Deputy speaker Calls for Global Legislative Action to Tackle Climate Change, Disasters

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has called for structured legislative interventions across the globe to tackle climate-related disasters and strengthen resilience in vulnerable communities.

Kalu made the call on Thursday while contributing to a debate on “Urgent Parliamentary Action to Address Climate-related Disasters and Strengthen Resilience” at the ongoing 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Arusha, Tanzania.

He said the global climate debate must move beyond pledges and declarations to practical and bankable legislative measures capable of delivering tangible benefits to people and economies.

According to him, the proposed intervention should be anchored on two major pillars: an investor-ready pipeline of priority projects covering clean energy, transport, agriculture, resilient infrastructure and the circular economy; and a project-preparation and transaction-support platform to move viable projects from conception to bankability, financing and implementation.

Kalu urged parliamentarians worldwide to see themselves as architects of the legal certainty and public accountability required to build resilient, competitive and sustainable economies.

He said, “As legislators, we should understand that legislation must not remain a statement of intent. It must become an instrument of delivery.

“Lawmakers are not just observers of the climate crisis, but architects of the legal certainty and public accountability required for a resilient, competitive and sustainable economy.”

The Deputy Speaker said farmers across the world were already dealing with irregular rainfall and declining yields, while coastal communities faced erosion and rising waters and cities struggled with flooding and overstretched infrastructure.

He stressed that climate finance should address both emissions reduction and human resilience.

“Today, I propose that this debate should not end as another important conversation. It should become the beginning of a structured legislative intervention across the globe,” Kalu said.

He added that the intervention should facilitate the development of an investor-ready pipeline of priority projects and establish mechanisms capable of taking viable projects from concept through financing to implementation.

“This is how ambition becomes action. This is how policy becomes finance. And this is how finance becomes infrastructure, jobs, resilience and shared prosperity,” he said.

Nigeria’s climate action

Kalu described climate action as a livelihood and economic issue for Nigeria, rather than merely an environmental concern.

“For Nigeria, climate action is not an abstract environmental aspiration, but about whether a farmer can harvest despite changing rainfall patterns; whether a family can access affordable and reliable electricity; whether a young person can find dignified work in a modern economy; whether our cities can withstand floods; and whether Africa’s largest economy can industrialise without reproducing the environmental vulnerabilities of the past,” he said.

The Deputy Speaker criticised delays in implementing international climate agreements, noting that ambitious commitments had for years not been matched by adequate, accessible and affordable financing for developing countries.

He said Nigeria was not participating in the IPU Assembly merely to restate its challenges but to present investment opportunities.

According to him, Nigeria is inviting investors to co-finance a growing pipeline of commercially viable and climate-resilient projects backed by legislation, public policy and accountable institutions.

$500bn investment opportunity

Kalu recalled Nigeria’s commitment at COP26 to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060 through its Energy Transition Plan.

He described the plan as a development-centred pathway designed not only to reduce emissions but also to expand energy access, reduce poverty, create jobs and build a more resilient economy.

The Deputy Speaker said Nigeria’s updated Energy Transition Plan estimates that about $500bn in capital investment above business-as-usual spending would be required to achieve net zero by 2060.

“This is not simply a financing gap; it is an investment horizon. It is an opportunity to build new markets, modernise infrastructure, create green jobs, unlock innovation and deliver long-term returns,” he said.

He identified distributed renewable energy, solar mini-grids, battery storage, clean cooking solutions, electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure, industrial energy efficiency, climate-smart agriculture, irrigation, cold-chain logistics and food processing among priority investment areas.

Others, he said, include electric mobility, mass transit, low-carbon urban transport, waste-to-value systems, methane reduction and green manufacturing.

Kalu also highlighted the need for adaptation investments in flood-control systems, resilient drainage, coastal protection, nature-based solutions, climate-resilient housing and infrastructure.

Kalu lists legislative priorities

The Deputy Speaker listed strengthening the implementation of the Climate Change Act, monitoring climate-related public expenditure and supporting credible carbon-market and green-finance frameworks among Nigeria’s legislative priorities.

He also called for reforms to improve investor protection and contract enforcement, transparent approval processes for green projects, expansion of state-level electricity markets and sustained dialogue among government, investors and communities.

Kalu insisted that Nigeria’s transition to a greener economy must be inclusive.

“Our message is simple: Nigeria’s green transition must be a just-transition. It must expand access to affordable energy, create decent work, support communities, equip young people with new skills, promote women’s participation in the green economy and ensure that no region or social group is left behind,” he said.