President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday flagged off the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour (REHCCAT), a nationwide campaign designed to deepen climate resilience, unlock green investments, and position Nigeria as a leader in Africa’s low-carbon transition.

Launching the initiative at the State House, Abuja, the President, represented by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, described the tour as a “national call to action” that moves climate conversations from conference halls to communities.

Tinubu said climate change is no longer a distant concern but a present challenge affecting farmers battling desert encroachment in the North, coastal communities facing erosion in the South, and businesses grappling with energy costs and supply chain disruptions nationwide.

He, however, framed the crisis as an opportunity.
“Nigeria stands at a defining moment,” he stated. “The global shift to low-carbon development is accelerating.

“Capital is moving. Markets are evolving. Nations that position themselves wisely today will lead tomorrow, and we intend to be one of them.”

The President said the tour would engage governors, traditional rulers, youth, innovators, farmers, and financial institutions to identify bankable climate projects and strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to mobilize climate finance at scale.

He stressed that Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) must translate from commitments on paper into tangible investments and measurable outcomes.
“Climate finance is not charity; it is strategic investment.

“Climate resilience is not optional, it is national security,” he declared, urging state governments to serve as engines of green growth and calling on the private sector to innovate boldly and invest responsibly.

In his remarks, Lawal said Nigeria had laid a strong legal foundation with the enactment of the Climate Change Act 2021, which established a framework for carbon budgeting and a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2060.

He noted that the next phase requires deepening implementation at subnational levels through performance rankings, institutional reforms, and inter-state collaboration.

According to him, the ministry has partnered with states to appoint Subnational Directors of Climate Change and establish climate desks across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to drive coordinated action.

Lawal also highlighted youth-focused programmes, including the Eco-School Initiative, the Youth Climate Innovation Hub, and the Uni-Go-Green Initiative, aimed at equipping young Nigerians with skills in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, circular economy solutions, and green enterprise.

Chairman of the REHCCAT Committee and Special Assistant to the President on Climate Change Matters, Comrade Yussuf Olatunji Kelani, said the tour would move across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, beginning with two strategic states per zone in its first phase.

He explained that each stop would feature high-level policy dialogues with governors and lawmakers, town hall meetings with community stakeholders, technical roundtables with development partners, and innovation showcases highlighting clean energy, climate-smart agriculture, waste-to-value solutions, and methane abatement technologies.

“This is a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,” Kelani said. “We are taking climate action into markets, farms, classrooms, and policy chambers.”

Guest speaker, Professor Babajide Alo, in a paper titled Securing Our Climate Future: Empowering Communities for a Resilient Nigeria, emphasized the need to move from top-down climate strategies to locally driven adaptation models.

He urged federal and state governments to strengthen subnational capacity, increase grassroots climate education, and create funding frameworks that allow states to implement context-specific solutions.

“Empowering communities is not only a survival strategy; it is a proactive pathway to sustainable development,” he said, calling for stronger enforcement mechanisms and partnerships among government, private sector, and civil society.

At the event, the President also named Senior Special Assistant on Climate Change Matters, Ibrahim Shelleng, and Special Assistant on Climate Change Financing, Olamide Fagbuji, as co-chairmen of the tour committee alongside Kelani.

The Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour, officials said, is expected to serve as a catalyst for mobilizing partnerships, stimulating green jobs, and aligning Nigeria’s climate ambitions with economic growth and long-term national resilience.