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By Job Osazuwa
When Seplat Energy Plc, foremost Nigerian indigenous energy company, stated in 2021 at the Seplat Energy Summit that it had transitioned into an energy company as a result of global move towards decarbonisation and protecting the climate for a sustainable human living, many might have thought it was rhetoric.
But months after the announcement, the company, in a bold move to assert its readiness to not only protect the environment but also provide a means to ensure food security, has announced a sustainably initiative to plant five million trees in five years, out of which 75 per cent will be economic trees.
Seplat, first Nigerian company to complete dual listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX), announced the “Tree4Life” initiative as part of its commitment to address the effects of climate change, which not only sabotage the Nigerian economy but also prevent it from reaping the inherent benefits of the global energy transition agenda.
To accomplish this, the company declared that it would plant one million trees every year, with the goal of planting five million trees in five years to combat climate change and carbon emission, as part of efforts to ensure reforestation, reduce biodiversity loss, boost food security and support the global net-zero emission agenda.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, who led other dignitaries to the event at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, commended Seplat Energy for its initiative. He noted that the company has proved to be a very responsible organisation judging by its strategic social investment programmes.
Sylva said gas would be the pathway to clean energy, which was why the government was committed to creating a lot of opportunities for local operators to leverage.
He said: “The Petroleum Industry Act will enable a vast amount of gas projects but it behoves operators in the industry to also take advantage of the opportunity provided by the PIA to deepen the gas business in Nigeria.
“And to achieve that, we have declared the year 2021 to the year 2030 as the decade of gas and we are not just declaring it, we are creating a road map to achieving the decade of gas.”
He said government was creating corridors to deepen the gas business, including the AKK gas pipeline corridor across Nigeria, from the southern part to the north; the West Africa gas pipeline corridor to Morocco; the Trans-Saharan pipeline and the Nigerian gas transportation network code.
He noted that President Muhammadu Buhari set a target for 2060 for net-zero emission, and he is happy that Seplat is leading the drive to achieve the target.
“This event, for us, is a promise kept,” said Dr. A.B.C. Orjiako, pioneer chairman, Seplat Energy. He noted that the aim was to drive Nigeria’s energy transition towards cleaner, more reliable energy that was accessible.
‘’Tree planting is to encourage reforestation. We are a company that thrives on sustainability through environmental, social and governance (ESG). For us in Seplat, we do believe that we must align with the Paris Agreement of net-zero carbon. Net-zero carbon is not net-zero fossil fuel,” Orjiako added.
At the event, Minister of State, Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, represented by Victoria Pwol Gyang, deputy director and head, Green House Gas Inventory Division, Federal Ministry of Environment, said Seplat Energy’s tree planting drive aligned with the global environmental protection agenda, along with the protection of the Nigerian environment and ensuring sustainable growth and development.
She stated that climate change remained the biggest challenge facing the world, adding that, collaborations and partnerships were needed to aid the reduction of carbon emissions, guarantee environmental protection, and eventually end deforestation.
“After COP26, Buhari signed a bill on the Climate Change Act in October 2021 aimed at formulating programmes around climate change. The law has a legal framework to ensure climate resilience, adoption of climate action into governance priorities,” she said.
According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company’s board chairman, Margery Chuba-Okadigbo, coming at a time when the oil and gas industry is facing unprecedented challenges, the Seplat Tree4Life initiative should be lauded.
She said: “The good news is that concerted efforts are being made on climate action and asking what we can do to mitigate climate change,” adding that the solutions would involve everyone.
Group managing director/CEO, NNPC, Mele Kyari, who joined virtually, said the Tree4Life was a good initiative from Seplat to protect the environment and the people.
He said: “Our people still use firewood to cook, which is bad for their health and the environment. It is necessary at this point in time, what Seplat Energy is doing” and he is happy to be a part of the journey, as he is in support and will continue to support.
In further remarks, Orjiako called for concerted efforts by stakeholders in the energy sector to develop key strategies and investments aimed at reducing the carbon footprint by embracing cleaner and healthier energy. He explained that reforestation would reduce the carbon dioxide in the air, prevent erosion and contribute to food security.
Orjiako recalled that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its First Assessment Report in 1990, which had three significant conclusions: global temperatures have risen by 0.3 to 0.6 degrees Celsius over the last century; human emissions were adding to the atmosphere’s natural complement of greenhouse gases; and any addition to this would be anticipated to result in warming.
He emphasized that the IPCC’s predictions from more than 30 years ago have not only come to pass but are now worse in 2022.
The Seplat Energy chairman stated that the February 2022 report revealed that climate change consequences were already pervasive and more difficult to adjust to than anticipated, emphasizing the importance of climate action.
He stated that the world was in an energy crisis, adding that: “There is a worldwide energy problem. Everyone is in a crisis, and the form and manner in which it is resolved vary. More than 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population lives in absolute darkness.
“Gas is a more environmentally friendly source of energy. Homes consume more than 80 per cent of the energy required. We should not deforest, doing so worsens environmental damage. Carbon dioxide emissions will also rise. Instead, we are encouraging reforestation. We’re assisting with LPG penetration so that people don’t have to rely on trees to cook.”
Orjiako stressed that trees must be planted everywhere to stem the tide of deforestation. His words: “With the supply of electricity in our environment, there is full deforestation. The more deforestation there is, the more we not only encourage climate change infestation, but we also generate more carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases into the environment.
“We want to emphasise that the purpose of the tree planting activity is to prevent deforestation and promote reforestation. You must plant trees everywhere you go. We took the intentional choice at Seplat that ESG (environmental, social, and governance) is an important component of conducting business that will be beneficial to our communities.’’
Nigeria has since committed to net-zero carbon emission by 2060 and climate change actions by 2030, though Seplat has chosen 2024 to end its CO2 emission.
According to Mr. Roger Brown, the chief executive officer of Seplat Energy, Nigeria has demonstrated a commitment to reducing carbon emissions.
Brown stated that the tree-planting effort will primarily begin in five states: Edo, Delta, Imo and two northern states.
“We will purposefully involve women, youth and communities for sustainable food production and a sustainable environment through community tree planting and mentality transformation. We have adopted a two-pronged strategy to campaign for tree planting and protection to raise awareness of the necessity of tree planting and peoples’ responsibilities to guarantee its success. Another way is to plant trees, undertake afforestation/restoration programmes with a commitment to plant one million trees each year, mostly from economic trees,” he affirmed.
According to a Mckinsey research issued in January 2020, the oil and gas industry is responsible for 42 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, directly or indirectly.
