INCEPTION REPORT

JICA Group Training Course on

“Development of Strategies on Climate Change”

Name Sabo Jamilu

Country Nigeria
Organization Federal Ministry of

Environment
Position Geologist
 1. GENERAL INFORMATION ON NIGERIA

1.1 Geography of Nigeria: Location, Relief and Drainage:

Nigeria is located at the western Coast of Africa between Latitude 40 N- 140 of the Equator
and Longitude 30 E to 150E of GM. It has a land area of 923,768km2. Nigeria by virtue of its
location and latitudinal extent has within it borders all the major terrestrial ecosystems in
West Africa ranging from the mangrove forest along the coast to the Sahel Savannah in the
extreme northeastern part of the country.

1.2 Weather and Climate: Nigeria is situated in the tropics and hence experiences high
temperature through out the year. The mean annual temperature is 270C. Average
maximum temperatures vary from 320C along the coast to 410C in the north.
While minimum ranges from 210C in the coast to under 130C in the north. The
climate of the country varies from an equatorial rainforest type with rainfall
greater than 3,500mm to tropical continental dry one in the Sahel region of the
north east and north west with annual rainfall of less than 600mm.

1.3 Social and Economic Conditions:

1.3.1 Human Population and Settlement: With population of over 140 million distributed
unevenly in the country, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. The
proportion of the nation’s population living in urban centres reached about 36% in
1991, from about 19% in 1963. Spatially, many urban settlement and urbanized
areas have appeared in various parts of the country. The relatively higher
urbanized south west and far northern areas of Nigeria have witnessed even
greater intensity of the urbanization process, especially as some of the older,
bigger cities such as Ibadan and Kano have more than doubled their population
sizes between 1963 and 1991.

1.3.2 Energy Consumption Pattern: The country has abundant potential for
renewable energy such as solar, hydro, biomass, wind and geothermal. It is also
endowed with petroleum, natural gas, coal etc.

Climate change would have significant impact on solar energy and wind- the two significant
sources of energy that still remain untapped in Nigeria, of more immediate concern are the
possible impacts on the supply of, and demand for, the hydroelectric power and fuel wood,
which are the most widely used sources of energy in Nigeria. Expected reduced rainfall,
particularly in the northern part of the country would adversely affect the supply of the
hydroelectric power which is sensitive to river flow, as already pointed out for the kainji
hydroelectric power station on River Niger. Reduced hydroelectric power production would
also impose economic hardships. The impacts on supply of fuel wood could also be
important. For example, with a decrease in rainfall, some sources of the fuel wood would be
eliminated. Also, more frequent thunderstorms and erosion could cause more damage for
forests. The situation would be worsened by the growing energy demand due to increase in
population.
 1.3.3 Industrial Structure: In general, some industrial product (e.g. foods and drinks)
are weather-dependent and their production are vulnerable to extreme weather
conditions. For example, severe storms are detrimental to many industries
including offshore oil, and gas drilling and fisheries that dominate the coastal
zone of Nigeria. Some industries are also dependent on availability of local
resources, which may be affected by changes in the climate. Variations in the
production cost of crops, domestic animals, fish, wood, mineral resources due to
climate change and sea level rise would affect for instance, industries processing
agricultural products, hydroelectricity generation and aluminum industry.

1.2.4 Forest Status: Nigeria has lost over 90% of its original forest cover. That lost was
due to logging, clearing for slash and burn agriculture and collection of fire wood. In the
southern states of Nigeria, deforestation and poor agricultural practices have induced gully
and sheet erosion that can only be described as spectacular. There is also an enormous
demand for timber, bush meat and non-timber forest products, causing degradation of the
forest that remains.

Poverty and lack of opportunities for many to improve their lives through employment has
driven the rural poor to exploit their natural resources unsustainably. This takes place mostly
through exploitation of forest for household needs (food, medicine, school fees, clothes, and
other needs).

2.0 Name of Organization: Federal Ministry of Environment

2.1 Organisational Chart

Hon.

Minister

Permanent
Secretary

Head
Special
Climate
Change Unit

Climate Vulnerability, Multilateral and Clean

science, Impacts and Bilateral Development Administration
Planning and
Inventories Adaptation Programmes Mechanism And
statistics
and (VIA) (MBP) Implementation Finance
Mitigation (CDM)
(CSIM)
3.0 Federal Ministry of Environment chart of Administration to cope with Climate Change
3.1 Green House Gas Monitoring: Nigeria became a signatory to The United Nations Frame
Work Convention in 1992 as a Non Annex 1 party, and ratified the Kyoto Protocol in 1994. As a
Non-Annex 1 signatory, Nigeria is not required to take any actions to curtail its emission of green
House Gases (GHGs). In its effort to monitor GHGs emission, Nigeria created Special Climate
Change Unit within the Ministry of Environment. The unit has responsibility of co-ordinating the
activities of the inter-ministerial committee on climate change (IMCCC) with representation from
relevant ministries, Agencies and Parastatals.

3.2 Researches and Studies on Climate Change: As a large African country highly vulnerable
to flood and erosion as well as drought and desertification which will be exacerbated by climate
change, Nigeria improved the national capacity to generate observational climate data and climate
monitoring systems by upgrading the department of Meteorology in the Ministry of Aviation to a
full-fledged Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET). Academia was also involved in researches
on climate change by establishing research centres in Universities, these include; centre for climate
change and fresh water resources, Federal University of Technology, Minna. Center for Energy,
Research and Development, Obafemi Awolowo Univerisity Ile-Ife; and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
University Bauchi.

3.3 Policies and Measures to adapt to Climate change: There is ongoing preparation of
National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) by the Federal Ministry of Environment.
Presently the Ministry is making data collection of all adaptation projects, activities or options in
the eleven desert frontline states of the country with the view to incorporating them into ongoing
NAPA. Climate Change issues including adaptation measures are being mainstream in the
National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy.

4.0 EXISTING LAWS AND REGULATIONS RELEVANT TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN

NIGERIA: The following legislation were enacted to cope with climate change: National Policy
on Environment (1999); National Guidelines and Standards for Environmental Pollution and
Control in Nigeria (1991); National Effluent Limitation Regulation (1991); Waste Management
Regulation; Pollution Abatement in Industries and Facilities Generating Waste Regulations of
1991; Environment Impact Assessment Decree No. 86; National Resources Conservation Action
Plan.

5.0 Present Status and Future Prospects of GHG Inventories: An overview of gross carbon
emission by sources and removal by sinks indicates gas flaring, transportation, and electricity
generation as the most significant energy consumption processes leading to GHG emissions.
Similarly, biomass harvest and the conversion of forests to managed lands are the land use and
forestry activities leading to gross carbon emissions. Carbon uptake is principally from annual forest
growths and the growth of non-forest trees and minimally from the abandonment of managed lands.
The gross carbon emissions from energy, land use change, industry, solvents use, agriculture and
 waste management in was 52.5 Tg- CO2-C, while the net uptake, principally from land use change,
was 10.4 Tg-CO2-C.

6.0 Present Status and Future Prospect of National Communication: Nigeria issued the first
National communication in November 2003; the second national communication strategy is at the
final stages of preparation.

7.0 Present Status and Future Prospect of Joint Implementation and Clean
Development Mechanism: Nigeria has two gas flaring reduction projects registered under CDM,
and four others are under validation. Nigeria registered CDM projects account for about 33.8% of
the African carbon emission reduction up to 2012. Realizing the country’s low level of participation
in the CDM implementation, the Nigerian National petroleum Corporation (NNPC) established
CDM working group in 2008, the group’s mandate includes ensuring proper methodologies for the
registration of CDM projects with the CDM Executive Board.

8.0 My Current Task in Federal Ministry of Environment: I am a Geologist, a schedule

officer for mitigation under mitigation sub-section. My duties include collection of data related to
mitigation of climate change, making analysis, interpretation and co-ordination of activities/
strategies towards implementing the convention and the protocol

.0 MAJOR CONSTRAINTS ON COPING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE:

9.1 Constraints at National Level:-

• Nigerian’s high population: Because of its high population that is dependent on
climate sensitive activities, such as farming, fishing, livestock production etc. Nigeria is
facing serious challenges in its effort to cope with climate change.
• Nigeria’s dependence on petroleum as a source of revenue: Because Nigeria’s
Economy is highly dependent on income generated from the production, processing export
and consumption of fossil fuels and associated energy intensive products. The country is
having difficulties on tackling climate change problems.
• High illiteracy rate among the citizens.
• Low awareness of the populace and relevant stockholders on the issue of the climate
change.

.2 CONSTRAINTS AT DEPARTMENTAL LEVEL:-

• Inadequate provision of sustainable funding through budget allocation.
• Lack of infrastructural and institutional framework for research, data collection
organization and sharing.
• Low staff and human capacity development in all areas of climate change analysis.

.3 CONSTRAINTS AT MY LEVEL:-
• Inadequate facilities / equipments for collection and analysis of climate change data.

10.0 POSSIBLE AND FEASIBLE MEASURES TO BE TAKEN TO OVERCOME

THE CONSTRAINTS: The measures to be taken includes:-
• Strengthening of existing institutional frame work to ensure effective coordination of
climate change activities/programmes.
• The development of a climate change policy to provide the basis for the articulation
of national programmes and action plans.
• Provision of sustainable funding through budget allocation.
• The provision of improved infrastructure for research, data collection and sharing.
• Improved human capacity development in all areas of climate change analysis.
• Development of the framework for integration of climate change into national
planning and development programmes.
• Robust institutional frame work to support climate change governance in Nigeria.
• Engagement of research institutions, development and strategies partners for data
collection and sharing.
• Development and transfer of Technology; low carbon technologies, environmentally
friendly technologies.
• Provision of adequate finance for climate change activities implementation, such as
“Special Climate Change Fund from the Ecological Fund Office”
• Nigeria’s Capacity must be enhanced to participate more in the clean development
mechanism.

11 DURING THE COURSE MY ACTION PLAN WILL BE ON CLEAN

DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM (CDM) / JOINT IMPLEMENTATION
The Clean Development Mechanism was intended to offer significant benefits for developing
countries in terms of increased capital flows, additional revenues for technology transfer and
environmental investment, and reduced cost of achieving development objectives.

Nigeria’s oil industry will continue the implementation of activities designed to reduce emission
of GHGs. The country has interest of the Clean Development Mechanism because it provides a
tool for technology transfer, in addition for projects that replace old and inefficient fossil fuel
technology.

Nigeria has two gas flaring reduction projects registered under CDM, and four others are under
validation. Nigeria registered CDM projects account for about 33.8% of the African carbon
emission reduction up to 2012. realizing the country’s low level of participation in the CDM
implementation, the Nigerian National petroleum Corporation (NNPC) established CDM
working group in 2008. The group’s mandate includes ensuring proper methodologies for the
registration of CDM projects with the CDM Executive Board.