President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday assented the climate change bill into law.
This was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu via a statement.
The two chambers of the National Assembly had earlier passed the climate change bill following the second and third readings.
Upon its passage by the National Assembly, the bill was sent to the president for assent, two weeks ahead COP26 — the UN climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
The climate change bill which was introduced in 2018 by the eighth assembly was turned down by the president in 2019. However, lawmakers revisited the bill and addressed the “contentious clauses” raised by the president, which resulted in its passage into law.
The climate bill’s signing into law comes five days after the end of the climate change conference.
Buhari had made commitment that by the year 2060, Nigeria would reach net zero — a process that ensures balanced emission and removal of carbon from the atmosphere.
According to Shehu, the signing of the bill into law would enable the “mainstreaming of climate change actions and the establishment of a National Council on Climate Change”.
“It also paves the way for environmental and economic accounting and a push for a net zero emission deadline plan in the country,” he said.
President Muhammadu Buhari also assented into law the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (Amendment) Act.
