Climate disasters are happening at frightening rates in Nigeria, and the administration now says it will prioritize efforts to counter the effects of climate change.听
In 2022 alone, flooding killed at least 662听people, injured 3,174, displaced about 2.5 million, and destroyed 200,000 houses individuals.
Early success in lessening the effects
As far back as 2012, the听听reported that erosion was affecting over 6,000 square kilometres of land in the country, with about 3,400 square kilometres highly exposed.听Back then, gully erosion was doing an estimated $100 million worth of damage each year, according to the team behind the听听(NEWMAP).
Under the NEWMAP, the country began working with the World Bank to rehabilitate degraded lands and reduce erosion and climate vulnerability in 23 states.听The听听had听:听
1.听听听听听Investing in erosion and watershed management infrastructure to reduce land degradation,听
2.听听听听听Developing information services to strengthen erosion and watershed monitoring and disaster risk management,听
3.听听听听听Strengthening Nigeria鈥檚 strategic framework for climate action to promote low carbon development, and听
4.听听听听听Supporting project management at federal and state levels with financial, social and environmental safeguards and oversight, outreach, and project monitoring and evaluation.
The听听were positive: the project benefitted 35,000 people directly and more than 100,000 indirectly through small grants to community interest groups. The team trained 185,058 persons, 42 percent of them women.
On the first work stream, the project more than doubled the land under sustainable management, completed nearly five dozen participatory surface water management plans and reduced gully erosion considerably.
On the second, it made drafted environmental impact assessment guidelines and launched over a hundred automated hydrology and meteorology and flood early warning systems in the region.听
The government is restoring lands in the northern states of Bauchi, Jigawa and Sokoto by planting thousands of tree seeds and seedlings.
On the third, the country issued green bonds to spark private investment in climate smart projects, such as distributing fuel-efficient cookstoves and developing solar-based electricity generators for rural health centers.听
On the fourth, the team tested the use of remote sensing, geographic information system techniques, and 360-degree cameras and drones for remote supervision and grievance resolution.听
Overall,听NEWMAP showed Nigeria鈥檚 appetite for action and results.
Calls for accelerated action
Currently, about 178 local government areas (LGAs) in 32 of 36 states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory fall within the highly probable flood risk areas, according to the听听(NIHSA). Another听224 of the country鈥檚 744 LGAs fall within moderately probable flood risk areas, and 372 fall within probable flood risk areas.
Nigeria鈥檚 more than 830 kilometres of coastline are increasingly threatened by floods, erosion, water and air pollution.听Communities in the Niger Delta states bordering the Atlantic Ocean have lost or fear losing their homes and farmlands due to the eroding bedrock shielding the shoreline.
Forests are disappearing because of desertification. According to听, only half听the forests that existed in 2007 remain in the area where it operates.听
Suleiman Hussein Adamu, minister of water resources through May 2023, had warned that floods would take a high toll on life and livelihoods, agriculture, livestock, infrastructure and the environment.
The frequency of natural disasters in the country links to climate change, according to Alhaji Musa Zakari, director of human resource management at the National Emergency Management Agency, responsible for managing disasters in Nigeria.
Part of the government鈥檚 strategy is to inform the public of preventive measures that save lives and reduce damage to property and infrastructure.听
鈥淣igeria may need to re-examine some fundamentally new and more efficient approach to disaster management,鈥� Mr. Zakari said in听.
New approaches听
In August, Nigeria鈥檚听听(NDC) presented the government with its research findings, 鈥淏uilding Climate Resilience for Enhanced National Security: Strategic Options for Nigeria by 2035.鈥� It recommends adopting strategies to achieve the short-, medium- and long-term objectives in climate adaptation programmes.
Vice President Kashim Shettima said the current administration was prioritizing climate change interventions to address desertification, coastal erosion and flooding听by听collaborating with relevant individuals and institutions.
The government shares the 鈥渃oncerns for the security implications of underestimating the devastations of climate change,鈥� he听, while receiving the NDC report.听
Part of the government鈥檚 strategy is to inform the public of preventive measures that save lives and reduce damage to property and infrastructure.听
In addition, through the听听initiative, which aims to increase the size of arable land in the Sahel, the government is restoring lands in the northern states of Bauchi, Jigawa and Sokoto by planting thousands of tree seeds and seedlings.
Said听Vice President Shettima,听鈥淚t is heartening to witness the alignment between [research] findings and our government鈥檚 policy objectives, reinforcing our belief that a holistic and comprehensive approach is essential to tackling these challenges effectively.鈥澨�
