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COP29 SURPRISED NO ONEText of CSOs Media Briefing held in Abuja on 4th December 2024 on the outcome of COP29 and the way forward

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COP29 SURPRISED NO ONE
Text of CSOs Media Briefing held in Abuja on 4th December 2024 on the outcome of COP29 and the way forward

By: Michael Mike

The Conference of Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held its 29th session at Baku Azerbaijan on10-24 November 2024. COP29 as it is popularly known was tagged a Finance COP and that raised the hopes of poor, vulnerable nations that finally, climate finance would make sense. They were rightly enthused by the fact that the Loss and Damage mechanism agreed to at COP27 in Egypt was endorsed at COP28 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, optimists forgot that tagging COP27 an African COP did not make it an African COP. That conference was actually the fifth COP held in Africa.

COP29 failed spectacularly on the finance note and the leader of the Nigerian delegation rightly called the minuscule amount offered an insult. We applaud the Director General of the Nigerian Climate Change Commission (NCCC) for her forthright submission.

AMBITIONS GAP

Scientists inform us that 2024 is the hottest year on record. The year has also recorded a high number of disastrous weather events. The fact that climate action requires scientifically derived, binding and distributed emissions reduction cannot be denied otherwise the trend will persist. The UNFCCC core justice basis is the Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR). This principle requires that the rich and highly polluting nations who contributed disproportionately to the stock of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere must own up to their historical responsibility, cut emissions at source and provide finance to help the vulnerable nations that have not contributed to the problem at any significant level.

This principle was essentially turned on its head when the Copenhagen Accord outcome of COP15 held in December 2009 signaled the ascendancy of voluntary emissions reduction by every nation — polluters and non-polluters. That outcome gave rise to the so-called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) plank of the Paris Agreement. Nations need to show high levels of ambition in terms of emissions reduction if the world is to experience temperature levels within the limits set by the Paris Agreement. This has not happened.

EMISSIONS GAP

Emissions Gap reports issued by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2023 and in 2024 clearly show that if nations carry out their NDCs, the world would experience temperature increases far above the 1.5C and 2.0C targets set by the Paris Agreement.

The latest Emissions Gap report shows that if countries continue with their current policies, the world stands a 90 per cent chance of hitting a temperature increase far above 3.6C or 3.4C if they carry on with unconditional NDCs and 3.0C with conditional reductions.

Nations carry on as if we are not living in an emergency even though the Emissions Gap report came out just before COP29. When we consider the impacts of weather events being currently experienced at 1.1C above preindustrial levels, it is not difficult to see that the world is already in injury time.

FINANCE GAP

The so-called finance COP was shy of mentioning how much the rich polluting nations would contribute to help vulnerable nations adapt and build resilience to the scourge. The figures were literally kept to the dying hours of the conference and was eventually rushed through to the disappointment of many.

Talks of loss and damage and other instruments of climate finance became largely muted. In their place emerged a contentious concept of New Collective Quantified Goals (NCQG) – a new mechanism requiring that everyone contributes to the finance pot in the same thought pattern that birthed the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), the hallmark of voluntary emissions reduction according to convenience.

We recall that at COP15 in 2009 the pledge was to pay $10bn dollars yearly from 2010 to 2020 and raise that to $100bn from 2020. Those targets never materialized. The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) was presented as a means of raising funds needed to support mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage in developing and climate-vulnerable countries, found mostly in the Global South. The amount needed was put at a minimum of $1.3 trillion annually, although civil society analysts put the climate debt at $5-8 trillion annually.

COP 29 came up with a miserly $300 billion which would come into effect in 2035. The COP clearly ignored the call of vulnerable nations and global civil society and Indigenous peoples for rich and historically responsible nations to Pay Up and to do so in Trillions not Billions.

When the COP deferred the date for providing needed funds to 2035 there doesn’t appear to be any consideration of the scale of the climate disasters that the world may be facing then. It has also been estimated that the $300 billion would be worth just $175 billion by then using current inflationary trend.

Another concern is that even the promised $300 billion may come through so-called innovative financial sources that include loans and would increase the already huge debt burdens of the poor countries.

Climate finance can readily be raised by redirecting funds from military expenditure that saw rich nations spend up to $2.4 trillion in 2023. Halting fossil fuel subsidies and holding polluters accountable would raise more than $5 trillion annually. So, the problem is not a lack of cash, but a matter of priority.

FALSE SOLUTIONS

COP29 opened with the COP president gaveling through mechanisms to operationalize carbon markets and other market-based mechanisms under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement. Parties formally adopted a decision text for Article 6, that formally set the stage for a global expansion of carbon markets, entrenching false solutions and deepening climate injustice.
Carbon markets provide a lifeline for polluters and fossil fuel companies who could now buy the license to continue polluting. It was a triumphant season for the over 1770 contingent of fossil fuel lobbyists, who ensured that attention drifted from ending the primary cause of climate change and elevated false solutions instead. This fossil delegation was larger than the combined delegations of the 10 most climate-vulnerable nations.

We are concerned that the new opening to carbon markets and mechanisms will divert funds to false solutions such as carbon capture and storage, geoengineering, carbon offsets, carbon credits, biodiversity credits, and other market-based schemes that perpetuate climate chaos, and violate the rights of Indigenous peoples.

CARBON COLONIALISM

Already the African continent is exposed to not just mere land grabs but a continent grab. Some countries have mortgaged their forests to carbon speculators with some ceding up to 10 and 20 percent of their total land mass. In Nigeria there is a rise of speculators grabbing hundreds of thousands of mangrove forests to enable the so-called investors trade in blue and other colors of carbon. States being enticed to fall into this web include Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Niger. A particularly worrisome note is the plan of Niger State to give 16% of its land mass to a Brazillian meat packaging company which will inevitably have dire socioeconomic-economic as well as climate consequences.

WAY FORWARD

  1. We call for community-led solutions to halt pollution at the source, ensure sovereignty of our peoples over their forests, water bodies and general territories.
  2. We demand the recognition by rich, polluting and industrialized nations, of a climate and ecological debt they owe and payment of same. This debt is estimated at an annual rate of $5-8 trillion and its payment will end the squabbles over climate finances whose targets are set but are never pursued or met.
  3. We call for an end to false solutions and demand the halting of emissions at source by urgently phasing out fossil fuels. Communities and nations that have kept fossil fuels in the ground should be recognized as climate champions and duly compensated for such actions. The people of Yasuni in Ecuador, Ogoni in Nigeria, Lofoten in Norway and others have shown the way.
  4. We demand an urgent clean up of areas polluted by fossil fuel exploitation and provision of clean renewable energy to energy poor communities.
  5. Nigeria and other African countries should place a ban on geoengineering experimentations, including solar radiation management, ocean fertilization, rock weathering and others.
  6. We denounce false solutions and market-based mechanisms that include carbon offset schemes, carbon removals and others.
  7. The energy and other transitions must promote human rights and be inclusive of gender responsive efforts with communities duly integrated in the decision making processes.
  8. Countries who do not support fossil fuels phase out should be barred from hosting the COP, and polluters should not be kept out of the COP.
  9. Real street marches and protests should not be hindered on the Global Days of Action during the COP as has been the case at recent conferences.
  10. COP30 should be a truly peoples’ COP where voices of youths, women, indigenous and impacted communities take centre stage.
  11. Loss and Damage should be fully addressed under the concept of Climate Debt.
  12. Massive Investment in Just Transition through a non-extractive model, prioritizing community-driven solutions such as agroecology that address the intersecting crises of climate and social inequity.
  13. We call for the recognition of the Rights of Nature in the negotiations, rejection of the commodification of nature and protection of our forests and biodiversity.
  14. We call for investment in peace building, not war and genocide.
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Zulum Pays Sympathy Visit to Victims of Ngoshe Attack, Assures Rescue of Abducted Residents

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March 6, 2026

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Zulum Pays Sympathy Visit to Victims of Ngoshe Attack, Assures Rescue of Abducted Residents

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has commiserated with the people of Ngoshe affected by the recent Boko Haram attack, describing the incident as tragic.

Ngoshe, a community in Gwoza local government, was attacked on Tuesday evening, scores were killed, while others were abducted.

Addressing members of the community on Friday in Pulka, Governor Zulum said he personally came to sympathize with the affected people and families of those that lost their loved ones.

He assured that efforts are underway to rescue all those abducted, restore security, and provide humanitarian support to victims.

“We are here today to commiserate with the people of Ngoshe that have lost their loved ones following the unfortunate incident that occurred on Tuesday. The situation is very sad and our hearts go out to all those affected by this tragedy,” Zulum said.

“I want to assure you that we will do everything possible to address the unfortunate situation that has befallen this community, and for those who have been abducted, the Nigerian military will do everything within its capacity to rescue them,” Zulum assured.

Governor Zulum explained that military operations are currently ongoing in Ngoshe and the Sambisa Forest to rid the area of criminal elements.

“There are ongoing military operations within the Sambisa Game Reserve. What we witnessed yesterday was largely a result of insurgents being pushed out from their strongholds, which led them to launch coordinated attacks on nearby communities,” he explained.

He called on the Nigerian Army to intensify operations to clear insurgents from the Mandara Hills which he described as a major security threat.

“The Mandara Hills remain a major security concern. The insurgents descended from the hills to attack this town. Therefore, I call on the Nigerian Army and the Federal Government to intensify efforts to clear Mandara Hills of insurgents,” Zulum said.

The governor noted that the exact number of casualties is yet to be confirmed as assessments are still ongoing, but acknowledged that several lives were lost while others were abducted.

As part of immediate humanitarian intervention, the governor said the state government had begun distributing relief materials and establishing cooking points to provide food for displaced residents.

“For now, we will distribute food items to those affected and I have directed that cooking points be established so that everyone in this community can receive meals from a central kitchen,” he said.

The governor appealed to residents to remain calm and law-abiding, noting that Borno State government will double its efforts to end this madness. “We shall not relent in our commitment to restoring lasting peace and stability in the state,” he said.

“I strongly believe that with sustained military operations and cooperation between all levels of government, we will overcome this challenge. Insha Allah, peace will return fully to our land,” the governor added.

Similarly, Governor Babagana Zulum inspected houses burned during an attack by Boko Haram insurgents on Thursday in Konduga town.

Zulum Pays Sympathy Visit to Victims of Ngoshe Attack, Assures Rescue of Abducted Residents

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IWD 2026: UN Women Warns Nigeria’s Democracy at Risk as Women Hold Just 3.9% of Parliamentary Seats

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March 6, 2026

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IWD 2026: UN Women Warns Nigeria’s Democracy at Risk as Women¹ Hold Just 3.9% of Parliamentary Seats

By: Michael Michael

The Country Representative of UN Women to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Beatrice Eyong, has warned that Nigeria’s democratic progress and development could remain stunted unless urgent action is taken to close the country’s widening gender inequality gap.

Speaking in Abuja during a media parley ahead of the 2026 commemoration of International Women’s Day, Eyong said Nigeria continues to face troubling disparities in women’s representation, safety and access to justice despite years of advocacy and policy commitments.

The global observance this year is themed “Rights. Justice. Action.”

Eyong said the theme reflects a growing international concern that although women’s rights are widely recognised in law and policy, millions of women still struggle to experience those rights in their daily lives.

She particularly raised alarm over Nigeria’s extremely low level of female political representation, revealing that women currently occupy just 3.9 per cent of parliamentary seats, one of the lowest rates anywhere in the world.

According to her, the imbalance not only undermines democratic inclusion but also weakens the country’s ability to make policies that reflect the needs of half of its population.

“Gender equality is fundamentally a question of power, and the power gap in Nigeria remains stark,” Eyong said.

“When women are missing from decision-making tables, the consequences are visible in the policies we adopt, the priorities we fund, and the voices that remain unheard.”

Beyond politics, she said Nigeria continues to grapple with persistently high levels of gender-based violence, noting that many survivors still face enormous barriers in seeking justice.

She warned that violence against women is increasingly spreading into digital spaces, where technology-facilitated abuse has become a growing threat.

“Rights mean little without justice,” she said. “Justice must be experienced in women’s safety, in their freedom from fear, and in their ability to seek protection and accountability wherever abuse occurs.”

To confront these challenges, Eyong said UN Women is intensifying advocacy for the Special Seats for Women Bill, a constitutional reform proposal aimed at guaranteeing women stronger representation in Nigeria’s legislative institutions.

She explained that the organisation is also working with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to strengthen the National Sexual Offender Database, a critical accountability tool designed to prevent convicted offenders from evading detection by moving between states.

In addition, she said UN Women has expanded its engagement with traditional and religious leaders across Nigeria to challenge cultural norms and social practices that perpetuate discrimination and violence against women.

The agency is also supporting efforts to institutionalise Gender-Responsive Budgeting at federal and state levels to ensure government spending prioritises issues affecting women and girls, including maternal health, girl-child education, economic empowerment and community safety.

Eyong noted that beyond policy reforms, UN Women is building partnerships with financial institutions and the private sector to increase access to funding for women-led businesses and community initiatives.

She also highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen women’s participation in peacebuilding and conflict prevention through Nigeria’s Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.

However, Eyong stressed that meaningful progress will require more than policy declarations.

According to her, Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of gender policies but from weak implementation, insufficient financing and inconsistent enforcement.

“We must move from commitments to implementation and from plans to measurable impact,” she said.

She called on the media to intensify its role in exposing injustice, amplifying the voices of survivors of violence and promoting women’s leadership across sectors.

Eyong said journalists remain critical partners in shaping national conversations that can influence policy reforms and public attitudes toward gender equality.

“When we secure justice and rights for women, we secure Nigeria’s stability, prosperity and future,” she said.

She added that UN Women remains committed to working with government, civil society, development partners and communities to ensure that the ideals of Rights, Justice and Action translate into tangible change for women and girls across Nigeria.

IWD 2026: UN Women Warns Nigeria’s Democracy at Risk as Women Hold Just 3.9% of Parliamentary Seats

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Zulum Appoints Dr. Sa’id Alkali Kori, 3 others as Chairman, Board Members, Borno Investment Promotion Agency

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14 hours ago

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March 6, 2026

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Zulum Appoints Dr. Sa’id Alkali Kori, 3 others as Chairman, Board Members, Borno Investment Promotion Agency

By: Our Reporter

The earlier statement inadvertently refers to Dr. Sa’id Alkali Kori as the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Borno State Investment Promotion Agency, rather than the Chairman/Chief Investment Adviser to the Borno State Governor.

Therefore, this statement supersedes the earlier one.

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has approved the appointment of Dr. Sa’id Alkali Kori as Chairman/Chief Investment Adviser to the Borno State Governor.

Dr. Kori is a consummate entrepreneur and investment and infrastructure finance expert, and holds a PhD in Humanities and Social Sciences with a focus on Intellectual Capital from the University of London, United Kingdom.

He serves as the Honorary Special Adviser on International Relations and Investment to the Governor of Yobe State and is the Technical Adviser to the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum.

Dr. Kori is currently the Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Thinklab Group Limited, a leading innovation and development finance firm. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board for the Nigeria Food Corporation.

He has structured financing in excess of $200 million for critical infrastructure in housing, healthcare, and road networks.

The appointment is for the initial term of four years.

Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has also approved the appointment of Laminu Lawan Awana, Abubakar Ahmed Askira, and Danladi Alfaki Isa as Governing Board members representing the three senatorial zones of the state.

This is in accordance with section 6(b) of the Borno State Investment Promotion Law 2026 (as amended).

The appointees are seasoned professionals in trade and investment, development financing, housing, and mortgage finance.

Other members of the Board include:

A representative from each of the following Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, not below the rank of a Director, as Ex-Officio Members:
· Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industries
· Borno State Geographic Information Service (BOGIS)
· Ministry of Works
· Ministry of Housing and Energy
· Ministry of Justice
· Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources
· Ministry of Livestock
· Ministry of Planning
· Ministry of Finance
· Ministry of Local Government and Emirate Affairs

  1. Two (2) representatives from the Organized Private Sector in Borno State.
  2. The Director-General of the Borno State Investment Promotion Agency will serve as the Secretary.

All the appointments take immediate effect.

Governor Babagana Zulum expressed confidence that, with Dr. Kori’s vast experience and the collective expertise of the board members, the state will be positioned as a hub for domestic and foreign investment and will foster viable Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to accelerate the State’s economic revitalization and sustainable development.

Zulum Appoints Dr. Sa’id Alkali Kori, 3 others as Chairman, Board Members, Borno Investment Promotion Agency

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