The Deputy Speaker of Nigeria's House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has called for structured legislative interventions across the globe as an urgent parliamentary strategy to tackle climate-related disasters and build resilience in vulnerable regions.
?Speaking during a debate on "Urgent Parliamentary Action to Address Climate-related Disasters and Strengthen Resilience" at the 153rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Arusha, Tanzania, Kalu emphasized that parliamentary action must move beyond pledges toward practical, bankable legislative steps.
?"Across the globe, farmers are confronting irregular rainfall and declining yields; coastal communities are facing erosion and rising waters; businesses are losing productive hours to unreliable energy; and cities are struggling with flooding that overwhelms drainage systems and infrastructure," Kalu noted. "As legislators, we should understand that legislation must not remain a statement of intent. It must become an instrument of delivery."
?He proposed a global legislative framework centered on two main pillars: developing an investor-ready pipeline of priority projects in clean energy, transport, agriculture, resilient infrastructure, and the circular economy, alongside establishing a transaction-support platform to take viable projects from concept to bankability.
?Highlighting Nigeria's internal efforts, Kalu emphasized that climate action is directly tied to economic survival and livelihoods.
He referenced the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan, aimed at achieving net-zero emissions by 2060, which requires an estimated $500 billion in capital investment above business-as-usual spending.
?"For Nigeria, climate action is not an abstract environmental aspiration, but about whether a farmer can harvest despite changing rainfall patterns; whether a family can access affordable and reliable electricity; whether a young person can find dignified work in a modern economy," he said.
?Kalu reiterated Nigeria's commitment to strengthening the implementation of its Climate Change Act, monitoring climate expenditure, supporting carbon-market frameworks, and driving a just transition that protects vulnerable communities while attracting international capital.
