The bloody clashes between herdsmen and farmers is one of the problems threatening the peace and stability of the country.
For many, the reports of rape, killing and destruction of property carried out by herdsmen in communities that hitherto welcomed them is appalling. Things came to a head with the kidnap of former Secretary to the Government of Federation, Chief Olu Falaye in September. The 77-year-old politician was secretary to the military government of Ibrahim Babangida from January 1986 to December 1990 and was briefly the Finance Minister in 1990.
He ran for the presidency in 1999 on the joint platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the All People’s Party (APP) against Olusegun Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Tempers flared when it came to light that he was kidnapped on his farm by herdmen who are now being tried in Court. But beyond the verbal exchanges between Yoruba and northern leaders who rose in defence of Fulani herdsmen, saying the real cattle rearers are law abiding, lawmakers in the House of Representatives are seeking means to solve this problem in a sustainable manner.
In fact, the House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change identified the rapidly changing climate and it’s consequences such as desertification as the remote cause for the rise in deadly conflicts between herdsmen and farmers.
A recent publication by a coalition of Non Governmental Organisations including the Enough is Enough group and Budgit, showed that from January to September 35 attacks have been carried out in Taraba, Benue, Plateau, Kaduna and Nasarawa states with 475 killed. According to the coalition, these attacks which they said are results of clashes between herdsmen and farmers, herdsmen and cattle rustlers as well reprisals coordinated by ethnic miltias defending their communities have left about five thousand displaced. The group pointed out that the clashes are mostly a fight over resources. It also stated that affected communities suffered economic loses even as it called on the National Assembly to pass a bill on grazing reserves.
There might be hope for effective legislation as in declaring the committee’s resolve to tackle the menace of climate change with appropriate legislation, its chairman, Hon. Sam Onuigbo pledged to raise awareness on how communities can contribute to curtailing the negative effects of climate. He spoke at the inaugural meeting of the committee last week.
He said: “In this committee, we are through this inaugural meeting indicating our firm resolve to tackle the challenge of Climate Change through legislative instruments that will not only support, strengthen but also set clear agenda for the country’s quest on the matter.
“We must come to terms with the fact that climate change poses real, potent and urgent dangers to our lives and living conditions more than ever before. Until we come to realise that climate change is a factor responsible for the incessant herdsmen-farmers’ clash in the different parts of the country; insurgency in the North-East; devastation of the shoreline and the destruction of the livelihood of fishermen; we would keep viewing the problem as a distant distraction”.
Onuigbo is also of the view that his committee should be part of raising awareness on the far reaching effects of climate change. “For us in the committee, one of the challenges we consider germane and urgent is raising and sustaining adequate awareness and appreciation of the issue at stake. The fact that many even among the elite class of society still regard climate change as yet an esoteric concept that has distant if any, consequences for man, nation and the world at large is very worrisome.
In fact, this constitutes the greatest clog in the wheel of progress to address the challenge and enlist sufficient buy-in nationally”.
The lawmaker noted that it had become important for Nigeria to start confronting climate change purposefully. This is just as he advocated for the introduction of innovative interventions for managing climate change in Nigeria.
His words: “Management approach for climate change must be multi-sectoral, inter-ministerial and community-based. The multi-stakeholder and participatory nature of climate change management will make financing of new and innovative solutions difficult going by current funding structure.
“This is because financing the transition to the new climate-friendly initiatives and operational innovativeness will have to be gradual but decisive, comprehensive and inclusive. This is particularly so because anticipated initiatives and innovative solutions cut across statutory mandates of existing government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Essentially, the participatory requirement for climate change management may not be solved by new and dedicated institution but by new partnership and financing mechanisms”.
Not mincing words, Onuigbo expressed the importance of Nigeria improving funding for managing climate change. “An innovative solution might be the creation of a National Climate Fund to finance new partnerships and initiatives that will lead to fulfilling Nigeria’s intended commitment to climate change management”.
On Nigeria’s global commitment to climate change management which is aimed at maintaining the current carbon emission level of around 2 tones CO2 equivalent through to 2030, he opined that the 2030 target is attainable despite the country’s “ambitious” annual economic growth rate.
“To actualize this commitment, Nigeria targets a 20 – 45% reduction in emission between 2015 and 2030” he said.
“Some of Nigeria’s key measures to attain the emission reduction commitment include: working towards ending gas flaring by 2030, adding 13,000 MW of off-grid solar PV; increasing investment in efficient gas power stations;
reducing current power transmission losses and achieving 2% per annum energy efficiency (30% by 2030); development of mass transport schemes; and adoption of smart agriculture and extensive reforestation” he added.
Onuigbo also spoke on the role of the legislature in Nigeria meeting it’s commitment. “In overseeing the fulfillment of these commitments, the House Committee on Climate Change (HCCC) will be driven by the vision ‘to manage Nigeria’s efforts at enhancing climate change awareness, and mitigating and adapting to climate change’. The mission of the HCCC will be to, through legislative intervention in line with the House of Representatives’ Legislative Agenda, promote resource allocation to climate-friendly programmes that will enhance Nigeria’s resilience to climate impact across all the economic sectors’.
Nigeria is signatory to a number of global treaties including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The objective of the UNFCCC treaty is to stabilize the concentrations of climate damaging emission in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous impacts on environment and humans.
Speaking on what needs to be done to move Nigeria from merely being an agreeable signatory to international treaties to an effective player, the lawmaker called for purposeful action similar to what the National Assembly has done by retaining its committees on Climate Change.
He said, “Nigeria has made intended commitments concerning the reduction of dangerous emission including carbon dioxide, methane gas, and oxides of nitrogen and has submitted same to the UNFCCC secretariat. As part of Nigeria’s preparedness for the global fight against the impacts of climate change on mankind and environment, the House and Senate Committees on Climate Change have been retained and established in the 8th legislative regime”.
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