Reps move to provide legal backing for Nigeria’s decarbonisation plan

The House of Representatives has begun legislative moves to establish a legal framework that will guide the implementation of Nigeria’s national decarbonisation programme, part of efforts to accelerate the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy and strengthen its climate governance structure.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Mandatory National Decarbonisation, Sesi Whingan, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing journalists after a technical roundtable with stakeholders on the national decarbonisation programme held in Abuja.

Whingan explained that although Nigeria already operates under the Climate Change Act, the proposed National Decarbonisation Bill seeks to reinforce existing policies and provide a more coordinated legal framework for the country’s climate transition efforts.

According to him, the bill has already scaled its first and second readings in the Green Chamber and is expected to proceed to the public hearing stage before the end of the month.

He noted that the proposed legislation would further strengthen the activities of the National Council on Climate Change while harmonising the various energy transition initiatives and emission-reduction policies currently being implemented across different sectors of the 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,” he added.

The lawmaker explained that the roundtable brought together representatives of the organised private sector, players in the oil and gas industry, environmental advocacy groups, energy experts and other stakeholders involved in climate governance at both federal and state levels.

He stressed that clear policies and sustainable financing would be critical to the success of Nigeria’s decarbonisation agenda, noting that investors require a stable and predictable regulatory environment before committing long-term capital to clean energy projects 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 also emphasised that the transition agenda must extend beyond federal-level policy conversations and involve states and grassroots communities across the country.

To deepen nationwide engagement, he disclosed that the committee plans to convene a National Carbon Summit in June, bringing together representatives from the 36 states and the 774 local government areas.

The summit, he said, would provide a platform for broader discussions on how Nigeria can implement a national decarbonisation strategy without undermining economic growth.

“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 added.

The Lagos lawmaker added that the committee was specifically established to examine Nigeria’s existing climate policies, review emission trends across key sectors of the economy, and identify the fiscal, institutional and technological requirements needed to implement a nationwide decarbonisation programme.

He said the panel is engaging with government ministries and agencies, state governments, industry players, civil society organisations and international development partners to ensure the proposed legal framework aligns with global climate governance standards.

According to him, the consultations are also assessing potential economic risks and social implications that could arise from implementing a national decarbonisation policy.

“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.

Nigeria’s push toward decarbonisation forms part of its broader commitments under the Paris Agreement, which requires countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global temperature rise.

At the COP26, Nigeria pledged to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060, a target that has since informed the country’s Energy Transition Plan and the enactment of the Climate Change Act in 2021.

The transition strategy focuses on reducing emissions from major sectors such as power generation, transportation, oil and gas, agriculture and industry, while expanding renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency.

However, experts have repeatedly pointed to the absence of a comprehensive legislative framework specifically dedicated to decarbonisation as a major gap in Nigeria’s climate governance architecture.

The proposed National Decarbonisation Bill is therefore expected to provide clearer legal backing for emission-reduction targets, align existing policies and create a more predictable regulatory environment capable of attracting investment into clean energy and climate-friendly technologies.