Nasarawa Assembly passes climate change bill, moves to establish State Advisory Committee
The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has passed a bill to establish a state climate policy and create a Climate Change Advisory Committee to align the state’s development planning with Nigeria’s national climate change framework.
The bill, titled “A Bill for a Law to Provide for Nasarawa State Policy on Climate Change for the Mainstreaming of Climate Change Actions in Nasarawa State and for Other Related Matters,” was passed on Monday after scaling its third reading in the Assembly.
The legislation, sponsored by Mohammed Omadefu, who represents Keana Constituency, seeks to institutionalise climate governance at the subnational level. It will also create a Climate Change Agency to coordinate policy implementation once signed into law by Governor Abdullahi Sule.
Speaker of the House, Danladi Jatau, said the law aims to mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment and safeguard livelihoods across the state.
“The bill provides a framework for mainstreaming climate action into all levels of governance in the state,” Mr Jatau said during plenary. “It will also help the government access local and international funding to address environmental challenges.”
Mr Jatau directed the Clerk of the House to prepare a clean copy of the bill for Governor Sule’s assent. Once signed, the law will mandate the creation of a Climate Change Advisory Committee chaired by the governor and supported by technical members drawn from relevant ministries, academia, and civil society.
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Under the law, the governor will chair the advisory committee. The state agency established by the law will formulate and coordinate climate change and environmental policy across ministries and local governments.
Environmental advocacy groups say the move places Nasarawa among the Nigerian states actively framing local legal mechanisms to implement the Federal Nigeria Climate Change Act, 2021, which mandates climate-resilience and adaptation programmes.
The next key steps are gubernatorial assent and the agency’s operationalisation, including staff appointment, budget allocation, and integration of climate risk into state planning.