I’m ready to partner stakeholders to promote climate change initiatives, Gov Otti assures

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has expressed readiness to partner stakeholders in promoting climate change initiatives in the State.

A post on Facebook by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ukoha Njoku Ukoha, revealed that Otti stated this when he received in audience, a delegation of the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office – Partnership Agile Governance and Climate Change (FCDO-PAGE) in his office.

According to the post, Governor Otti said that partnering experts like the FCDO-PAGE is the right thing to do as it would bring about solutions and help to mitigate climate change effects as well as addressing its challenges.

He said his team would sit down and work out the best practical ways of handling it, emphasizing that his administration is anchored on a strong value system, rooted in strategic planning, diligent execution, and measurable outcomes,

Otti reiterated his unwavering commitment to disciplined governance, climate action, and evidence-based policy implementation just as he stressed the need for structures that would ensure efficiency and sustainability to be put in place and called for careful planning in the transition to renewable energy,.

Governor Otti who noted that, unchecked industrial and economic activities, especially in the private sector, contribute significantly to the environmental degradation, lamented that many well-conceived strategies, such as policy documents that date back to the 1960s and 1970s, have been abandoned due to poor follow-up and noted that, the country has intelligent minds and sound policy frameworks but lacks consistent implementation of the good and beautiful ideas.

He said, “What we are doing is actually the direction. We will sit down, study, understand it, and then come up with solutions”

Contributing, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Asonye Ogbonna highlighted how the Governor has shown great commitment and support in the area of climate change and informed the delegation that the administration of the Governor created a Climate Change Department as well as organised State wide engagement on climate change.

He added that the Governor’s commitment has made Abia to be ranked No 8 out of the 36 States in climate change initiatives, and that UNIDO has also selected Abia State for an award on circular economy.

Ogbonna added that the Governor ensured that Abia attended the world congress on climate change and is about to attend another event in Germany and thanked the Governor for his support to issues around environment.

Earlier, the National Team Lead of FCDO-PAGE, Mr. Ifeanyi Peters Ugwuoke said that FCDO-PAGE is a United Kingdom Government initiative which operates at the intersection of governance reform and climate change responses and expressed its readiness to partner Abia Government on climate change initiatives.

While identifying potential areas of collaborations, such as climate finance readiness, green budgeting, and policy alignment, Mr. Ugwuoke described the programme as part of a broader bilateral relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom spanning over two decades.

He lauded Governor Otti’s commitment to transparent governance and climate action, his achievements in the last two years as well as the Governor’s visionary leadership which is in alignment with international best practices.