The next president of Nigeria needs to make targeted investments to prevent floods and droughts. This was revealed by Kingsley Moghalu during his interview on Arise TV on Monday, November 21.
In the interview, Moghalu said that every year, Nigeria is prone to droughts and floods, especially the latest ones, and nothing has been done to stop them, while people lose lives and livelihoods every time this happens.
He said that the impacts of climate change need to be managed effectively, and this can be done through targeted investments.
Cycle of poverty: In a policy paper that Moghalu developed in collaboration with Damian Ude, an economist, it was claimed that climate change contributes to the cycle of poverty in a number of ways, including by disproportionately harming women, producing refugees and even inciting violence. Climate change also causes hunger due to shortages (drought) or excess (floods) of water.
However, in his interview on Arise TV, Moghalu said that it is important for Nigeria to become a prosperous nation first before setting targets that will effectively address the issues of climate change and all other challenges that plague the country.
In a related development, Labor Party presidential candidate Peter Obi made a guest appearance at the Lagos Business School alumni conference on 15 November. During his speech, he said that the impact of climate change in Nigeria is quite severe. He was of the opinion that in addition to causing excessive rainfall, flash floods, landslides and gully erosion, climate change also affects Nigeria’s food production, forestry and the related costs of building materials and furniture. However, he affirmed that the country contributes to climate change, even minimally, through the burning of natural gas, which has to stop.
In a 2020 World Bank report, it was highlighted that up to 132 million people will be pushed into poverty by 2030. The report went further, stating that sub-Saharan Africa could see up to 39.7 million more people pushed into poverty. extreme by 2030.
For the record: In 2021, Nigeria passed the Climate Change Act, which provides a framework for Nigeria to achieve low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through inclusive green growth and sustainable economic development and implementation of Nigeria’s commitment to zero emissions. declared at COP26 in 2021.
- Naijaonpoint had previously reported that the federal government, through the Environment Ministry, had budgeted over N2.5 billion for new projects associated with flood prevention and management in the proposed 2023 budget.
- It is instructive to note that an estimated 1.4 million people were affected by the 2022 floods in Nigeria and more than 600 people lost their lives in floods in different states of the federation.
…Nigeria’s Next President Must Make Targeted Investments To Avoid Floods And Droughts: Moghalu Read More On… Naijaonpoint.