President Bola Tinubu said his administration has deployed a fleet of 100 electric buses to mark Nigeria’s significant step towards a sustainable and eco-friendly future.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu stated this at a high-level meeting with stakeholders and investors on the Nigeria Carbon Market and Electric Buses Rollout Programme in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on the margins of the COP28 climate summit.
Tinubu explained that the strategic initiative is aimed at significantly reducing Nigeria’s carbon footprint and modernizing the country’s transportation systems as part of a larger effort to position Nigeria and Africa as the pioneering frontier of green manufacturing and industrialization with a focus on natural gas as a transition fuel alongside other renewable energy sources.
To spearhead this transformative plan, the President announced the appointment of the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Zacch Adedeji, and the Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Mr. Dahiru Salisu, to co-chair the Nigeria Carbon Market Activation Plan.
”This initiative stands as a testament to our dedication to environmental stewardship as clearly exemplified through our collaboration with the Africa Carbon Market Initiative. Our visionary plan is a strategic guidepost, directing Nigeria towards becoming an investment-friendly destination for carbon market investments.
”We recognize the imperative of fostering an environment that not only attracts investment but also upholds standardized and sustainable industrial practices. As a manifestation of our forward-thinking approach, we are actively looking to implement robust, enabling policies and frameworks that will serve as the catalyst for the burgeoning growth of the carbon market within our national borders.
“In further driving my commitment, I have recently approved an Inter-governmental Committee on Carbon Markets to be chaired by the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change to drive this visionary plan,” the President stated.
The President assured prospective investors that this initiative transcends being a mere pilot project.
FIRS Chairman, Zacch Adedeji acknowledged the visionary leadership of President Tinubu as the guiding force behind Nigeria’s commitment to harnessing its vast carbon potential.
Reiterating Nigeria’s readiness to lead the global effort to combat climate change, Adedeji described the initial phase of the rollout of the electric buses as a tangible symbol of Nigeria’s commitment to modernizing its transportation systems while reducing Africa’s modest carbon footprint.
