 The United Kingdom government has launched a new urban climate action program to support cities and regions in developing countries most impacted by climate change to accelerate their transition to net zero. Backed with £27.5 million, the program will support cities across Africa, Asia and Latin America to take action to tackle climate change and create a sustainable future by helping them to become carbon neutral by 2050 and to prepare low-carbon infrastructure projects. The program also will help cities like Lagos, Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur and Bogota to develop low-emission public transport systems, renewable energy generation, sustainable waste management, new climate smart building codes and climate risk planning. While joining us to discuss this is Celestina Acuberi, he's the national coordinator of GUNI Solidarity Forum and of course also who will be joining us later Dr. Peter Mayday, he's the river state commissioner for energy and natural resources. Thank you very much Mr. Acuberi for joining us. Thank you for having me, good evening. So everybody, the whole world has been watching Glasgow as world leaders have been talking about climate change, how real it has become even in 2021. It looks more like it's becoming a bit more realistic but you obviously are in the thick of it. We've seen a lot of environmental degradation happen in your locality and it seems to be not just about oil spills but we're also having particulate matter in the air in your area. So how real is climate change to you and what are you doing in your locality to educate people about it? Well, it is more here because every time it rains, unlike before, if it rains now, there will be no space in Portugal, everywhere it's flooded, everywhere it's flooded. The first people are now carrying their fishing net on the street, as you can tell you are serious and on our own, because of our particular experience in Ogoni land, we've been mitigating and training people on adaptation measures, strategies, even before this whole thing. So those who are not surviving environmental disaster are those that will be caught unprepared but for the Ogoni judging from what we've gone through, we've seen quite a lot of it and we've been doing the little we can in the absence of money to mitigate. The people who are just like you, who are in the front line of extreme weather like you have said, the floodings that come and other issues, some of them are saying that these world leaders, every time they meet for this climate change talks, that they have just a tea party of sorts, they talk about it and they really do not match that talk with the kind of action that needs to be seen in terms of cutting emissions, in terms of planning and making accommodations for how fast the climate change issues are catching up with us in the rest of the world. And I'm wondering why do you think that these are world leaders, including our president who was also part of this event, why do you think that there's a lot of foot dragging in terms of dealing with these issues other than just talking about it and making very worded and interesting statements? This is not the first time they are making statements, I have attended quite a good number of the calls and although we are not allowed inside but we have our outside movement but all the agreements that have been boarded in Paris, Copenhagen, no one has been supported so they don't make the statement, they sign, they come back and nothing is done, they merely live studies, so the conventions and agreements that they sign and it was in Africa and other foreign nations and continent because they don't have what it takes to curb emissions, they don't have the resources to develop electric cars, they don't have resources to build houses that can produce electricity for the use of the home and I'm giving outside, well the money they say that they will give to them to help them mitigate and adapt, nobody is giving them a dime and if you follow the pattern of this so-called developed nations and the white men, you see that from slavery to actual colonization and taking over the whole territory so now what we know and neo-colonizing, you see that they have not been sincere at all, they have not been sincere, they don't work at all so you don't even believe them, they don't believe me, they are the people destroying our continent, destroying our environment, destroying everything we have, that's a hefty allegation That's true, I did read a report that said that Africa actually contributes less than the highest emitters in the world which would be pointing to the U.S. and China but then we suffer the most but let me push this question to Dr. Peter Mayday, Dr. Mayday, thank you very much for joining us, it's interesting what Mr. Baburi has said, there's more talk about how we can deal with the issue of climate change, how we can cut emissions but we never really get to the action part, we're still flaring gas every day in Nigeria here, river state is still facing the issue of the soot, I was there two weeks ago and every single time I got to take a shower it was like I was working in a coal store or something like I was producing charcoal, these are issues that need to be addressed, we're not supposed to be waiting for the U.S. and China to help us, we need to start from where we stand, what is the river state government doing in terms of cutting these types of emissions, especially the ones that might end up causing cancerous diseases in the future? Well thank you for having me and I know that my brother Akubari has been able to make a lot of explanation to the issues, now you know the issue of environmental protection which is exactly the practice of protecting the natural environment, it's not just for a country to do or a state but it also has a situation where individuals have to play, families have to play, communities have to play as well as the country or the world, so it may, you agree with me that what we are passing through or we are seeing in river state today is a situation where the country we find ourselves in has failed to enforce rules so that operators will be able to operate by the rules, a situation where a company would prefer to fair gas and pay dependency than to be able to put in place gas utilization plan that be able to reposition our environment such that our environment can be able to be friendly and such that we will not have issues of climate change, before now people actually look at climate change as the issue that maybe only developed countries like America and China would be able to do but the reality now is on us, we've seen a situation where we find ourselves where the effects of climate change is beginning to rain down on us, just as Akubari said the issue of flooding, the issue of depletion of the ozone layout has actually exposed our environment to effects of global warming and so in that case we're seeing a situation where right now in November we're still having excessive rainfall in river state which was not the case yesterday, so coming back to what river state is doing I have to let you understand that everything that has to do with the oil and gas activities in Nigeria is on the exclusive legislative list of government and because it's on the exclusive legislative list of government it is behoved on the federal government to provide what would be able to contain the SSCs of the IOCs and the NOCs. As much as this is the job of the federal government because you see I'm not in any way holding brief for the federal government too but it's very easy for states to pass the ball to the federal government, yes they have the right to do certain, make certain laws but if your people are suffering for example Dr Mayday your family members are suffering as a result of something that your father and your mother could could effect a change that could help those your children why would you not be going to your father to make to do whatever it takes for them to make that change happen why not why do you sit down and just keep complaining to everyone who visits your sick children that oh this is my father's doing why wouldn't you take the step and this is what the state governments do in every single thing not even about climate change not about not just about IOCs and you know how they take laws into their hands the fact that governments sit back and complain it actually just it worries me and I'm wondering why can't the governments push especially like I want to say it again the suit in a river state is is getting bad by the day and nothing is done I was one of the people who were pushing for this you know we campaigned against this suit for it the emissions to reduce but it keeps going out in the air every day because the state governments are still making excuses that the federal government needs to come to their rescue why can't the states make a move well I don't know what you mean by the state making move it it shows us if what I said does not make any meaning to you I'm telling you the problem the problem is that there is a fiscal terrorism that is listen to me listen to me there's a problem the IOC everything on the exclusive list of government belongs to federal government and this suit we're talking of is an admission from the IOCs and these are all companies that are domiciled in river state operating for federal government so what do you want the state to do now let me tell you specifically it is it is your domain it is your domain do you want to answer the question for yourself I'm just asking because you asked me a question I'm trying to answer don't indict my state don't do that allow me to answer your question you're asking what the state is doing I'm trying to lay the background to let you understand that the problem is that I'm listening the issue is from the emission of the IOCs and the state is constrained to be the extent to which you can drag the IOC for example as the commission of ending river state I have written several little all the tank firms in river state for a meeting and they tell me they will not come they're not responsible to me they're responsible to DPR what do you mean by that now let me tell you as we speak we are preparing now to host the national council on hydrocarbon river state government is hosting it from 15th to the 19th all the oil majors everything that has to do with hydrocarbon and oil and gas related activity will be done in river state and we are making a case for the environmental degradation we're having in our state you are aware of several the gunners that were executed because they raised their voice that environmental degradation is our problem well it's 2021 for no such reason so as a state we are doing our own bit by sensitizing our people we are doing our own bit by ensuring that we reduce artisanary refinery as a state we are doing our very best to engage with federal government to see what we can do the reports that rivers the government set up the team they have submitted the report in a bid to implement the report we are doing our very best to see that whatever we do in river state today before you do any investment in river state today in the oil and gas sector it must be a green okay investment in the oil and gas sector not a brand investment okay one last question doctor made it just before you just before we round up do you think i know that you're a government person right now and you're speaking for the river state government but i'm gonna ask this question you're saying that the government is doing its best fair good and fair is that best good enough as we speak i asked you the question i asked earlier on because i was wondering it's not enough to write letters if you feel that you yourself you the governor and everybody who lives in that state your health will be at risk in three four five years is talking enough and that best that you're making reference to is it enough well my dear brother you cannot give what you don't have a media sister you cannot give what you don't have like i told you the effort of river state government now to host the national council hydrocarbon that is the highest decision making and policy making body in anything that has to do with oil and gas in Nigeria we're hosting this program now so that we draw the attention of everybody from the minister to everybody in Nigeria to the situation we're passing through in river states river state government accepted to host it it's an effort in the right direction within the period these people here they will be real to the situation to see what we are saying and i'm also saying that there is need for a gas utilization plan anybody that would do any investment today in the oil and gas in river state you must submit the gas in a system plan such that you don't tell us that you are going to flare gas and pay penalty to federal government so federal government is comfortable taking the penalty and allow us to suffer so we are drawing the attention the collaborative effort the individuals need to play their role the community need to play their role the government of the state need to play their role local government need to play their role and federal government need to play their role in isolation all right federal government so that we can achieve a cleaner environment i would like to be part of that event so don't don't forget to email me because i want to be there and witness that event and i want to see the case that the river state government will make uh thank you very much dr pizza mayday for being part of the conversation mr mr celestina pulberry thank you so much for being part of the conversation thank you all all right well thank you all for staying with us we will take a quick break now to bring you the highlights of the week and when we return i will say my goodbyes most symbols most evil boys will you look at high pop now as a savior because it's like agitation that is very common in the whole southeast nigeria the agitation that is common is that they look at them as being excluded from the government they look at them as being marginalized and they are eliminated they look at themselves when you think about number of states number of local government areas and many things rules and road infrastructure job opportunities a lot of other things so when compared to what is happening in some other zones they'll they get frustrated it is that frustration that is now they try to agitate against it i think we need to come together now and ask me to be our dear state forward what we call the spirit of anambra the state we love we need to come together and now stop talking about you lost i won blah blah blah let's talk about how to move forward let the best man win and the best man should serve everybody in anambra state because what anambra is going to be better security wise we want our daughters to come back home and do their traditional marriages we want to have our sons to come back home and do their young festival we don't want people to be shot dead i think it's in mollywood and i also want the media to be understood in their correspondence they should not hide information about crime that when people can have the true picture but what you saw on saturday if you're just a stranger that is not the anambra we know now we are seeing the senator from from southwest the prison that's why she could be and legal state and other states perhaps anambra state and perhaps even benwood state anywhere or even found should be added to the ngdc commission it's it's ridiculous and it makes no sense of who we are and what we stand for and we recommend the senators of the south south particularly the deputy senate president senator geosecobo and the other senator for standing firmly against that that's that of marches and taxation of being it is it is an attempt to continue to take for granted the people of the manger delta region the ngdc was specifically created to address issues of degradation issues of environmental pollution issues of the poverty in the mangy delta the state governors are doing what they are doing because the federal government have actually allowed it you know we have a system just like uh doctor damu has said we had a system where the governors go to abuja every other day cap in hand begging for resources so they are not looking inward the everything is connected to the to the center and i think it is the federal government that has enabled this yes we we have we have to soften the advantages of the civil war and um i think the biggest problem is military intervention in our politics because that was actually what has created the entire problem when the army took over the centralized governor not because it was good for nigeria but because it was convenient for them to stay in control with decentralized power it took a very easy but the secretary to central to work because naturally the local government will have a role to play the state government will have a role to play and maybe the civil society to not emphasize more on strengthening the the government at the state level and the local government what we hope you enjoyed the whole package this week i am mary ana konau see you on monday on plus politics don't forget to follow us on our youtube yes you can follow us on both our youtube accounts plus tb africa and plus tb africa lifestyle for all our programs have a good evening