Nasarawa climate change bill: Groups urge Gov. Sule to sign before window closes
By: Abudu Olalekan
A last-minute effort by campaigners now targets Governor Abdullahi Sule, urging approval of the Nasarawa climate legislation prior to session closure. While time runs thin, supporters circle back with renewed appeals. Instead of waiting, they’ve turned up pressure through public statements. With lawmakers set to adjourn soon, delay could mean starting over. Not signing it might stall progress for years. Momentum builds quietly despite limited attention. Even so, voices grow louder near the capital. Unless action comes fast, the bill fades into pause. For now, eyes stay fixed on the governor’s office.
Five years spent pushing forward. What hangs in balance today is everything built since then, right there in Lafia.
Out here, folks fighting for cleaner air keep knocking on the governor’s door. One more try before time runs out. The clock ticks toward a hard stop – next week kills any chance. Without his pen now? All those meetings, drafts, late nights turn into dust. Starting over looms large if he waits. Nobody sees a win in that.
That Wednesday morning, just past nine, Emmanuel stepped through the tall doors of the environment ministry. Not here for small talk or handshakes. Carrying papers signed by groups like NASNECJ and GIFSEP, he moved straight toward the back offices. His words landed sharp on the assistant’s desk – the governor must sign today. Delay means everything breaks. The clock already ticking sideways.
Funny thing about Nasarawa – it feels every wild swing in the weather too. Not long ago, lawmakers there pushed through a new proposal meant to handle climate troubles ahead. Help came from African Activists for Climate Justice, who made sure the wording hit all the right notes. Still, nothing changes unless that paper moves past desks and signatures into real force.
“If this legislative tenure is over, we still have to start afresh,” Envoh-Okolo told the officials. “We do not want to start the whole of this process again.”
It wasn’t some wild demand. Merely a regional copy of existing federal actions. Time keeps moving, though. His eyes met those of the ministry officials as he explained – policy falls under your oversight, so start talking to the governor. Let things unfold. If the signature doesn’t come through, five years of effort vanish like smoke.
Surprisingly decent, the reception turned out to be.
Out front, Ede Yakubu stood in for Commissioner Margaret Elayo – she stayed away that day. Not once did he hide behind slow talk or vague replies. Instead, right off, he lifted up their work, said it reached wide, moved deep. What they built would matter, he told them, nothing tossed aside.
“The issue of climate change is universal,” Yakubu relayed, noting that the Sule administration is taking it seriously. “On the climate change bill, I want to assure you that we are going to collaborate with you to ensure that the bill is signed into law.”
Truth is, signing this gives the ministry real power to make every state department act on climate. From where we sit at Reportersroom, victory seems possible for those pushing hardest. Timing now hinges on whether the governor moves when they need him to.
