Boluwatife Deborah Alayande*
Nigeria, the giant of Africa is currently under a siege, not from wars but sitting on a keg of gunpowder caused by volatile climate change. Impending danger looms as millions get displaced as the day go by due to environmental degradation. The World Bank refers to climate change as remarkable changes in the average weather conditions over a long period of time due to human activities[1].Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria as a child I did not get the pleasure and the privilege to enjoy rainfall as it meant that we would have to stay at home for some days due to the street floods. I witnessed people’s homes go underwater and at a young age I had to wave my friends goodbye because some became homeless and had to migrate to another state. When I was 6 years old, we had to leave the family house in Lagos because of the climate change pressure as it was affecting the wellbeing of my family members and I. Today, the story is still the same but it is worse now because children trek with their bare foot on water-logged streets just to get to school, market women and business men and women alike. This write-up serves as a clarion call, highlighting the need for the government to take swift action and measures to be taken in order to avoid the looming disaster.
Social media as well as interactions with my friends and family has helped paint a picture of the concerning situation that Nigeria has found herself in. Erratic weather patterns like heatwaves have become commonplace. Nigeria is currently going through a social crisis as displacement of people from their homes due to floods and gully erosion keeps widening the already existing inequality. Mass displacement has been seen in more than 25 states in the nation. The multiplier effect of this is that in lands where these displaced people settle, there would be competition for water, food and ownership of farm lands which in turn would cause strife. In the North, desertification has made people leave their homes and their roots. In the South, flooding has caused people to detach from their traditional homes which has left a large number of people vulnerable to hunger and diseases. Each day I realize more and more that a healthy environment and a booming society are interconnected. The social fabric of the Nigerian society is about to be totally ripped apart by climate crisis. Growing up as a Southerner in the central North of Nigeria, I have no sense of belonging to my roots and my home. The inaction of the Nigerian government has made Nigeria a living hell for her citizens. In 2022 alone, report shows that flooding killed at least 662 people, left about 3,174 people injured, displaced around 2.5 million individuals, and destroyed 20,000 houses. [2]
Climate change has become a sickness which has afflicted our body, soul and spirit. For children who grew up in much saner climes, the presence of rain brought great joy and smiles to their faces. However, for many of us, the presence of rain brought unhappiness knowing that it leaves behind untold illnesses. Waterborne diseases as a result of flooding, the mass treatment of malaria, cough and catarrh are the downsides of the raining season. Echoes of illness and hardship has plagued so many Nigerians as a result of this crisis. The spread of diseases has been increased by climate change. Environmental problems such as water pollution, air pollution, desertification, wind erosion, solid waste management, and flooding have brought about health hazards in cities in Nigeria. [3]
The wrath of climate change has brought untold hardship, poverty and hunger to millions of Nigerians. Many contemporary economic problems have been caused by climate change.[4] Floods, intense heatwaves, inconsistent and inefficient rainfalls as well as prolonged droughts has affected the Nigerian economy in a plethora of ways and reduced food supply. The rising temperatures and the constant heatwaves have affected the supply of food hence the heatflation Nigeria currently faces. [5]The food supply has been largely reduced and the prices of the ones left keep increasing at a pace faster than our appetites. Hunger has made children be malnourished and hampered the productivity of people. The nation relies heavily on agriculture for her survival, in 2023, floods destroyed thousands of hectares of farmlands making access to food very scarce. The destruction of crops and the flood cost the agricultural sector about $2 billion in 2022.[6] In the northwest, droughts have left little water for crops to grow which has also increased food insecurity.
Many sectors such as tourism, manufacturing, health, transportation among many others have been dealt a huge blow. As a result of climate crisis, the transportation of food and other commodities have become extremely hard. It retards manufacturing and the technological sector’s growth. It also lowers labor and capital productivity which has a negative effect on Nigeria’s economic growth and sustainable development. [7] Heatwaves has made people become less productive.
The country is in a state of social and economic quagmire as a result of passivity on the part of the government. The effect of climate change cannot be ignored as it contributes greatly to the crisis Nigeria faces.[8] Although certain measures such as investing in renewable energy projects like the development of solar power plants and hydroelectric facilities has been put in place[9], however, this is not enough. Nigeria urgently needs a paradigm shift; new approaches need to be taken in order to solve this crisis we currently face. In addition to the measures being taken, there should be an effective waste management system, support research in green development and sustainability, effective flood risk management, sustainable land-use management. I do believe that there is hope for the country, through implementation of these policies and collective action, we would win the war against climate change and Nigeria would have a brighter and greener future.
* Junior in the Department of Economics at Işık University
[1]https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/overview#:~:text=Climate%20change%20is%20the%20significant,change%20from%20natural%20weather%20variability.
[2] https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/august-2023/nigeria-prioritizes-climate-action-mitigate-natural-disasters
[3] Climate Change and Health Preparedness in Africa: Analysing Trends in Six African Countries – PMC (nih.gov)
[4] https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/1/154
[5] Does Climate Change Cause an Upsurge in Food Prices? – Abstract – Europe PMC
[6] https://www.coldhubs.com/coldhubnews/2023/8/30/impact-of-climate-changes-to-food-insecurity-in-nigeria
[7]https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353549874_Climate_change_technology_and_manufacturing_sector_growth_in_oilrich_Nigeria#:~:text=Hence%2C%20we%20conclude%20that%20climate,economic%20growth%20and%20sustainable%20development.
[8] https://theconversation.com/nigeria-needs-to-take-climate-action-4-urgent-steps-to-start-with-206538
[9] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960148119308092