General
COP27: Group Urges Nigerians to Vote Climate Change Conscious President in 2023
By Adedapo Adesanya
Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), in conjunction with Oxfam in Nigeria, has advised Nigerians to vote for a presidential candidate that is climate change conscious as the 2023 election draws near.
Executive Director of GIFSEP, Mr David Michael, made this demand at the grand finale of the African climate caravan in Abuja on Tuesday ahead of the 27th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27), set to hold in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt this week.
He said the African climate caravan is a movement involving several African countries that are telling African communities climate stories and gearing up for COP 27 in Egypt.
Mr Michael stressed that the demand for climate justice became important considering the impact of climate change in Africa and Nigeria.
He underscored the relevance of building a generation that is climate change conscious, hence the art presentation competition by 20 senior secondary schools in the FCT.
He said, “The African climate caravan is a movement involving 28 African countries who are telling African communities climate stories gearing up for the COP 27 in Egypt. In Nigeria, the caravan has been telling the stories of different communities through sports and arts.
“It is very important that we demand climate justice considering the impact of climate change in our continent and our country Nigeria.
“For citizens of Nigeria, it is important to vote for candidates who have a clear understanding of climate change issues.”
He lamented that due to the flood, so many people were displaced, blaming it on inadequate readiness and climate finance.
He, therefore, called for the implementation of several climate change policies already in place even as he called on the Nigerian government to build resilience against the effects of climate change.
“This year, we are all aware of the flood and how the flood impacted the country so badly; we lost people, over 600. So many households are still living in internally displaced person camps. It is an issue of climate finance.
“We need money to tackle these. Good enough, the federal government has been a signatory to all the internal programs – from the Paris agreement, we now have the climate change act.
“We have done a lot of policies, but what I think is lacking is real action on the ground, for example, with the floods that took place, the response was very poor, it took weeks before help could get to people, especially in the states.
“With the flood that took farmlands, there is going to be hunger next year coupled with the crisis between Russia and Ukraine affecting grain supply throughout the world.
“As a country, our people need to build resilience, we cannot continue to write for climate finance from international organisations and the developed countries.
“With the little we have, we need to invest in climate-smart agriculture, if we know that floods will come every year and wipe our farms, why don’t we farm during the dry season? Why don’t we build small earth dams, why don’t we teach our farmers that it is wrong to farm on flood plains,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), his wife, Mrs Asabe Bashir, and son, Mr Abdulaziz Malami, on money laundering charges.
They were brought before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, following the re-assignment of the case to the new trial judge.
Upon resumed hearing, EFCC’s lawyer, Mr Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), informed the court that the matter was scheduled for defendants’ re-arraignment.
“The matter is coming before your lordship this morning for the very first time. I will be applying for the plea of the defendants to be taken,” he said.
Mr Okutepa equally applied that the sums listed in Counts 11 and 12 be corrected to read N325 million instead of N325 billion for Count 11, and N120 million instead of N120 billion for Count 12.
When it was not opposed by the defence lawyer, Mr Joseph Daudu (SAN), Justice Abdulmalik granted the oral application by Mr Okutepa.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the 16 counts preferred against them by the anti-graft agency bordering on money laundering.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu had, on February 12, withdrawn from the case shortly after the civil case filed by the EFCC was brought to him.
The case was formerly before Justice Emeka Nwite, who sat as a vacation judge during the Christmas/New Year break.
After the vacation period, the CJ reassigned the cases to Justice Egwuatu, who had now recused himself, before it was reassigned to Justice Abdulmalik.
The former AGF, his wife, and son were earlier arraigned before Justice Nwite on December 30, 2025.
While Malami and his son were remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre, Asabe was remanded at Suleja Correctional Centre before they were admitted to N500 million bail each, on January 7, with two sureties each in the like sum.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria will hold next year’s presidential and National Assembly elections a month earlier than planned, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) revised the polling schedule.
The elections will be held on January 16, instead of the previously announced date of February 20, INEC said in an X post, signed by Mr Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee.
There were also changes to the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections initially fixed for Saturday, March 6 2027, in line with the Electoral Act, 2022, have now been moved to Saturday, February 6, 2027.
The electoral commission said the changes were caused by the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026 and the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022, which introduced adjustments to statutory timelines governing pre-election and electoral activities.
“The Commission reviewed and realigned the schedule to ensure compliance with the new legal framework,” it said.
INEC said party primaries (including resolution of disputes) will commence on April 23, 2026 and end on May 30, 2026, after which Presidential and National Assembly campaigns will begin on August 19, 2026, while Governorship and State Houses of Assembly campaigns will begin on September 9, 2026.
It noted that campaigns will end 24 hours before Election Day, and political parties have been advised to strictly adhere to the timelines.
INEC also stated it will enforce compliance with the law.
The electoral body also rescheduled the Osun Governorship election which was earlier scheduled for Saturday, August 8 2026, by a week to Saturday, August 15, 2026.
INEC noted that some activities regarding the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections have already been conducted, and the remaining activities will be implemented in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2026.
Speaking at a news briefing in Abuja two weeks ago, the chairman of INEC, Mr Joash Amupitan, expressed the readiness of the commission to conduct the polls next year.
The timetable issued by the organisation for the polls at the time came when the federal parliament had yet to transmit the amended electoral bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Later that week, the Senate passed the electoral bill, reducing the notice of elections from 360 days to 180 days, while the transmission of results was mandated with a proviso.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has pledged its commitment to provide the regulatory leadership, technical coordination, and stakeholder engagement required to successfully develop and implement a robust National Action Plan on maritime decarbonization in Nigeria.
The Director General of the agency, Mr Dayo Mobereola, made this known during the National Stakeholders’ workshop on the development of a National Maritime Decarbonization Action Plan, further describing the workshop as a critical step in actualising the Federal Government’s blue economy and climate objectives.
Represented by the Executive Director, Operations, Mr Fatai Taiye Adeyemi, the NIMASA DG underscored the significance of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, a technical cooperation initiative /designed to support developing countries in implementing the IMO GHG Strategy.
According to him, the National Action Plan being developed will reflect national realities, leverage existing capacities, address identified gaps, and align with broader economic and environmental priorities of the federal government.
Mr Mobereola stressed that “this transition is not merely about compliance with international obligations, it is about safeguarding our marine environment, protecting public health, strengthening the blue economy, and ensuring that our maritime industry remains competitive and future-ready”, the DG said.
Also speaking at the event was the Technical Manager of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, Ms Astrid Dispert, who highlighted that the overarching objective of the initiative is to advance a coherent and globally aligned regulatory framework to accelerate maritime decarbonization.
She also emphasised that NIMASA plays a pivotal role in driving the project at the national level.
The IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project provides technical expertise and institutional support to assist countries in developing and implementing National Action Plans that promote sustainable shipping practices, encourage investment in clean technologies, and strengthen capacity for long-term emissions reduction.
Through this collaboration, the federal government is advancing deliberate steps towards maritime decarbonization, reinforcing its commitment to global climate goals and ensuring a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future for the sector.
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