Abuja: The Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has urged the implementation of proactive and sustainable policies to address climate change in West Africa. Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Asuquo Ekpenyong, made the call when members of C7 West Africa Project Consortium paid him a visit in Abuja on Friday. Ekpenyong noted that one of the most pressing challenges that must be addressed was the growing threat of climate change.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Sen. Ekpenyong emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive understanding of climate change’s impact on the Niger Delta to craft and implement policies that are proactive and sustainable. He lamented that decades of oil exploration had severely damaged the region’s environment, with rising sea levels, flooding, and erratic weather patterns displacing communities and threatening livelihoods. These challenges, he added, contribute to the spread of diseases, further straining an already overstretched public health system.
Ekpenyong also highlighted the undeniable connection between environmental degradation and social unrest, stating that achieving lasting peace requires addressing these root causes. He insisted that the response must be guided by reliable data to avoid interventions that are inadequate or misdirected.
In his remarks, the leader of the delegation, retired Air Commodore Darlington Abdullahi, described climate change as an existential threat to the global system, evident in the growing crisis across the world. He noted that West Africa experiences climate change at rates faster than the global average, leading to violent conflicts and complex humanitarian emergencies. Nigeria, he pointed out, is particularly affected due to impacts on natural resource availability, biodiversity, and agricultural productivity.
Abdullahi called for research, mitigation, and adaptation efforts to enhance resilience, leading to their policy brief.