President Muhammadu Buhari, Thursday, signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, saying this demonstrated Nigeria’s commitment to a global effort to reverse the effects of the negative trend.
Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina, in a statement , quoted Buhari as saying this while addressing the opening of the meeting on Taking Climate Action for Sustainable Development in New York, co-hosted by Nigeria and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as one of the Side Events of the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
He said President Buhari had, shortly before this event, signed the Paris Agreement, where he committed Nigeria to reducing “Green House Gas Emissions unconditionally by 20 per cent and conditionally by 45 per cent” in line with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions.”
The president described the signing as historic and expressed confidence that with support from development partners, Nigeria would meet the above targets.
He also promised to ensure the ratification of the Paris Agreement before the 22nd Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakesh, Morocco in November 2016.
He said this was to demonstrate his personal dedication to the process of implementing the agreement that he was hosting the side event on Taking Climate Action Towards Sustainable Development.
Buhari, who said he was privileged to have been part of the Paris Agreement, commended “the genuine efforts by President Francois Hollande of France in drawing global attention to reviving the Lake Chad Basin” and for galvanising the political will that led to the global consensus in reaching the Paris Agreement.