Reps committee wants MDAs to tackle effects of climate change

Sam Onuigbo, chairman, House Committee on Climate Change, has advised Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to design programmes aimed at tackling the adverse effects of climate change in the country.

Onuigbo gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday.

He said the advice became necessary in view of the need for MDAs to redouble efforts toward addressing the challenges of climate change.

He expressed worry that many of the MDAs had no budgetary allocations in the 2015 budget to address climate change issues.

“We need to see practicable and verifiable actions to match the declarations of the present government on issues of climate change. The MDAs are not doing enough and we want them to do more,’’ Onuigbo said.

The committee chairman further said that the impact of climate change had adversely affected agriculture in various parts of the country.

According to him, if not addressed, the scourge will continue to compel farmers to migrate from rural to urban areas in search for alternative sources of livelihoods.

“Desertification, erosion, flooding are affecting agriculture by reducing the land.’’

Onuigbo pointed out that Lake Chad which provided means of livelihood to about five million people either by way of fishing or irrigation had reduced to about one third of its size.

He, however, said that the committee succeeded in the first legislative year to ensure that many MDAs made provisions for climate change issues.

“We are able to bring these people to tell us what provisions they made in their budget for 2015. Some of them clearly made no provisions whatsoever and based on that we were able to remind them that if they fail to make provisions then it is of no use for them to create the impression that they are working with Mr President.

“And it is not right that Mr President will go out there and make commitments and declarations on what we want to achieve as a nation on climate change only to discover that we are not taking practical steps to match those declarations of Mr President.

“Consequently some MDAs were able to provide in their budgets funds for climate change issues. We are confident that going into 2017, they will be able to provide funds with which to fight climate change issues,’’ Onuigbo said.