Sam Ifeanyi Onuigbo reflects on ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s pivotal Climate Change Act, examining its lasting impact on Nigeria’s environmental policy and global standing.
He had withheld assent to the Climate Change Bill in 2019. As one given to meticulous observation, he noted some grey areas that required clarity for operators of the law. It is painful to speak of Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari in the past tense.
But, when news of the passing of the late President reached me, my mind immediately flashed to his climate change legacy. As if driven by an unseen force, I found my gaze fixed on the framed photograph hanging on the wall of my office: It was the picture of that historic scene on 22 September 2016, at the United Nations Headquarters, New York during the 71st United Nations General Assembly, where I stood beside him alongside Abubakar Malami, then Attorney General and Minister of Justice; former Minister of Environment, Amina J Mohammed currently, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations; former Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama; Abdulrahman Dambazzau, Minister of Interior; Babagana Monguno, National Security Adviser; Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Solid Minerals; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State; Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari, Governor of Zamfara State; Senator Sabi Abdullahi, currently, the Minister of State for Agriculture; among so many others as he signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
