Olusegun Ariyo
Deliberations on how nations can effectively mitigate the impact of climate change were top among discussions from member countries at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024.
The talks, which were held in Apia, the capital of the Independent State of Samoa, between October 21 and 26, saw Nigeria, one of the Commonwealth nations, calling for urgent and aggressive measures to combat the catastrophic impact of climate change.
Nigeria insisted that climatic changes pose a global crisis that demands immediate action.
It also restated its support for the preservation of democracy, the protection of civil rights across the Commonwealth, as well as ongoing reforms in the organization, focusing more on results-oriented value creation.
The Nigerian delegation to the meeting was led by the Minister of Environment, Alhaji Balarabe Lawal, after technical flight issues prevented Vice President Kashim Shettima from representing his boss, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the summit.
Meanwhile, a new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth has emerged. She is Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, currently Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
Nigeria and other nations voted for her during the meeting of the Commonwealth leaders on Saturday. President Bola Tinubu has already congratulated Ghana and the new Secretary-General.
Speaking shortly after a visit to the Moataa village, a community in Apia decorated with Nigerian colours and flags, Lawal, who was immediately delegated by the President to stand in for VP Shettima, told world leaders at CHOGM 2024 that Nigeria has had its unpalatable share of the devastating impact of climate change through flooding, degraded lands, and rising sea levels.
“We need to address the climate challenge very strongly because of its effect on our society; it is a global phenomenon. We have experienced flooding in our country, degraded lands, and rising sea levels, among others.
“Now is the time to join forces at the level of the Commonwealth to address these issues,” the Minister stated, adding that Nigeria’s positions on the environment, democracy, security, and other issues were prompted by current challenges faced across the world.
Lawal noted that Nigeria also made its position clear “in support of democracy and the protection of civil rights across Commonwealth nations, including the processes for strengthening the Commonwealth to make it stronger and more vibrant.”
He emphasized that Nigeria also backed and encouraged ongoing institutional reforms at the Commonwealth, reaffirming its commitment to the organization’s renewal, even as he emphasized that the nation’s focus is on results-oriented value creation and a responsive Commonwealth.
The Minister also reiterated Nigeria’s support for the new Secretary-General of the body, expressing hope that, with Botchwey’s emergence, there would be more robust engagement between Africa and the Commonwealth.
Commonwealth leaders had earlier in their executive session “welcomed His Majesty, King Charles III, to his first CHOGM as Head of the Commonwealth.”
In a communiqué issued by the Commonwealth secretariat at the end of the meeting, the leaders commended the King’s unwavering commitment to a more sustainable and resilient future for the 56 member countries of the Commonwealth and to strengthening education, health, and climate resilience, particularly in small island developing states (SIDS), a commitment that has inspired the King’s Commonwealth Fellowship Programme.
The leaders reflected on the gathering being the first CHOGM since the loss of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who served as Head of the Commonwealth with extraordinary duty for over seventy years.
The meeting also named Antigua and Barbuda as the host of the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2026.
