Pres. Buhari leaves for Morocco to attend climate change conference

By The Citizen
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President Muhammadu Buhari is billed to attend the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), also known as COP-22, in Marrakech, Morocco.

He left Nigeria on Sunday.
The president is one of the representatives from 197 countries, including world leaders, environment ministers, government officials as well as a wide range of representatives from civil society and the private sector attending the event.

His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in a statement, said Buhari will deliver an address during the High Level Segment of COP 22 at the official opening plenary.

He will, during his address, highlight, among other key issues, Nigeria's unwavering commitment to implementing the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and policy actions aimed at tackling climate change through environmental sustainable efforts.

President Buhari will also, at the event, rally international support for the clean-up of Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta and resuscitation of the Lake Chad Basin.

While in Marrakech, the president is scheduled to attend the Africa Day Commemoration at COP 22 with the theme, 'Moving from Commitments to Action with Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and African Renewable Energy Initiative.'

He will also attend a Summit of African Heads of State, on the sidelines of the Climate Change conference.

COP 22 is the first meeting of State Parties since the entry into force of the landmark Paris Agreement on November 4, 2015.

The legally binding international agreement on climate change, among others, addresses issues of global warming, including its impact on food security and agriculture.

President Buhari signed the Paris Agreement on September 22, 2016, on the margins of the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

According to the statement, buoyed by that commitment, the Nigerian delegation is optimistic that COP22 will provide a platform to promote and enhance delivery of the purpose-driven environmental sustaina