The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), on Tuesday, called for the removal of import duty on solar panel to encourage the use of renewable energy in the country.
The organisation’s Lead Climate Action Manager, Mr Solomon Adefolu, said in Lagos that the high cost of solar panel being imported from China could be reduce if the import duty tax was removed.
Adefolu said that encouraging the use of renewable energy would enable the country get to its global obligation of 20 per cent carbon emission reduction by 2030.
He said that Nigeria had got funding in millions of dollars from the Global Green Climate Fund (GCF) to combat climate change as agreed by the world in the 2016 Paris Climate change Conference.
The climate expert expressed misgivings on government’s slow respond on issues of climate change, adding “Nigeria is not insulated from climate induced crisis capable of wreaking havoc on the people.
“The recent Australia wild fire and the encroaching desertification in the north, should be an eye opener to us to act now to avoid disaster.
“The use of fossil fuel generator is emitting 55 per cent of Greenhouse gas into the atmosphere alone, not to talk of varying other uses that increases carbon in the air.
“Scientists have linked many global crises to climate change, therefore, every energy should not be spared in changing the situation for a better environment,” he said.
He appealed to the Federal Government to ensure that the GCF was channeled to halt climate change effect on people, saying that the facilitation of the production of the solar panel in Nigeria would go a long way in making the panel accessible to people.
He said that more efforts should be made by government at all levels to protect the environment and guarantee food security.
