Tinubu Makes Abia-Born Maduekwe DG Climate Change Council

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr Nkiruka Maduekwe as the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Council on Climate Change, in an interim capacity, pending confirmation of her appointment by the Supervisory Council of the NCCC.

The President, according to a State House press release signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Sunday, has also approved Dr Maduekwe, 39, to serve as the Co-Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Committee on National Carbon Market Activation Plan.

According to the release, she holds a Bachelor of Law degree; a Master’s degree in Environmental Law and Policy from the University of Dundee (UK), and a Doctorate in Law from the University of Hull (UK), as well as over 15 years of national and international experience in climate policy development and project implementation.

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Dr Maduekwe also previously served as Nigeria’s National Coordinator, Climate Parliament, an international, multi-partisan network of legislators working worldwide to help solve the climate crisis and accelerate the transition to renewable energy, and was also the legal adviser to the NCCC Director-General.

The President has also approved the appointment of Mr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Shelleng, 40, as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Finance & Stakeholder Engagement, in the Office of the President. He is seconded to the NCCC Secretariat, where he will handle all matters related to Climate Finance & Stakeholder/Donor Relations.

Shelleng would also assume the position of Secretary of the Intergovernmental Committee on National Carbon Market Activation Plan (NCMAP) and serve as a member of the Presidential Committee on Climate Action and Green Economic Solutions, and the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.

He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and has served in leading roles across multiple financial institutions, and was Head of Business Development for the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company PLC before he was appointed Senior Special Assistant to the President.

President Tinubu also approved the appointment of Mr Olamide Fagbuji, 44, as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Climate Technology and Operations, Office of the President. He is seconded to the NCCC Secretariat, overseeing the digitalization of a new open procurement process and cross-departmental procedural optimization initiative.

Fagbuji served as Special Assistant to the President on Economic Matters under the previous administration and was most recently the Technical Adviser to the Director-General of the NCCC on Policy Research and Strategy. He is a policy analyst and computer scientist.

Ngelale stated that by the directive of the President, the appointments would take immediate effect.

“The President expects the new appointees to bring their expertise and discipline to bear in these very important assignments to pursue the nation’s aspiration on green industrial development and climate action for sustainable growth and national prosperity, ” he added.