Abuja: President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday inaugurated the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour (REHCCAT), a national initiative aimed at promoting climate resilience and sustainable development across Nigeria.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, speaking at the State House Conference, Tinubu urged governors, organised private sector actors, and other stakeholders to lead Nigeria’s climate transition, transforming awareness into practical action at all levels. Represented by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, the President stated that climate change was not only a risk but also an opportunity for innovation, growth, and national development.
Tinubu highlighted the impacts of climate change across the country, noting challenges such as droughts affecting northern farmers, coastal erosion and flooding in the south, business disruptions, energy supply challenges, and concerns about the future of Nigerian youth. He stressed that Nigeria stood at a defining moment as the global transition to low-carbon development accelerated.
The President explained that the tour would extend climate awareness beyond conference halls into communities, engaging governors, traditional rulers, students, innovators, entrepreneurs, farmers, and financial institutions nationwide. He emphasized that the tour aimed to identify bankable projects, unlock local solutions, strengthen climate finance capacity, and mobilise partnerships between the public and private sectors.
Tinubu also urged young Nigerians to take ownership of the climate transition, emphasizing the importance of their ideas, technology, and entrepreneurship in shaping the nation’s future while aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda. He underscored that climate resilience is national security and that leadership is a result that Nigeria must accept with confidence.
Additionally, Lawal, represented by the Director of Forestry, Halima Bawa, highlighted the urgency of confronting climate change, noting its effects, including desert encroachment, flooding, coastal erosion, and erratic rainfall affecting farmers. He lauded the Climate Change Act 2021 for establishing a legal framework for coordinated climate governance, carbon budgeting, and a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2060.
Special Assistant to the President on Climate Change Matters, Yussuf Kelani, stated that the tour represented a national movement grounded in leadership, collaboration, and commitment to Nigeria’s environmental and economic security. He explained that REHCCAT would proceed across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, beginning with two strategic states per zone, and convene high-level policy dialogues with various stakeholders.
Guest Speaker Prof. Babajide Alo emphasized that climate resilience required locally led adaptation, community empowerment, and capacity-building to actively manage climate risks and implement sustainable solutions.