President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged world leaders to show unity, courage and unwavering dedication in tackling the escalating global climate crisis.
Speaking on Wednesday during a high-level virtual dialogue on climate and the just transition, Tinubu reiterated Nigeria’s resolve to align climate action with economic development, stressing that both must progress hand-in-hand.
“The global climate emergency demands our collective, courageous, and sustained leadership,” the President said. “For Nigeria, the urgency of this moment is clear: we view climate action not as a cost to development, but as a strategic imperative.”
The dialogue, co-hosted by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, aimed to ramp up global climate ambition ahead of COP30, which Brazil will host.
According to a statement by the President’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, participants included leaders from 17 countries, the European Union, the African Union, ASEAN, and the Alliance of Small Island States.
Onanuga’s statement partly reads: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged world leaders to demonstrate unity, courage, and sustained commitment in addressing the worsening global climate crisis.
“Speaking on Wednesday during a high-level virtual dialogue on climate and the just transition, President Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s dedication to forging a paradigm shift in which climate action and economic growth advance together, not in opposition.
” ‘The global climate emergency demands our collective, courageous, and sustained leadership. For Nigeria, the urgency of this moment is clear: we view climate action not as a cost to development, but as a strategic imperative’.
“The meeting, co-hosted by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inacia Lula da Silva, aimed to accelerate global climate ambition ahead of COP30, which Brazil will host.
“Leaders from 17 countries, including China, the European Union, climate-vulnerable states, and key regional blocs such as the African Union, ASEAN, and the Alliance of Small Island States, participated in the meeting.
“The leaders sent a clear message: climate action is moving forward, full speed ahead.
“Addressing the session from Abuja, President Tinubu outlined Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan (ETP) as a bold, pragmatic roadmap for reaching net-zero emissions by 2060. The ETP targets five core sectors—power, cooking, transportation, oil and gas, and industry—and identifies a financing need of over $410 billion by 2060 to achieve these goals.
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” ‘We are, therefore, in the process of aligning our regulatory environment, fiscal incentives, and institutional frameworks to ensure that energy access, decarbonisation, and economic competitiveness proceed in lockstep. We are also taking leadership on Energy Access’, he said.
“President Tinubu underscored Nigeria’s role as an anchor country in the Mission 300 initiative, implemented in partnership with the World Bank and the African Development Bank. The initiative aims to deliver electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.
“He recalled his participation in the Dar es Salaam Declaration earlier this year and Nigeria’s presentation of its National Energy Compact, which outlines reform commitments, investment opportunities, and measurable targets to expand clean energy access and clean cooking solutions.”
