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Govt calls for commitment as Katsina leads 2025 climate governance ranking – EnviroNews
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To translate commitment into practical actions, the Federal Government has urged all 36 states, along with the federal capital territory, to prioritise climate action in their development and investment strategies.
Speaking during the 3rd edition of the Sub-national Climate Governance Performance Rating and Ranking held on Thursday, October 8, 2026, in Abuja, Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Lawal, emphasised that with the cooperation of the state government, the nation can achieve greater resilience, adopt a low-carbon approach, and foster prosperity while ensuring that no community is left behind.
“I commend all 36 states and FCT for their participation and continued commitment and encourage every state to use this initiative as a pathway towards stronger climate governance, greater resilience and sustainable development,” Lawal said, during the event, which was organised by his ministry in collaboration with the Society for Planet & Prosperity (SPP).
He gave assurances that the Nigerian government, under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, remains committed to partnering with relevant stakeholders to provide the technical assistance, capacity development, and collaboration needed to support this journey.
President of the Society for Planet & Prosperity, Professor Chukwumerije Okereke, in his presentation, asserts that the ranking was not based simply on a state’s climate record or its vulnerability to climate change.
According to him, the assessment examined how effectively Nigeria’s 36 states were governing and implementing climate action across five main areas: climate institutions and governance, climate policy and action plans, climate project implementation and monitoring, climate budget and finance, and online visibility of climate activities.
Professor Okereke explained further that this year, states were required to provide evidence of five major climate projects, from which the best three were selected for scoring.
“The assessment also examined budgeting, access to climate finance, stakeholder participation, monitoring and evaluation, and online visibility. The ranking was based on evidence submitted by the states, followed by verification, with strict emphasis on transparency and integrity,” he said.
The SPP boss stated that overall, the results demonstrated substantial improvement in state-level climate action and showed that continued collaboration, peer learning, stronger implementation, and better access to climate finance can further strengthen Nigeria’s response to the climate emergency.
Professor Mohammed Alamin, the Katsina State Commissioner of Environment and Special Advisor on Climate Change and winner of the 2025 Sub-national Climate Governance Ranking, told the participants during his acceptance speech that the climate agenda is also being presented as a development and security issue for Katsina, with special attention to the effects of desertification, resource pressure, and climate variability on agriculture, livelihoods, and communities.
The commissioner noted that the administration of Governor Dikko Radda has emphasised the involvement of young people and women in climate action and is pursuing initiatives including the Katsina One-Person-One-Tree programme, which targets two million trees in 2026 and 11 million by 2030.
“The state is also positioning its climate, agriculture, renewable-energy and carbon-market opportunities for international engagement, making the latest ranking both a recognition of its climate-governance efforts and a platform for showcasing its broader green-development agenda,” he said.
Earlier, Dr Iniobong Awe, the Director of the Department of Climate Change in the Federal Ministry of Environment, reiterated the Federal government’s commitment to implementing policies designed to achieve a low-carbon system.
The Sub-national Climate Governance Performance Rating and Ranking is an annual assessment tool that evaluates the effectiveness of Nigeria’s 36 state governments in managing climate change, promoting environmental sustainability, and implementing policies at the local level.
In the 2025 report ranking, Kwara State was positioned 5th, Lagos State ranked 4th, Kano State secured 3rd place, Abia State came in 2nd, and Katsina State claimed the 1st position.
By Etta Michael Bisong, Abuja
