Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
The Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, has announced the creation of a Climate and Renewable Energy Advisory Council, as well as the establishment of a Carbon Tracking Research Unit at the Osun State University.
Adeleke disclosed this while delivering his speech at the 2023 World Environment Day (WED) programme of the Osun State Ministry of Environment and Sanitation in Osogbo, the state capital.
The Governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, directed the environment ministry to prepare an Osun State Action Plan Against Plastic Pollution within three months, expressing that in order to address the question of plastic pollution and climate change, sub-national entities cannot leave the issue to the national governments alone, as state governments around the world must rise and create plans of action.
In his own words, “as a state, we support the March 2022 resolution that was endorsed by 175 countries at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) to start negotiations on an international legally binding agreement that is meant to eliminate plastic waste and pollution of the environment. The resolution highlights the importance of sustainable production and consumption of plastics, including resource-efficient and circular economic approaches.
“We are therefore challenged to devise a holistic programme to counter this threat. We recommend a combination of waste prevention, alternative materials, waste management, and improved transparency of plastic supply chains.
According to the Governor, the Osun State Action Plan Against Plastic Pollution must embrace local and international best practices, alongside an implementation plan with deliverables. He also stated that by the 2024 celebration of WED, Osun must have achieved milestones in concerted efforts to control plastic pollution.
He added that “our ambition is to be a leading sub-national entity within Nigeria in the fight against plastic pollution as much as in the general climate action arena. It is that ambition that drives my approval of the Osun Climate Change Agenda, which is the first comprehensive state climate plan in Nigeria.
“I, therefore, direct the Head of Service and the Ministry of Environment to put into effect the approvals on the Governor’s Climate and Renewable Energy Advisory Council, the development of the State Climate Action Policy, the engagement of Climate Action consultant, the establishment of a Carbon Tracking Research unit at the Osun State University, among others.”
The Chairman of the Climate and Renewable Energy Advisory Council, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, who also spoke at the program, said that the Osun State Government has taken bold decisions in the direction of sub-national entities, taking an active and frontline role in the fight to save the planet from climate change.
Rasheed expressed that the pillars of the proposed agenda are disaster management, food and nutrition security, preservation of water and the blue economy, forestry, and energy sustainability, among others. He maintained that the objectives of the agenda are to reduce the risk and vulnerability to climate change, strengthen resilience, enhance well-being and the capacity to anticipate, as well as respond successfully to change.
According to him, the agenda will ensure, clean and renewable energy expansion, provide energy efficiency measures, ensure the transportation sector transitions, as well as ensure the management of greenhouse emissions and offset carbon emissions by preserving forests, croplands, wetlands, and urban green spaces.