As Nigeria celebrate its 61st independence anniversary, the promoter of Ketti Green Smart City Mr. Moses Ayom, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his strong commitment to implementing policies that would build a climate-resilient Nigerian economy.
Ayom said on Friday in Abuja that the President’s stance also aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and unlock the full growth opportunities in different sectors of the economy, while protecting the resources for present and future generations.
Mr. Ayom, who is the chief executive officer of Hongye International Ltd, owners of Ketti District in Abuja under the revived FCDA land swap program, made the commendation in reaction to President Buhari’s address at the 76th session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, USA.
President Buhari had said at the 2021 annual meeting of world leaders that the impact of climate change is already manifesting in Nigeria “in various ways: conflicts trigger; food insecurity, drying up of lakes; loss of livelihood, and youth migration, among others.”
“Nigeria believes that protecting our planet and its biodiversity and climate are important to our collective survival. The country is working on a transition to low carbon economy, consistent with achieving the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“I applaud President Buhari’s recognition and commitment to driving and implementing policies and measures that would enable Nigeria transition from a carbon intensive economy to one that is climate smart and sustainable.
“This is clearly the way to go given the increasing reality of the dangers of climate change, not only in distant places but right here in Nigeria and the problems that it is causing in the areas of insecurity and economy.“
“By prioritizing climate change and drive to transition Nigeria to a carbon-neutral economy, the president has sent a strong signal to world leaders that it is committed to the ideals of the Paris Climate Agreement as stated in the National Policy on Climate Change,” he said.
He noted that Nigeria, which has the largest economy and population in Africa, is the 17th world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
He also cited the impact of climate change in Nigeria to include the sharp increases in extreme heat affecting the many millions of people without access to air conditioning or electricity and changes to precipitation that threatens Nigeria’s largely rain-fed agricultural sector.
He described the recent United Nations (UN) report findings on climate change as a wake-up call for African property developers to adopt green building practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the continent’s-built environment.
He said that his company’s decision to develop Ketti District as a Green City aligns with President Buhari’s climate smart policy posture saying that the city would contribute significantly to driving adoption of green building practices in the country.
