Climate Change: Ex-Nigerian governor calls for adoption of green economy

A former Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, has urged Nigerians and Africans to embrace the green economy revolution to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Mr Ikpeazu said this on Wednesday at the 40th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, according to a statement from his media team which was forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday.

The former governor spoke shortly after he was inducted into the College of Fellows of the Nigerian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, a professional association that manages the advancement of collective exploration in natural chemistry and atomic science in Africa.

‘Collective shift’

Mr Ikpeazu, who served as governor of Abia State from 2015 to 2023, emphasised the need for a collective shift towards a sustainable future.

The former governor, who has taught biochemistry in some Nigerian universities, lamented Africa’s vulnerability to climate change despite contributing less than 15 per cent to global pollution.

He stressed the importance of adopting green practices, utilising clean energy, and reducing fossil fuel consumption to protect the environment and public health.

“We’re trying to draw the consciousness of the world to this unfortunate paradigm. However, we must also begin to think like the rest of the world. Think green, go green, use clean energy, cut down on fossil fuel utilisation and use clean energy,” he said.

“This is because if you destroy the environment, you’re literally destroying your health. You know that the world is 66 per cent water and if we keep on putting it in danger and continue to deplete the ozone layer, flooding will become the order of the day. Then we lose our farmlands and houses,” Mr Ikpeazu added.

Conserving the environment

Also speaking at the event, the President of the Nigerian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Matthew Wegwu, stressed that biochemists play a “crucial” role in promoting sustainability and conserving the environment.

Mr Wegwu, a professor, said there was a need for collective action to protect the planet.

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Like Mr Ikpeazu, the professor called for the adoption of green practices to ensure a sustainable future.

“The world is going green now. Before, we all contributed to the destruction of the environment through pollution.

“We didn’t understand that sustainability of planet earth required everybody to go green. And as biochemists, we all understand the importance of going green,” he said.

Ikpeazu’s professional background

Mr Ikpeazu studied clinical biochemistry at the University of Maiduguri from where he graduated in 1984.

The former governor later obtained his master’s degree in biochemical toxicology from the same university in 1990, before bagging a doctorate degree in biochemical pharmacology from the University of Calabar, four years later.

Before joining politics, Mr Ikpeazu lectured in many Nigerian universities in the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Ebonyi State University and Calabar Polytechnic.

The former governor has indicated interest to attain professorship in his field where he has over 80 scientific articles published in local and international journals.

A fellow of the Nigeria Environmental Society, the former governor is a co-author of the book, The Biochemistry of Environmental Pollution.