Will Onuigbo Bridge Climate Policy Gap among Global Legislators?
Former Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change, Hon Sam Onuigbo, becomes first African president of GLOBE Legislators. Emameh Gabriel, in this piece, dissects his climate advocacy but warns of challenges bridging global commitments with Nigeria’s domestic action.
On June 24, 2026, at the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Hon Sam Onuigbo was formally inducted as President of GLOBE Legislators, becoming the first African to lead that global parliamentary network in its
35-year history. The ceremony was hosted by former UK Minister for Climate Change and Net Zero. Also former President of GLOBE Legislators, Rt. Hon. Graham Stuart MP, formed part of the London Climate Action Week.
For those who may not track these international organisations, GLOBE is not some obscure diplomatic club. It is the organisation founded in 1991 by the former United States Vice-President Al Gore, and John Kerry, alongside legislators from the European Parliament, Japanese Diet, and Russian Duma, with a singular vision: that international climate agreements mean nothing without legislative action. Today, it convenes parliamentary networks across the world, having hosted the first Parliamentary Pavilion at COP28 in Dubai, repeated it at COP29 in Baku, and is on course to do so again at COP31 in Antalya.
It was a significant moment—not just for Onuigbo, not just for Nigeria, but for the entire African continent. And it raises a question that deserves careful consideration: what does this appointment mean for the global climate policy landscape, and is Onuigbo the right man to bridge the gap between international commitments and domestic legislative action?
Making of a Climate Champion
Perhaps the most instructive phase of Onuigbo’s professional life was his 18-year stint at the United States Embassy (now Consulate-General) in Lagos, where he rose to the position of Supervisory Fraud Prevention Specialist. During that period, he was elected twice as President of the Foreign Service National Advisory Committee. These were roles that demanded integrity, attention to detail, and a deep understanding of how systems work—qualities not always abundant in Nigerian public life.
He served as Commissioner for Lands and Survey, and later Commissioner for Finance in Abia State before being elected to the House of Representatives in 2015, representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North and Umuahia South Federal Constituency. He was re-elected in 2019, becoming the first representative from that constituency to serve two terms. But it was his work as Chairman of the House Committee on Climate Change that would define his legislative legacy.
In the 8th Assembly, he sponsored Nigeria’s Climate Change Bill. It was passed by both chambers but denied assent by late President Muhammadu Buhari. Many lawmakers would have given up. They would have accepted the setback, moved on to other matters, and waited for the next opportunity to make noise about something else. Onuigbo did not give up. He re-sponsored the bill in the 9th Assembly, addressing all the areas of conflict and expanding its scope. On November 17, 2021, late President Buhari signed the Climate Change Bill into law. It established Nigeria’s first comprehensive legal framework for climate governance, creating the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) and institutional mechanisms for emissions reduction.
Many of us have watched the National Assembly turn itself into a rubber stamp for executive whims, more interested in constituency projects than in the hard work of legislation. But the Climate Change Act is different. It placed Nigeria among nations with dedicated climate legislation, giving us a seat at a table where decisions affecting our future are being made. It was a landmark achievement, and it did not happen by accident. It happened because one legislator refused to take no for an answer.
But Onuigbo’s commitment to service predates his political career. In 1998, he facilitated support for additional classroom blocks at his alma mater, Community Primary School, Obuohia Obi-Ibere. The project was commissioned on May 1, 2001, by former US Ambassador Howard Jeter alongside then Governor Orji Uzor Kalu. He also established Ambassador’s College in Obuohia-Ibere to save children from trekking long distances for secondary education. These were not photo-op initiatives. They were responses to real needs he witnessed firsthand.
In 2016, he was elected as the Vice-President of GLOBE Nigeria. In 2019, he was elected as President of GLOBE Nigeria, and Vice-President Africa (GLOBE International), the first Nigerian to be so recognised.
What Africa Stands to Gain
This is where the story becomes truly significant for Nigeria and the continent.
Africa faces a climate paradox. We have contributed the least to global emissions, yet we bear some of the heaviest burdens of climate impacts—flooding, desertification, coastal erosion, gully erosion, and extreme weather events that devastate communities and livelihoods. According to the African Development Bank, climate change could cost Africa up to $50 billion annually by 2030. Yet African countries receive only about 3% of global climate finance. This is a crisis that demands urgent legislative action, and yet many African parliaments lack the capacity, the awareness, or the political will to translate international commitments into domestic law.
This is where Onuigbo’s appointment becomes strategic. Having someone from the Global South at the helm of GLOBE brings a perspective that has been largely absent from global climate governance. For too long, the conversation about climate action has been dominated by the Global North—by countries that built their economies on fossil fuels and are now dictating terms to countries still struggling to develop. Onuigbo understands this dynamic. He has lived it. He has navigated the complex terrain of Nigerian politics, where climate change is often seen as a luxury problem, a distraction from the more immediate concerns of poverty, insecurity, and infrastructure decay.
His agenda, as outlined in his acceptance speech, reflects this understanding. He is committed to promoting climate education across all educational levels, ensuring that the next generation is equipped with the knowledge and skills to address environmental challenges. He has pledged to enhance opportunities for knowledge sharing, capacity development, and peer learning among parliamentarians across the world. He has promised to strengthen collaborations with governments, development agencies, civil society, and the private sector to ensure that climate actions are translated into tangible initiatives within communities. And perhaps most importantly, he has reiterated GLOBE’s core message: “Parliaments Make COPs Count.”
The Challenge Ahead
But let us not pretend that this will be easy. Onuigbo assumes this position at a time of profound geopolitical challenges. The war in Ukraine has diverted attention and resources away from climate action. The cost-of-living crisis has made climate policies politically unpopular in many countries. Populist movements are gaining ground, questioning the very science of climate change and rolling back hard-won environmental protections. At COP29 in Baku, the failure to reach a meaningful agreement on climate finance was a stark reminder of how far we still have to go.
In Nigeria, the challenges are even more acute. Our economy remains heavily dependent on oil and gas. Our political class is often more interested in short-term gains than long-term sustainability. Our institutions are weak, our regulatory frameworks are porous, and our capacity to enforce environmental laws is severely limited. Onuigbo will need to navigate these complexities while also managing the expectations of his international partners.
In his keynote address, former U.S. Vice President and organization co-founder Al Gore delivered both a tribute and a call to action. He thanked outgoing CEO Malini Mehra for her “tireless, diligent” leadership over 12 years, while warning that the climate crisis has intensified dramatically—the past decade being the hottest on record, with over 50 billion-dollar disasters each year. “We continue to spew 175 million tons of pollution into the atmosphere,” he said, comparing trapped heat to “800,000 Hiroshima-class bombs” daily.
Yet Gore struck an optimistic note on solutions, citing record EV sales globally and the U.K.’s £7 million daily savings from renewables after the Strait of Hormuz shutdown. He criticized fossil fuel influence on policymaking, noting “they’re way better at capturing politicians than emissions,” and urged legislators to “break through logjams” blocking clean energy. “Political will is itself a renewable resource,” he declared, stressing that tackling the climate crisis requires simultaneously addressing threats to democracy.
On her part, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, a former GLOBE Japan President, warned that “climate change impacts are growing ever more severe” as storm and flood threats rise. She highlighted Tokyo’s G-NET network, which gathered 55 cities in April for urban resilience talks, and urged the anniversary event to build “new alliances for climate action.”
But I am cautiously optimistic. Onuigbo has demonstrated, time and again, that he is not a fair-weather legislator. He does not shy away from difficult fights. He does not abandon his principles when the political winds shift. He understands that climate change is not just an environmental issue; it is an economic issue, a security issue, and a justice issue. And he knows that the solutions must come from within—from parliaments that are willing to act, from legislators who are willing to lead, and from citizens who are willing to demand accountability.
Onuigbo’s inauguration as the President of GLOBE Legislators is a moment of pride for Nigeria. It is a validation of the work he has done and a recognition of the potential he represents. But it is also a responsibility—a responsibility to bridge the gap between international climate commitments and domestic legislative action, to amplify the voices of the Global South, and to ensure that climate policies are not just discussed in London and Paris and Dubai, but implemented in Lagos and Nairobi and Johannesburg.
Will he succeed? That remains to be seen. But if his track record is anything to go by, I would not bet against him. As he said in his acceptance speech, “This is a fire that has been handed to us by great men and women, and we will not let it dim.” For the sake of Nigeria, for the sake of Africa, and for the sake of the planet, I hope he is right.
