Coal exploitation: Nigeria should exit Kyoto protocols, agreements on climate change – Analyst
Mr. Ambrose Igboke, a Public Affairs Analyst, has advised the Federal Government to exit the Kyoto Protocol and other agreements on climate change to enable Nigeria to harness its coal resources.
Igboke gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the presence of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The essential tenet of the Kyoto Protocol was that industrialised nations needed to reduce their CO2 emissions.
According to him, Coal is a natural solid mineral that has a multi-dimensional unity value.
“When processed, it can be used to produce electricity, power our homes and industries, provide fuel in the production of bitumen, and many more things.
“To commercially exploit our coal resources, Nigeria must exit all multilateral agreements on carbon emissions,” he said.
He stressed that Nigeria needed to exit the Kyoto Protocol and all other agreements on climate change.
“This will enable us to put our coal resources to use by mining, processing, and even exploiting them,” he said.
Igboke said the Coal deposit in Nigeria could create millions of jobs in the entire value chain, from mining to processing and marketing.
He lamented that Nigeria has abandoned her coal to please Europe and America in the name of climate change protocols and agreements.
“It is time to reverse this ugly trend. Western countries use carbon emissions and are still using carbon to build their industries and sustain their economies.
“If we exit, we can use our God-given coal to produce our electricity, to fire our plants, to produce bitumen that we use for road construction, and others,” he said.
The analyst further recommended policy formulation and implementation that involved modern training on coal exploitation, coal mining, and coal processing and usage.
Igboke also said there should be policies that protect citizens, especially coal miners, from the hazards of coal mining.
According to him, coal mining hazards are very dangerous and have been a very big issue in the country.
Besides, he called for the collaborative efforts of the government and private sector to develop a commercially viable technology pathway to zero emissions in a carbon-constrained world.
