Victor Ezeja
Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Kunle Salako, said petrol subsidy removal in the country is helpful in the reduction of hydrocarbon emissions, thereby furthering climate action which is currently a global agenda.
Salako said petrol consumption rate in the country has dropped by 33 percent due to subsidy removal which made the price of the product skyrocket.
The minister gave the hint while speaking on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
He said: “That singular action has reduced Nigeria’s consumption of petrol by 33 percent and reduced the level of emission generated by Nigerians. The courageous decision to remove subsidy from petroleum is furthering climate action by Nigeria.”
UNGA 78 which began on Tuesday, 5 September 2023, with the theme, ‘Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all’, will run until 26 September 2023 (today).
The minister disclosed that he has participated in different meetings at the summit on issues about environmental sustainability.
“The first meeting of Commonwealth Ministers of Environment and Climate in which the Ministers decided to approach the 28th Conference of Parties in Dubai come late November 2023 to early December with a common front of pushing for better financing for climate action.”
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He also represented President Bola Tinubu including the one where a resolution to adopt the Nairobi Declaration for final vetting by the meeting of the African Union was passed.
Salako on behalf of Tinubu, delivered an address to the “High-level Event for Nature and People: from Ambition to Action” where he emphasized that achieving the conservation targets, like 30×30, would require that everyone should prioritise nature finance. 30×30 is a global target to protect 30 per cent of the planet for nature by 2030.
“Nigeria would like to urge all countries to increase their efforts on this issue and to work with us to ensure that the world follows through on these crucial financial commitments.
“This is our vision for the future, and we invite everyone to act and envision solutions that will preserve nature for future generations,” he told the gathering.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
