October 25, 2022

Vanguard

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the recent flooding, desert encroachment and drought being experienced in various parts of the country are all negative fallouts of climate change.

In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari made this known while during an audience he granted the former United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on the sidelines of the First World Bio Summit 2022 in Seoul, South Korea.

According to the statement which is titled ‘Nigeria facing climate change challenges, President Buhari declares during meeting with Ban Ki-Moon in Seoul’, the president appreciated the existing cooperation between Nigeria and the Republic of Korea, especially in the aspect of gas exports to the Asian country.

Buhari also highlighted education as a critical investment in addressing unemployment and underdevelopment, calling for a closer focus on health challenges.

In his remarks, the former UN Chief who advocates Climate Change remediation and chairs the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for Better Future sympathised with the President over the flooding.

Ki-moon called for more investment to improve education and avert environmental degradation and preventive diseases to meet the core Sustainable Development Goals.

He appreciated Buhari for attending the World Bio Summit, adding that his presence would highlight the importance of global action and cooperation in developing vaccines and technology to meet the huge threat and challenges of pandemics.

Ki-moon also noted that Nigeria is “a very important country,” having prominent citizens occupying sensitive positions in global organizations.

Therefore, he called for more people-to-people engagements and cultural cooperation between both countries even as he sought Nigeria’s support in Korea’s bid to host an EXPO in 2030.

Explaining his pet project, the ex-UN Scribe said his Global Centre on Adaptation is trying to mobilize resources to help developing countries fight climate change.

He urged donor countries to fulfill their financial commitments to the Global Climate Fund.

Buhari and his guest also discussed the role of gender equality in attaining a prosperous society while calling for an end to the war in Ukraine.