Presidential Town Hall on Environment, Climate Change on February 7

The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), a leading climate and environmental think tank in Nigeria and Africa, in collaboration with its partners: We the People, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) and the University of Abuja, is organizing a town hall meeting with the presidential candidates of political parties in the country.

According to HOMEF, the town hall meeting will focus on assessing Nigeria’s environmental and climate change challenges in the context of policy options ahead of the 2023 elections.

The Town Hall, scheduled for February 7, 2023, in the Main Auditorium, Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Abuja, is informed by the need for the environmental and climate justice community to review and question the plans and policies of the political parties at the addressing the myriad environmental and climate crises plaguing Nigeria. More than 1,000 participants, including civil society, the media, professional organisations, trade unions, students and academia are expected at the town hall.

In a statement signed by Nnimmo Basey, director of HOMEF, “although the well-being of the environment is a critical factor in a country where most citizens depend directly on it for their very existence, the issue was not current in the election talks” .

“Climate change challenges in Nigeria have intensified in recent years. Nigeria, one of the most affected frontline countries, has seen an accelerated rate of desertification and flooding, two manifestations that have seriously endangered security and food supplies.

“Similarly, the production of crude oil and gas has led to massive environmental destruction, especially in the Niger Delta. Twelve years after the publication of the United Nations Environment Program report on the state of the Ogoni environment, no significant action has been taken to restore and contain further oil pollution in the region.”

The town hall meeting aims to provide a platform for presidential candidates in Nigeria’s 2023 general election to discuss their plans and strategies for addressing critical environmental and climate challenges facing the country with Nigerian voters.

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