By Abbas Nazil
Special Adviser to the President on Climate Change Matters, Comrade Yussuf Olatunji Kelani has described the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour as a decisive national movement to confront the growing threats of climate change and unlock economic opportunities across Nigeria.
Speaking at the official launch at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja on Tuesday, Comrade Kelani said the initiative marks the strengthening of a coordinated national response anchored on leadership, partnership and resilience.
He said the tour was conceived to democratize climate knowledge, bridge federal and subnational action, and mobilize partnerships and investments capable of accelerating green growth and climate resilience.
Kelani stressed that climate change is no longer a distant forecast but a present reality that is reflected in floods displacing communities, advancing desertification in the North, coastal erosion in the South and food price volatility affecting households nationwide.
According to him, climate change has evolved into a development, security, economic and social justice issue that demands urgent and collective action.
He explained that following the launch, the tour would move across the six geopolitical zones, beginning with two strategic states per zone in its first phase.
In each zone, he said, the programme will convene high-level policy dialogues with governors, commissioners and state legislatures, as well as townhall meetings involving youth, women, traditional institutions, farmers, artisans and private sector actors.
Technical roundtables with development partners and implementing agencies will also be held alongside innovation showcases highlighting clean energy solutions, methane abatement, waste-to-value initiatives, climate-smart agriculture and green enterprise projects.
Kelani described the approach as a whole-of-government and whole-of-society strategy designed to take climate action beyond conference halls into markets, farms, classrooms and policy chambers.
He noted that the tour aligns state-level implementation with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions, Energy Transition Plan and National Adaptation Plan, ensuring that subnational efforts reflect national commitments.
A major highlight of the event, he disclosed, is the planned unveiling of the Sustainable Climate Resilience and Initiative for People and Transformation programme, known as SCRIP-T, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The SCRIP-T programme is aimed at scaling climate-smart agriculture, promoting ecological restoration, strengthening food systems resilience, empowering farmers with technology and finance, creating green jobs for youth and enhancing productivity while protecting biodiversity.
Kelani, who is also the Chairman of the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour Committee, said the programme demonstrates how climate action can translate into economic transformation and long-term prosperity.
He called on governors to integrate climate risk into development planning, legislators to prioritize enabling frameworks, private sector leaders to invest in green transitions, and citizens to adopt sustainable habits.
Describing the initiative as a defining moment, he urged Nigerians to transform methane into energy, waste into wealth and resilience into national prosperity, adding that the movement represents Renewed Hope in action.
The event highlighting the project was put together by Special Adviser, Comrade Kelani and two Senior Special Assistants to the President, Ibrahim Abdullahi Shelleng and Olamide Fagbuji.
The event attracted many dignitaries including the Minister of Livestock Development, Alhaji Idi Mukhtar Maiha, the UN Resident Representative in Nigeria, Ambassador Mohamed Fall, the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Sir Monday Onyeme, and UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Elsie Attafuah.
Others are the Director General of the National Council on Climate Change, Mrs Omoteniola Majekodunmi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on People with Special Needs, Comrade Abba Isa, and State Commissioners for Environment, as well as heads of government departments and agencies.
NatureNews notes that the project was supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) and President Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG).