a private sector led organization on Thursday, admitted that Nigeria cannot finance climate action through public resources alone.
The Minister of Environment, Dr. Balarabe Lawal, while speaking at a Peer Learning and Impact Evaluation of the Sub-national Climate Governance Ranking Initiative in Nigeria, in Abuja, said there is overarching need to position the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory FCT), to access global climate finance mechanisms and carbon markets.
According to him, there is also need to reinforce blended finance instruments through strengthening capacity for project preparation, development of standardized Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems across States, ensure environmental and social safeguards compliance, and foster partnerships with the private sector and development institutions.
He underscored that as Nigeria navigates the increasingly complex climate and environmental challenges confronting our nation, collaboration between the Federal and subnational governments is no longer optional but essential.
He said: “Nigeria stands at a critical juncture. From desertification in the North, coastal erosion and flooding in the South, to urban pollution and biodiversity loss across cities and rural landscapes, the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation are becoming more severe and frequent.
“Under President Bola Tinubu, this administration remains fully committed to implementing Nigeria’s climate commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and advancing our updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
“Federal Government is also aligning actions with the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, recognizing that environmental sustainability underpins national development, economic stability, and social equity.”
States, he said are at the frontline of climate action, with huge responsibility on the Commissioners for Environment to translate national policies into measurable local impact.
The Minister however cautioned –that we must be clear that climate action in Nigeria will succeed or fail at the sub-national level.
He added that the Community of Practice is therefore not a ceremonial platform, but a working mechanism designed to strengthen coordination between Federal and State institutions; facilitate peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange; promote evidence-based policymaking through impact evaluation; improve access to climate finance at the subnational level; and build institutional capacity for climate project implementation and MRV.
“Through our ongoing reforms including strengthening the national MRV framework, enhancing transparency systems, and improving environmental governance, we are laying the foundation for a more accountable and results-driven climate response.
“Peer learning allows us to move faster by learning from what works. Across
Nigeria, innovative initiatives are already emerging such as State-led clean energy programmes, afforestation and landscape restoration projects, flood resilience and early warning systems, and waste-to-wealth and circular economy initiatives.
“Impact evaluation ensures that we measure outcomes, not just activities. In a world where climate finance is increasingly performance-based, data and measurable impact are our strongest currency.
“We must move from reporting activities to demonstrating transformational change.
“The establishment of this Community of Practice marks a new chapter in
Inter-governmental collaboration on climate and environmental governance in Nigeria.
“The CoP is envisioned as a technical knowledge hub, coordination platform for harmonizing state climate action plans, pipeline incubator for bankable climate projects, and forum for tracking progress towards Nigeria’s climate commitments.” He said.
Through the ongoing peer review and capacity building capacity, Nigeria can aggregate subnational climate ambitions into a coherent national strategy that enhances our credibility internationally and strengthens our negotiating position globally.
Lawal, said: “I urge members to commit to regular technical engagements, transparent data sharing, alignment of State Action Plans with the national climate framework, and joint development of flagship climate and environmental programmes.
“Let this CoP become a model of cooperative federalism in action that delivers tangible environmental, economic, and social benefits to our people.
“The climate challenge before us is immense, and also our collective capacity. If we act in silos, progress will be slow, but if we act together, progress will be exponential.
“Let this first meeting mark the beginning of deeper collaboration, stronger institutions, and measurable impact across all States of the Federation.”
In a remark, the Director, Department of Climate Change, said climate action in Nigeria must be coordinated, data-driven, and inclusive across all levels of government.
She acknowledged that Nigeria’s climate response is at a critical stage, adding that as a Party to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, the country has made ambitious commitments under our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
However, she noted that translating those commitments into measurable results requires strong subb-national engagement.
“States are the engine rooms of implementation. Whether in advancing clean energy adoption, promoting nature-based solutions, strengthening resilience to flooding, or improving waste management systems, tangible progress happens at the state and local levels.
“This Community of Practice is therefore designed to serve as a structured technical platform to bridge policy and practice.
“The CoP aims to strengthen coordination between Federal and State climate governance systems, promote peer learning and exchange of best practices, standardize MRV frameworks across states, improve readiness for climate finance and carbon market opportunities,
and enhance institutional capacity for planning, implementation, and impact evaluation.
“Through this platform, we can harmonize methodologies, align
indicators, and ensure consistency in reporting climate actions nationally and internationally.” The Director, added.
Impact evaluation, she added is central to credibility even as explains that
Nigeria strengthens its transparency framework, reliable subnational data will determine the quality of our national greenhouse gas inventories, adaptation reporting, and biennial transparency reports.
“We must move beyond activity based reporting to outcome-based reporting. The Department of Climate Change stands ready to provide technical guidance, templates, and coordination mechanisms to support States in this regard.
” Today’s engagement is not a one-off event. It marks the beginning of
sustained collaboration. We envision regular technical exchanges, thematic
working groups, and shared digital platforms for data and knowledge
management.
“If we align our efforts and institutionalize peer learning, we will not only strengthen Nigeria’s national climate architecture but also position our States as credible actors in the global climate arena.” the Director, added.
Answering questions at the sideline of the event, the convener of the workshop and Founder: Society for Planet and Progress, Prof. Chukwumerije Okereke, admitted that for a very long time, policies about climate change have focused mainly at the national level while states were being ignored.
He said: “The Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), in collaboration with the Department for Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment, came up with a unique initiative to promote climate action at the state level.
“What we did was to start the ranking and rating of climate governance initiatives, actions and policy across the 36 states.
“We released the first result 2 years ago and we released the second result last year and what we found out was that there is an incredible array of fascinating climate action happening at almost all of the states of the Federation.”
He explained that what the society is doing today is to celebrate that increase in recognition and action but also to create an environment where all the commissioners will come together and learn from one another.
“What are you doing to be successful and what did you do or what are you doing that is make you not so successful in the ranking because we are clear that the purpose of the ranking is just not scoring but also to galvanize and increase and facilitate climate action at the sub-national level because at the end of the day these are the people that are actually at the front line of climate vulnerability and climate risks.
“On the other hand, without action at the sub-national level there will be little that Nigeria can do overall to increase or ramp up its climate resilience and mitigation.
“So, today is about peer learning but also it gives the commissioners the opportunity to look at the ranking methodology and the framework to make their own input so that when we go for the third ranking everybody can be sure to say that we co-created this ranking methodology and that we own it together as a community.” He said.