Nigeria’s 2027 Transition and the Green Agenda: Exploring Bola Tinubu’s Scorecard and Promises

SOStainabilityWeekly

Edited by Oke Epia, E-mail: sostainability01@gmail.com  | WhatsApp: +234 8034000706

Trends and Threads

Until recently, conversations on global warming and climate action were considered irrelevant to the everyday challenges of emerging economies like Nigeria. The retort was always: “What has climate action got to do with the price of garri?”

But this has changed with increasing awareness and the inevitable realisation that while climate action addresses weather-related challenges such as flooding, desertification, etc., it can also be the lever through which key developmental challenges can be addressed. 

For instance, through renewables, especially with specific reference to off-grid and mini-grids, Nigeria can generate enough power to address its energy issues, power homes and hospitals, support small businesses, and generally push towards industrialisation. 

Climate-smart agricultural practices can also help address issues of food insecurity. 

It is therefore important that while politicians push for an electoral mandate in 2027, citizens must interrogate their green agenda in order to ensure that they have clear visions of how to leverage climate action to advance Nigeria’s growth and economic development. 

This is why this green agenda series will not just be about the presidential candidates, but will also extend to legislative and governorship hopefuls, since they must all work in alignment to guarantee climate action delivers beyond mitigation and adaptation to innovation and growth.

This non-partisan series will be asking questions of the climate commitments of candidates, their agenda for net zero, plans for the SDGs, and development models anchored on green growth.

This is important as in a recent survey by AfriClime, it was found that energy access, efficiency, and sustainability are key to Nigeria’s growth. Considering that crude oil is a finite resource, with Nigeria having about forty years of reserves left, contenders for political office must enshrine plans for green industrialization through renewables in their agenda.

The series commenced last week with the petrol subsidy debate, focusing on the policy stance of leading presidential candidates on either removing and retaining the subsidy on fuel. The argument centred on the economic case of the policy rather than the transition element of the debate. It is however, important to bear in mind that the subsidy debate also provides solutions to green growth as can be in the Tinubu’s administration’s Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PiCNG & EV). With subsidy removal raising the cost of PMS, other cleaner options would necessarily emerge as alternatives. 

We continue the series this week with a focus on the transportation policy of political office contenders. Beyond the economics of lower and affordable transport costs, this edition highlights specific transition policies on electric vehicles and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered vehicles.

This page acknowledges that the candidates may still be unfolding and articulating their green policies and welcomes updates that can help the electorate make informed decisions on how they vote vis-à-vis these issues. 

The Realities of Tinubu’s Green Transportation Policies

The Pi-CNG supported the conversion of the costing vehicles to CNG-powered vehicles; building of CNG refuelling stations and gas distribution infrastructure across the country; promoting usage; improving access to conversion kits; finance support for conversion; private sector investment; etc. 

In terms of Electric Vehicles, the Tinubu administration approved of tax waivers, supporting investment in EV production; supporting the development of EV charging stations. 

Leveraging the CNG and EV policies, the federal government has supported the procurement and use of buses that use these alternative fuels and energy. This has resulted in reduced costs on certain routes and further reduced emissions from the transport sector.

While the green transportation policies of incumbent President Tinubu are available in the public domain, Nigerians are eager for the other presidential candidates to outline their proposed Green Transportation Policy Plans so that Nigerians can review and interrogate. 

• What are Abubakar Atiku’s Green Transportation Policies?
• What are Peter Obi’s Green Transportation Policies?
• What are Adebayo Adewole’s Green Transportation Policies?
• What are Donald Duke’s Green Transportation Policies?
• What are Seyi Makinde’s Green Transportation Policies?

This series will also examine the green transportation policies of gubernatorial candidates, including incumbents seeking re-election.

This light-touch series is powered by SOStainability in partnership with AfriClime