President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has rejigged the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC).
He appointed Dr. Nkiruka Maduekwe as the interim Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the NCCC, pending confirmation by the Supervisory Council.
Dr. Maduekwe, 39, a renowned climate policy expert with over 15 years of experience, will also serve as Co-Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Committee on National Carbon Market Activation Plan (NCMAP).
According to a statement yesterday by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Maduekwe served as legal adviser to the NCCC Director-General.
“In accordance with his commitment to actualize Nigeria’s green industrial vision, boost investor confidence, and unlock sustainable economic value through various climate finance instruments, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Nkiruka Maduekwe as the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) in interim capacity, pending the confirmation of her appointment by the NCCC Supervisory Council.
“The President has also approved that Dr. Maduekwe, 39, who holds a Bachelor of Law degree; a Master’s degree in Environmental Law & Policy from the University of Dundee (UK), and a Doctorate degree in Law from the University of Hull (UK), is to serve as the Co-Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Committee on National Carbon Market Activation Plan (NCMAP).
“Dr. Maduekwe has over 15 years of national and international experience in climate policy development and project implementation.
“She previously served as Nigeria National Coordinator, Climate Parliament. Climate Parliament is an international, multi-partisan network of legislators working worldwide to help solve the climate crisis and accelerate the transition to renewable energy”, the statement said.
The statement added: “The President has also approved the appointment of Mr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Shelleng, 40, as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Finance and Stakeholder Engagement, Office of the President. He is seconded to the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) Secretariat, where he will handle all matters related to Climate Finance and Stakeholder/Donor Relations.
“The President has also approved that Mr. Shelleng is to assume the position of Secretary of the Intergovernmental Committee on National Carbon Market Activation Plan (NCMAP) and serve as a member of the Presidential Committee on Climate Action and Green Economic Solutions, as well as the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.
“Mr. Shelleng, who holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has served in leading roles across multiple financial institutions, and was Head of Business Development for the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company PLC (NMRC) before his appointment as Senior Special Assistant to the President.
“The President has also approved the appointment of Mr. Olamide Fagbuji, 44, as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Technology and Operations, Office of the President. He is seconded to the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) Secretariat, where he will oversee the digitalization of a new open procurement process and cross-departmental procedural optimization initiative.
“Mr. Fagbuji served as Special Assistant to the President on Economic Matters under the previous administration, and was most recently the Technical Adviser to the Director-General of NCCC on Policy Research and Strategy. He is a policy analyst and computer scientist.
“The appointments take immediate effect.
“The President expects the new appointees to bring their expertise and discipline to bear on these very important assignments in pursuance of the nation’s aspiration on green industrial development and climate action for sustainable growth and national prosperity”.
Nigeria, U.S. in talks over climate financing instruments
NIGERIA took a step forward yesterday towards the actualisation of its green industrial vision.
Its Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action (SPEC), Ajuri Ngelale, held talks with the United States (U.S.) Principal Deputy Special Envoy for Climate, Sue Biniaz.
The meeting, which took place in Bonn, Germany, centred on exploring tangible next steps to leverage large-scale climate financing instruments and drive Nigeria’s green industrial agenda in the years ahead.
Ngelale and Biniaz shared views on the need for innovative and transparent application of available resources to attract new and de-risked investment capital from around the world.
They agreed on the importance of putting in place new mechanisms to achieve this objective.
Managing Director for Negotiations/Director for the U.S. State Department’s Office of Global Change, Mr. Trigg Talley, was in the U.S. delegation.
Expressing confidence in the team’s ability to deliver, Ngelale said the ties of mutually fruitful cooperation between the U.S. and Nigeria will strengthen Nigeria’s ambition to becoming a green industrial powerhouse over the next ten years.
He said: “I certainly cherished the quality and productive time spent today with the U.S. Head of Delegation to the United Nations Climate Conference and Principal Deputy Special Envoy for Climate, Ms. Sue Biniaz, in Bonn, Germany, on Sunday afternoon.
“We shared views concerning tangible next steps to be taken toward leveraging large-scale climate financing instruments to drive Nigeria’s green industrial agenda in the years ahead.
“We have much work to do in the form of putting in place new mechanisms to achieve a truly transparent and innovative application of available resources to meet our objective of attracting new and de-risked investment capital from around the world. I am confident that we have the team to deliver on this for the country – one step at a time.
“The ties of mutually fruitful cooperation between the U.S. and the Federal Republic of Nigeria will extend deeply into Nigeria’s realisable ambition to become a green industrial powerhouse over the next 10 years.
“The U.S. Principal Deputy Special Envoy for Climate was joined in the meeting by Mr. Trigg Talley, who serves as the Managing Director for Negotiations and Director for the U.S. State Department’s Office of Global Change.”
