By Sunny Anderson Osiebe...
(FOR THE RECORDS)
PROTOCOL
It gives
me great pleasure to be among my colleagues, international experts and a
vast array of our national leaders, to accept the Green Economy Award
and Reconvene GLOBE Nigeria Members
in the 8th National Assembly.
I was
delighted to foreword the Book on Green Growth Development Pathway for
Nigeria because it offers an alternative solution in view of the
prevailing economic recession we have found ourselves.
It has become imperative that Nigeria think out of the box and transit
towards a green growth development pathway because oil cannot sustain us
anymore. The recent slump in global crude oil demand and signing of the
Paris COP21 Agreement by Nigeria calls for
Legislators to come together and assist the Federal Government in her
economic diversification effort.
Available
data shows that Nigeria can generate over 3 million jobs annually in
the renewable energy industry. Why are we not looking in that direction
aggressively enough? This is an opportunity
for us to create green jobs for our people and i expect GLOBE Nigeria
to pursue building the legal framework to support these kinds of ideas.
The 8th
National Assembly has become a part of this journey at this moment in
history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of
our time unless we solve them together.
We may have different stories, but we hold common hopes. We may not be
looking in the same direction, but we all want to move in the same
direction – towards building a lasting legacy of sustainability for the
future of our children and grand children.
The
Green agenda and GLOBE Nigeria partnership will not only put us head and
shoulders above our peers in collaborating on international
environmental management best practices, but would
also show our commitment in bettering the lives of Nigerians. It will
provide a platform for legislation on environment, ecology and
sustainable development as a whole.
However
it will not be an easy one as it is likely to meet the resistance of an
entrenched system. This pathway is characterized by steps, changes in
resource efficiency and shift in emphasis
from the shareholder value to stakeholder value. It is a long term
process which will require political leadership, new skills,
collaborations, continued innovation, research and investment.
I
therefore recommend and encourage policy makers, legislators, academics,
development practitioners, professionals and partners to avail
themselves of this worthy repository of knowledge
on low carbon, resource efficient economy which this book offers.
The 8th
National Assembly working with the cooperation of GLOBE international is
seeking to attract the cooperation of lawmakers in Nigeria towards an
empirical trajectory of legislative action
to create sustainable and alternative sources of energy, while helping
to diversify our economy.
In
joining nations such as the United States of America, Japan, China,
Indonesia, South Africa; our country’s legislators shall work with all
agencies of government to ensure that a sustainable
framework is established to produce firm policy programs to promote
sustainable forms of energy and improve the quality of life of our
people.
Mr.
Chairman, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, let me express
my profound appreciation to SEPAN and the Green Economics Initiative
for finding me suitable for this award at
this auspicious time. I therefore pledge to continue working for
Nigerians using our legislative powers to initiate and pass appropriate
legislation towards your work on sustainable and efficient energy. We
shall work assiduously with you to achieve positive
remarks and responses to global energy and environmental challenges.
This
award is significant because it will forever mark the reconvening of
GLOBE Nigeria Members in the 8th National Assembly. A unique
partnership that will bring science, practitioners and
policy makers together.
Recently,
our country joined other countries of the world in COP22 Morocco to
examine the implementation of the Paris COP21 Agreement. The attention
has now moved from the Executive to the
Legislature to do the needful in ratifying and institutionalizing parts
or all the Paris Climate Agreement in Nigeria. For us as Legislators,
we have a challenge to do two fundamental things to make it work
properly: First, we must establish a structure of
communication with the international community to encourage the
exchange of viable legislative ideas on safe environmental practices, of
which GLOBE is one of such. Secondly, it is our responsibility to
ensure empirical mentoring and monitoring of laws in
support of best global practices in environmental management and
sustainable development of our land for future generations as enshrined
in provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
The
institutional initiatives of GLOBE are far reaching responses to the
most pressing international challenges of our time. Climate Change
exacerbated by massive erosion, flooding, decline
in agricultural productivity and natural resource conflict in the
middle belt of Nigeria all play a role in slowing down the pace of our
economic development. It is therefore imperative that Nigerian Lawmakers
develop a consciousness on environmental protection
and conservation. It is our solemn duty as Legislators to place premium
attention on such issues as pollution, erosion control, natural capital
accounting, biodiversity, energy efficiency, de-forestation,
desertification, flood control and climate change.
We should develop and advance legislation in support of sustainable
development and support the incorporation of natural capital into
government decision-making.
Being
the president of GLOBE in Nigeria was an unexpected but delightful
journey which began in 2012 when I first came across GLOBE International
during my participation at the first World
Summit of Legislators at the sidelines of the Earth Summit in Rio de
Janeiro in 2012. What fascinated me the most about GLOBE was the fact
that it was a unison of different nations coming together to agree and
speak with one voice about the advancement of
legislative responses to the major global environmental and sustainable
development challenges which we all face around the world.
One of
the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this initiative when it was
founded was to galvanize a cross-party support within the National
Assembly to pursue the long march of keying
Nigeria into the realm of international environmental management. I am
happy that the dream is still alive. It is alive because the number of
legislators who have agreed to serve as a member of the GLOBE family is a
good testimony.
Your
Excellencies, Distinguished colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, you may be
aware of my increasing responsibilities as the President of the Senate,
meaning it is time to handover to another
passionate and enthusiastic leader to continue steering the ship to our
final destination. On this note i would like to nominate the duo of Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim and
Honourable Sam Onuigbo as
President and Vice-President of GLOBE Nigeria in the 8th National
Assembly. I also thereby humbly reconvene GLOBE Nigeria Members in the
8th National Assembly as
an affiliate of GLOBE International.
I
congratulate all of my colleagues present here for accepting a noble
call to serve. I urge us to continue working together and move to even
greater heights. I am always available to provide
counsel and support when needed and will always remain your vanguard. I
charge all new members joining the fold to be dedicated, steadfast and
uphold the mission of the group which is to (i) provide an apolitical
scrutiny mechanism to monitor the delivery
of commitments by governments; (ii) develop and advance legislation in
support of the environment and sustainable development; (iii) support
parliamentary diplomatic relationships.
At this
juncture, i will like to thank all my colleagues who have stood beside
me and GLOBE Nigeria through thick and thin, and also all the
Secretariat staff members, who worked tirelessly
day and night in their dedication to make this organization flourish. I
cannot mention all by name, but I especially would like to thank Mr.
Innocent Onah, our Coordinator and my S.A, for his ambition and
dedication to facilitate the activities of GLOBE Nigeria
over the years. He has a talent for enthusiastically driving everyone
to achieve more and more with little or no resources. The new presidents
and members will find that he is one asset they cannot do without.
Once
more I welcome you all to this gathering of great minds as we look
forward to a memorable delivery of effective legislation as contained in
the GLOBE Nigeria Strategy 2016 - 2019.
Thank you all and God Bless.
His Excellency, Senator (Dr.) Abubakar Bukola Saraki CON
President of the Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria
Founder, GLOBE Nigeria
President of the Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria
Founder, GLOBE Nigeria
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