Esther Salifu
The Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Adeboye Salako, has made a passionate appeal to developing countries, who are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, to prioritize climate actions and enhance accountability and transparency.
Dr. Salako made the call at the Two-Day 1st International Anti-Corruption and Climate Change Conference held in Abuja.
“As we grapple with the challenges of climate change and energy transition, we must recognize that innovative solutions alone are not enough. We need a firm commitment to ethical governance, and transparency and accountability are the bedrock of any sustainable development,” Dr. Salako emphasized.
The conference themed: “National Stakeholders’ Engagement for Accountability and Transparency in Climate Change, Energy Transition, and Oil Extraction Licensing for Sustainable Development,” was organized by the Human & Environmental Media Development Agency (HEDA) Resource Centre, in collaboration with HawkMoth and supported by the MacArthur Foundation.
Dr. Salako who was represented by the Director of Climate Change at the Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr. Iniagbon Abiola-Awe stressed that the conference highlighted the interconnectedness of climate change and the need for all sectors and stakeholders to tackle its urgent challenges.
“The principal drivers of global warming and climate change, the developed countries, must also be more transparent and accountable in their climate funding,” Dr. Salako added.
In his keynote address, the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukayode, noted that climate change and anti-corruption may seem like disparate concepts, but they converge on social and economic sustainability, central to the EFCC’s anti-corruption campaign in Nigeria.
“Climate change and anti-corruption are intertwined. Global warming and environmental devastation are often linked to the abuse of laws and regulations regarding environmental management,” Mr. Olukayode said. “Our efforts against corruption are broad-based, and we are evolving more effective prevention frameworks to curb economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.”
