President Muhammadu Buhari says Africa is being cheated, oppressed, and lied to by rich nations.
Buhari said this while speaking at the opening plenary of the COP-26 climate change summit in Glasgow, Scotland.
He reminded the participants that Africa is almost non-emitters, adding that the continent is responsible for a mere five percent of global emissions.
Buhari, in a statement on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, reminded developed countries of the pledge to provide at least $100 billion yearly to developing countries. He said Africa has heard enough of the talk from rich nations.
“it’s high time they walked their talk,” he said.
While criticizing rich countries, which he said were the major emitters that have brought the world’s climate to this sorry state, for making promises toward climate finance without fulfilling them.
Buhari said he was disappointed that some of the world’s biggest emitters, China, with 11 per cent contribution to global warming, and Russia did not attend the summit in person.
The statement quoted to have said that “Parties to the Paris Agreement are expected to transition from fossil fuel to clean energy and reach a Net Zero ambition for greenhouse gases emission.
“We agree that Net Zero ambition can lead to economic transformation across all sectors. It is a good ambition, but it requires critical infrastructure in place, including renewable energy. Therefore, in Nigeria, it will take us longer time to get to Net Zero.”
Buhari said attaining national and global climate change goals would require adequate and sustained technical and financial support to developing countries.
He said added greater efforts should be channeled towards assisting developing countries to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) commitments through the pledges made by the developed countries to provide at least $100 billion yearly.
