20/04/2025
International treaties have been at the fulcrum of the just and sustainable transition. However, the nature and peculiarities of such treaties provide some loopholes that have been leveraged to slow-pace, stunt and impede the transition. The voluntary nature of international climate and environmental agreements, often as ‘soft laws’, such that the commitment to the transition depends on the 'mood' of political leaders'. This places the just and sustainable transition on a swing in the hands of political actors. Given the administration of justice enshrined in the global transition, the world needs to rethink international law, diplomacy and treaties towards building a new but SUSTAINABLE momentum for a just and sustainable transition.
The above presents a summary of my speech at the 8th International Law Association (ILA) -Nigerian Branch’s Conference held on 9-10 April, 2025 at the AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. It was an honour to be on the panel with Dr. Oladunni O. and Musa Ibrahim Danmadami and Prof. Adeola Adenikinju who was my teacher, mentor and benefactor. I also had the privilege of providing responding to the Keynote Speech by Prof. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu at the Conference. As I listened to the former Minister of State for Petroleum and President of OPEC Conference; I wondered if he was a Minister of Petroleum or Minister of Environment. He spoke so widely and deeply on sustainability, and I could not but appreciate and commend his knowledge-based and thought-provoking Keynote Lecture.
Indeed, bringing together both petroleum and environmental actors to a table with objectivity, purpose and allowing knowledge to lead, we would enable us act as collaborators, rather than competitors, to make the world would sail faster towards a just and sustainable planet.
Special thanks to Prof. Damilola S. Olawuyi, SAN, FCIArb for the invitation.
I remain your
