KEY POINTS

• Nigeria can generate as much as $320 million yearly from carbon credit projects.
• The aim of the initiative is to decrease dependence on oil and gas in the Niger Delta.
• Mapping 50,000 trees in the region would enable carbon to be captured.

An innovative carbon credit initiative to realise the vast vegetation and untapped environmental potential of the Niger Delta region stands to produce $320 million annually for Nigeria.

Parting shot on Tantita front; Capt Warredi Enisuoh, Executive Director of Operations and Technical in Tantita Security Service Ltd, received an Honorary Doctorate recipient and Lifetime Achievement Awardee in Highstone Global University, Texas, USA.

The event in Asaba, Delta State and his commitment to sustainability and economic diversification.

Enisuoh also said the carbon credit initiative presents a unique opportunity for the maritime area communities.

Yet, after decades of massive environmental degradation, these communities are rich in natural vegetation, setting a perfect stage for carbon capture programs.

“We want to take these communities out of oil and gas dependence by getting them to participate in carbon credit generation and carbon capture programs,” Enisuoh added.

In addition, with about 50,000 trees mapped in the region, it could generate upwards of $320 million a year, sustainable income that communities in the area urgently need, he stressed.

However, he said the task of attaining this feat would have to be validated by science and consistent with Nigeria’s Climate Change Act 2021 for the initiative to remain sustainable and in tandem with global standards.

Sustainability driven projects in Niger Delta beyond Oil

The initiative is part of a vision to reduce the dependence of the Niger Delta on oil and gas. The plan is to create new and sustainable revenue streams for the region.

Enisuoh thanked High Chief Government Ekpemupolo popularly known as Tompolo, and Tantita Security Services staff for their support.

He also said the initiative represented a ‘pathway to economic transformation of the Niger Delta through green growth and environmental sustainability’.

The successful introduction of the carbon credit program would see Niger Delta transition away from the oil and gas depended economy to more sustainable and ecofriendly revenue earning businesses.

Nigeria’s broader shift in its economy towards diversification more broadly aligns with this shift.

The case for carbon capture and also trading presents itself more starkly in the Niger Delta, a region where an overreliance on a relatively small area of land and water for crude oil production has reduced the amount of sediment that the river disposes into the coastal area.

Finally, with its natural resources at its disposal, the Niger Delta can become a leading impetus of Africa’s green economy, and ultimately catalyze climate resilient development.