The House of Representatives on Thursday disclosed that it is considering new legislation to provide a comprehensive legal framework for Nigeria’s national decarbonisation programme.
The lawmakers said the move is part of efforts to strengthen the country’s climate transition strategy and accelerate the shift toward a low-carbon economy.
Chairman of the House Committee on Mandatory National Decarbonisation, Hon. Sesi Whingan, disclosed this at a briefing after a stakeholders’ technical roundtable on the national decarbonisation programme held in Abuja.
Whingan explained that although Nigeria currently operates under the Climate Change Act of 2021, the proposed National Decarbonisation Bill is intended to complement existing climate initiatives and reinforce the country’s climate governance architecture.
According to him, the bill has already passed its first and second readings in the House of Representatives and is expected to proceed to a public hearing before the end of the month as part of the legislative process.
He noted that the proposed legislation would also strengthen the work of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) while harmonising the various energy transition policies and emission-reduction initiatives currently being implemented across different sectors of the Nigerian economy.
“We decided to bring all relevant stakeholders into one room, and currently we are working on a bill known as the National Decarbonisation Bill,” Whingan said.
“This bill is designed to complement what the National Council on Climate Change is already doing. It has already gone through the first and second readings in the House, and hopefully before the end of the month we will move towards the public hearing stage.
“Our plan is to continue engaging stakeholders to see how we can consolidate the different government policies and programmes and incorporate them into a workable and achievable framework.”
The lawmaker explained that participants at the roundtable included representatives from the organised private sector, the oil and gas industry, environmental advocacy groups, energy experts and other actors involved in climate governance at both federal and state levels.
He stressed that adequate funding and policy clarity would be critical to achieving the objectives of Nigeria’s decarbonisation agenda, noting that investors require a stable and predictable framework to support long-term investments in clean energy and low-carbon technologies.
“We all agreed that there is a need for strong collaboration between the executive and the legislature so that investors, both within and outside the country, can clearly understand the direction Nigeria is taking in its decarbonisation efforts,” he said.
Whingan further emphasised that the decarbonisation campaign must go beyond policy discussions at the federal level and actively involve state governments and grassroots communities across the country.
To deepen national engagement on the initiative, he disclosed that the committee plans to convene a National Carbon Summit in June, which will bring together representatives from the 36 states and the 774 local government areas.
The summit, he said, is expected to provide a broader platform for discussions on how Nigeria can effectively implement a national decarbonisation strategy while balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability.
“There is no way we can achieve significant progress if local communities are not involved. We must move beyond conversations at the top and take the programme down to the grassroots,” he stated.
Whingan explained that the committee was specifically established to review Nigeria’s existing climate laws and policies, audit the country’s emission profile across critical sectors, and identify the institutional, fiscal and technological requirements necessary for implementing a compulsory nationwide decarbonisation programme.
He added that the committee is currently engaging with ministries, government agencies, state governments, industries, civil society organisations and international partners to ensure that the proposed framework aligns with global best practices in climate governance.
According to him, the panel is also assessing potential barriers, risks and socio-economic implications that could arise from the implementation of a national decarbonisation policy.
He noted that the ongoing consultations with stakeholders, alongside the forthcoming public hearing, are aimed at ensuring that all relevant voices are captured in the development of a robust, inclusive and workable legislative framework for Nigeria’s decarbonisation efforts.
“Our mandate includes reviewing existing climate laws and policies, auditing Nigeria’s emission profile and sectoral reduction plans, and consulting widely with stakeholders to determine the institutional and technological requirements for a nationwide decarbonisation programme,” Whingan added.
