Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, has called on investors in green energy, electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers as well as other carbon free technology and investors’ innovators to come and invest in Delta State, Nigeria.
Oborevwori known for his environmental sustainability advocacy, made the overture after receiving the maiden edition of the Climate Change Champion Award presented to him by Nurses Across the Borders International at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP 28 Side Event.
The event with the theme ‘Building Partnership in Promoting Public Health through Ecological Restoration: What is at Stake?’ took place on Monday, December 11, 2023, at the Expo City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Governor Oborevwori, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Dr. Kingsley Eze Emu, said that Delta State is peaceful with favourable climate, security and return on investment mostly guaranteed.
He said that the theme of the event was striking and effectual to him personally as a climate change advocate, and to the government of Delta State of Nigeria, adding that it would help Delta State to shape and align her climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Roadmap, to cover more facets and frontiers in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The Delta Governor spoke on what his government has been doing ever since he assumed leadership of the State, saying: “The State has through its relevant agencies and line-ministries been able to carry out various activities as part of its Pre-COP 28 activities, Visit to Solid Chemicals Recycling Company, Asaba where Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles are recycled to produce wool, hair products, box strips; Sensitization of saw millers and smallholder farmers in parts of the state on the use of agricultural waste for briquette production; Sensitization of Timber and Saw Millers Associations in the state on the use of wood waste (saw dust) for briquette production; and Organisation of a virtual meeting with oil companies operating in Delta State to discuss ways of reducing gas flaring in the State, among other activities.”
He disclosed of plans for Post COP28 activities with relevant stakeholders in the State and partners like Nurses Across the Borders to share best practices with oil companies in the management and optimal utilisation of the gas been flared and reduction of the green gas emission in the state.
He added: “There is a plan to carry out feasibility studies of the four Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in the state for the recovery and utilisation of associated gas flaring in parts of the state. These projects have been registered with the UNFCCC and their Certified Emission Reduction (CER) will serve as incentives for funding opportunities from international partners and funding agencies in the form of carbon credit.”
Governor Oborevwori stated that the Global South is the worst hit of the climate change induced impacts, yet underdeveloped. “I call on world leaders to ward off climate change politics or denials and come to terms with climate change justice. The global South is the worst hit of the climate change induced impacts, yet underdeveloped. There is great hashtag #Nigeria Climate Emergency, especially in Delta State, as a result. For decades, we have been confronted with drought, flooding, climate change induced internally displaced persons in various IDP camps due to loss of habitat, food insecurity and health related issues like pandemics and epidemics.
“Delta State as well as Nigeria is in dire need of Loss and Damage Funding to enable it ameliorate climate change induced impacts. Our government through the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, my office and DESPODEC in collaboration with the Climate Change Office of Nurses Across the Borders, our climate change consultants, shall after this conference seek modalities through which Delta State can access all climate change funding, benefits, and assistance from the United Nations agencies, partners, World Bank, groups, and donor agencies for the benefit of Delta State people and Nigeria in general.”
Oborevwori thanked the leadership of Nurses Across the Borders and DESOPADEC “for the partnership they share, which brought forth the synergy we are concretizing today in this beautiful, tangential, and vintage platform of COP 28, wherein critical issues of Loss and Damage and evaluation of the scorecards of the Nationally Determined Commitments (NDCs) shall be made operational. There could be no better time than now to address this all-important subject.”