Subsidy removal will lessen carbon dioxide emissions – Shettima

The removal of fuel subsidies, according to vice president Kashim Shettima, is expected to reduce Nigeria’s carbon dioxide emissions by more than 15 million tonnes in a single year.

Shettima made this statement at the one-day workshop the National Council on Climate Change organized with the theme “Unpacking the outcomes of the 58 sessions of the subsidiary bodies of the United Nations framework convention on climate change.”

Shettima, who was represented by Senator Ibrahim Hassan, his deputy chief of staff, said that Nigeria was on track to meet the national contribution targets.

“At the onset of this administration, President Bola Tinubu took the bold step to put an end to the petrol subsidy. Preliminary analysis conducted by the National Council on Climate Change on the co-benefits of fuel subsidy removal indicates that there has been about a 30 per cent reduction in daily fuel consumption, amounting to about 20 million litres, equivalent to an estimated daily saving of 42,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

“When projected over one year, it amounts to over 15 million tonnes of CO2 saved, representing about 40 per cent greenhouse gas reduction from the baseline projection of 45 million metric tonnes of total GHG carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030. This places Nigeria on course to achieve our NDC targets ahead of time,” he said.

In his welcome address, the Director General of the NCCC, Dr Salisu Dahiru, said there was a need for Nigeria to prepare adequately for COP28 and other statutory meetings.