{"id":83264,"date":"2026-05-10T06:25:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T06:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/?p=83264"},"modified":"2026-05-10T06:25:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T06:25:54","slug":"csn-calls-for-inclusive-just-energy-transition-in-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/2026\/05\/10\/csn-calls-for-inclusive-just-energy-transition-in-nigeria\/","title":{"rendered":"CSN Calls for Inclusive, Just Energy Transition in Nigeria"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tony Abah<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Secretary General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Michael \u2018Leke Banjo, has called for a people-centred and morally guided energy transition in Nigeria, warning that development must not continue to benefit a privileged few while leaving vulnerable communities behind.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the GreenFaith Nigeria Multifaith and Multisectoral Forum on Nigeria\u2019s Just Energy Transition Plan held on May 7, Fr. Banjo said energy should not be seen merely as an economic issue but as a matter tied to \u201clife, health, education, work, food security, industrial growth, national stability and human dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing participants at the forum themed, \u201cFaith, Justice, and Power: Advancing an Inclusive Just Energy Transition in Nigeria,\u201d the Catholic priest welcomed members of GreenFaith Africa and other stakeholders, describing the gathering as a shared effort to defend creation and promote justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gather today not merely as advocates, policy actors or religious leaders, but as stewards,\u201d he said. \u201cWe gather to ask a deeper question: what kind of future do we want to leave behind, and who will be allowed to share in it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Fr. Banjo stressed that true development should not be measured only by \u201cmegawatts, investment figures or economic indicators,\u201d but also by how society treats \u201cthose on the margins of energy poverty\u201d and communities already suffering the effects of climate change.<\/p>\n

Drawing from Scripture and the 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’, he described creation as \u201cGod\u2019s gift entrusted to our responsible care,\u201d insisting that environmental stewardship must go hand in hand with development and innovation.<\/p>\n

The cleric lamented the environmental degradation affecting different parts of Nigeria, citing oil pollution and gas flaring in the Niger Delta, desertification in the North, gully erosion in the South-East, and flooding in parts of Kogi State and Benue State.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our cities, plastic waste and poor sanitation have turned public spaces into sources of disease and avoidable hardship,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we fail to keep the earth, the earth becomes wounded; and when the earth is wounded, human dignity is also wounded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fr. Banjo called on governments at all levels to develop \u201cclear, consistent and just policies\u201d that would protect affected communities, expand access to affordable clean energy, support small businesses and create decent jobs.<\/p>\n

He also urged investors and development partners to ensure that renewable energy investments are guided by conscience and accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new energy economy must not reproduce old injustices in cleaner language,\u201d he warned, adding that policies should encourage local capacity, community ownership, skill development and transparency.<\/p>\n

Beyond government and institutions, Fr. Banjo challenged ordinary citizens to embrace environmentally responsible habits, including proper waste disposal, water conservation, tree planting and keeping public spaces clean.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must stop throwing refuse into gutters, streams and open spaces,\u201d he said. \u201cIn these simple daily choices, we show whether we truly understand that creation is God\u2019s gift and our common home.\u201d<\/p>\n

He commended GreenFaith Nigeria, GreenFaith Africa and The Kukah Centre for promoting climate justice and interfaith collaboration, assuring them of the continued support of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria stands ready to walk with you in this effort to protect creation, uplift the poor, and advance a truly just energy transition for our nation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Tony Abah The Secretary General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Michael \u2018Leke Banjo, has called for a people-centred and morally guided energy transition in Nigeria, warning that development must not continue to benefit a privileged few while leaving vulnerable communities behind. Speaking at the GreenFaith Nigeria Multifaith and Multisectoral Forum on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":83265,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172,186,1681],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-politics","category-religion"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83264"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83266,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83264\/revisions\/83266"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}