Nigeria is glad that the Biden administration is fully back on board the Climate Change global agenda, in a commendable restoration of the US government’s support for the Paris Agreement, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
Prof. Osinbajo stated this yesterday when he received at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, a US government delegation led by the White House Deputy National Security Advisor, Mr. Jonathan Finer, who is currently visiting Nigeria.
According to Prof. Osinbajo, “we are happy that the US is fully on board with climate change and back to the table on this issue. I think one has to commend the drive that this US administration has put behind climate change.”
Four years ago, the Trump administration had announced the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation issues. But on assumption to power earlier this year, the Biden administration announced the restoration of America’s commitment to the Paris Agreement.
Reiterating Nigeria’s position regarding a just transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, ahead of the Net-zero Emissions 2050 target, the VP made the point that “we are concerned, amongst other things, first about some of what has been going on, especially around gas as an effective transition fuel, and how many of the Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and some countries are insisting that gas projects should be defunded.
“This is a principal concern to us; it is one that we have made central to our advocacy and it is one of the issues that we intend to promote at the COP26.”
He then informed the US delegation of Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, which is the first in Africa.
Prof. Osinbajo took the opportunity to express the gratitude of the Federal Government to the US government for donating over 3.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Nigeria.
Earlier, Finer informed the VP of a potential partnership with Nigeria on a G-7 Infrastructure Programme – Build Back Better World, which the US President has made a priority.
