Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday pledged Nigeria’s supports to the Paris agreement on Climate Change reached at the end of COP21 meeting held in France last December.
According to him, Nigeria will join in the signing of the global pact in due course.
He spoke at the Presidential Villa during a courtesy visit by the French Minister for the Environment, Power and Marine Affairs, who presided over the COP21 meeting in Paris, Ms. Segolene Royal.
Osinbajo, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said that working together with the legislative arm of the Nigerian government, the country will play its part in signing the agreement and ensuring ratification.
“COP21 outcome is important for everyone, it is the largest landmark agreement on climate change,” Osinbajo said
Nigeria, he said, was pleased with the meeting and its outcome-the Paris Agreement.
He also harped on the need for the rehabilitation of Lake Chad which is being threatened by climate change.
Lake Chad, he said, is also important from the point of view of security and economic factors.
The Vice President restated Nigeria’s concern about the lake and welcomed international support on its preservation and rehabilitation.
He thanked the French minister for making a stop in Nigeria as she tours countries in the continent, expressing the hope that Nigeria and France would continue to expand diplomatic and economic relationships, especially as the federal government is now confronting a number of economic issues including diversification and development of infrastructure.
The Vice President who was joined at the meeting by Nigeria’s Environment Minister, Ms. Amina Mohammed, commended the effort of Ms. Royal in her role as COP21 president and pledged Nigeria’s continued support.
Speaking earlier, Ms. Royal told the Vice President that she is visiting Nigeria and a number of other African countries to ensure that the Paris Agreement is established through the signing and ratification process, and also beyond to encourage the signatories take concrete actions in line with the agreement after the signing.
She noted the support of the international community on the preservation and rehabilitation of Lake Chad and announced that the Paris Agreement would be signed April 22 at the United Nations.