The recent logical hypothesis correlating Boko Haram insurgency and herdsmen-farmers crises put forward by the Chairman, House Committee on Climate Change, Hon. Samuel Onuigbo, calls for a deep reflection and intellectual engagements on how avoidable crises have gone perennial in Nigeria. Perhaps the results of psychological exercises suggested here would lay foundation for lasting peace and harmony in the country.
Though his claims stand to be upheld or debunked, Hon. Onuigbo, representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/South Federal Constituency of Abia State, had fingered climate change and indeed, change in ecological factors, as leading causes of herdsmen-farmer crisis and by extension, Boko Haram insurgency profound in the North East. He deduced his conviction from the fact that, decades ago, herdsmen and nomadic activities are mostly found around the Lake Chad Basin which drives other commercial activities like fishing and crop farming in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria.
Over the years, cumulative effect of some human activities have provoked climate change and drastic fall of the water level and by extension, fishery and crop farming became difficult while herdsmen are left with only alternative of migration to other regions of the country in search of greener pasture; no doubt, change is a fundamental feature of man. While some of these former fishermen and farmers could have ignorantly or consciously found Boko Haram terrorism as a better means of sustenance, herdsmen became threat to their new host communities whose crops and major investments are either being eaten up by herds or deliberately destroyed. This becomes the major cause of herdsmen-farmers crisis across the country today.
Some States, Benue for instance, have passed laws restricting grazing to curb the herdsmen menace. Surprisingly, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, the umbrella body of herdsmen in the country, has risen against the laws and even calling for abrogation, claiming that such laws do not represent the principles of democracy. To further demonstrate their mistrust and suspicion of the grazing laws, the herdsmen in Taraba State, few weeks ago, decided to close all abattoirs in the State capital. The situation which unsuspecting citizens found it difficult to access meat, was a demonstration of herdsmen’s rejection of the grazing bill awaiting passage by the State’s House of Assembly.
In his recent postulation, Onuigbo said Climate change affects all aspects of life and expressed worry over flooding which destroy untold number of lives and property in many communities especially dwellers of riverine areas. The 2017 meteorological data recently release by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) is scary as the Director General of the agency, Dr. Moses Beckley warned that the number of people vulnerable to devastating flood is expected to continue to rise due to large scale urbanization, population growth in flood prone areas, deforestation, climate change and rising sea levels.
According to him, the amount of trans-boundary water coming from outside the country, through the Niger and Benue, is over 80 billion cubic meters and with the rains that come down add up to Nigeria having over 200 billion cubic meter as run off. With this water put together, the quantum of water on the Nigeria surface will be too much and that is why everything must be done to harness the water and allow it to flow through the major channels and tributaries.
It is therefore logical to deduce that the cost mitigating climate change is less than the cost of managing its consequences. The Federal Government is, no doubt, seeing in this direction as Hon. Onuigbo recently told newsmen in Abuja that in the last 18 months since its inauguration, the House Committee on Climate Change has engaged all Climate Change impacted Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and other stakeholders in series of interactive sessions in order to create the needed awareness, build capacity and bridge the knowledge gap that has existed among MDAs and their roles as regards mitigating the devastating effects of Climate Change.
According to him, Nigeria and the world bodies have resolved to take the bull by the horn by recharging the lake with a whopping sum of $15 billion US Dollars. The huge sum is expected to be provided by Nigeria, world bodies and the international donors as part of concerted efforts to bring the lake back to life.
The Chairman has also hinted that the much-awaited Climate Change Bill would be passed into law before the end of 2017, adding that the bill has passed second reading. “I have always reiterated that it is important for MDAs to make adequate budgetary provisions to back up our Climate Change commitments with practical and verifiable actions”, he said.
He disclosed that his Committee has had the opportunity to participate in various International Climate Change Conferences beginning with COP 21 in Paris, France in December 2015, where the Paris Agreement was reached; the UN General Assembly in New York, USA where he personally witnessed President Mohammadu Buhari sign the Paris Agreement; COP 22 in Marrakesh, Morocco tagged the COP of implementation where he was a member of the Presidential Delegation.
According to him, the bill if passed, will provide a Legal Framework for the Mainstreaming of Climate Change Responses and Actions into Government Policy Formulation, Implementation and Establishment of the National Council on Climate Change and for Other Related Matters.
He further stated that the piece of legislation, “will expressly demonstrate our various commitments in the fight against all forms of environmental issues that are affecting the society”.
He stressed that the Bill is not also silent on calling on the government at all levels to drive these activities of Climate Change in relation to annual budgets and expenditures, with the National Assembly performing its statutory responsibilities of oversight and legislations to ensure that appropriations for these needs are judiciously applied.
“Where these appropriations are considered inadequate, we will aim at enhancing them according to emerging needs such as global warming, deforestation and desertification, coastal and gully erosions affecting the country”, he said.
As part of its efforts to create an effective legislative agenda for Climate Change, the House Committee on Climate Change identified the need for an enabling law to govern the activities of Climate Change in the country. The committee then put together a team of Climate Change professionals who were tasked with the responsibility to work with the committee to draft a robust legal framework for climate change governance in Nigeria.
