Julius Berger Nigeria Plc has joined forces with the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour, a national initiative aimed at promoting climate resilience and sustainable development across Nigeria, to further the goals of the project.
According to a Thursday statement, the initiative was inaugurated at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, on Tuesday. Speaking at the event, President Bola Tinubu urged governors, organised private sector actors, and other stakeholders to lead Nigeria’s climate transition, transforming awareness into practical action at all levels.
Tinubu, who was represented at the event by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, also called on governors, private sector leaders, and stakeholders to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a resilient, low-carbon economy. He said climate change was not only a risk but also an opportunity for innovation, growth, and national development.
“Today, we inaugurate a movement, the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour. It is a national call to action, a call to innovation, opportunity, and sustainable development for all Nigerians,” Tinubu said.
The President stressed that Nigeria stood at a defining moment as the global transition to low-carbon development accelerated. “Capital is shifting, markets are evolving, and technology is transforming industries. Nigeria intends to lead tomorrow,” he said.
Tinubu explained that the tour would take climate awareness beyond conference halls into communities, engaging governors, traditional rulers, students, innovators, entrepreneurs, farmers, and financial institutions nationwide.
He added that by so doing, bankable projects will be identified, local solutions unlocked, climate finance capacity strengthened, and partnerships between the public and private sectors mobilised.
To the stakeholders, the President said that nationally determined contributions were commitments to reduce emissions, enhance resilience, and safeguard communities, saying, “commitments must be matched with action, supported by investment, and this tour bridges that gap.”
He further tasked young Nigerians to take ownership of the climate transition, stressing that their ideas, technology, and entrepreneurship would shape the nation’s future while aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Climate resilience is national security. Leadership is not a budget; it is a result we must accept with confidence. Nigeria chooses leadership over hesitation,” he stated.
Also, the Director of Forestry in the ministry, Halima Bawa, stressed the urgency of confronting climate change, noting its effects, including desert encroachment, flooding, coastal erosion, and erratic rainfall affecting farmers.
The Special Assistant to the President on Climate Change Matters, Yussuf Kelani, said the tour represented a national movement grounded in leadership, collaboration, and commitment to Nigeria’s environmental and economic security.
Kelani, who is also Chairman of the REHCCAT Committee, said the initiative sought to democratise climate knowledge, align federal and state-level action with Nigeria’s NDCs, and mobilise partnerships, green jobs, and climate finance.
The Guest Speaker, Prof. Babajide Alo, emphasised that climate resilience required locally led adaptation, community empowerment, and capacity-building to actively manage climate risks and implement sustainable solutions.
“Securing Nigeria’s climate future requires revisiting priorities and lifestyles, embracing responsible consumption, reducing carbon footprints, and embedding sustainable development in every sector,” Alo said, calling for action at all levels.
The Director of Administration at Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Dr Abdulaziz Kaita, who led the Julius Berger team to the event, remarked that the company has always worked assiduously towards zero emission in all its undertakings.
“We hold, value, and practice sustainable methods and processes in our operations. And as partners in progress with our operational community, that is Nigeria, we identify wholeheartedly with the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour,” Kaita said.
Last September, Nigeria submitted its NDC 3.0, committing to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions by 32 per cent by 2035. Nigeria has now committed to reducing Greenhouse Gas by 29 per cent by 2030 and 32 per cent by 2035 compared to 2018 levels.
In attendance at the event were top government functionaries, including presidential aides and key private sector drivers, as well as a strong delegation from Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.
