Video | Climate change in Nigeria
It is November, and in many states across Nigeria, it still rains like August wasn’t few months ago. This is a result of the dramatic change in climate over the years. With the rise in temperature levels and extreme levels of rainfall, there has been an increase in environmental hazards like flooding in many states.
“The issue of climate change in Nigeria has had adverse effects on the kind of livelihood that we have around. In the north here that I am familiar with and where I live, I know the issue of desertification in the core north western states. We’ve also had the issue of high temperature especially this current season that we’re in. The temperature has being something else, very very high.”
The constant change in the climate is a significant threat in Nigeria, where its effects are overlooked. Human influence is the leading cause of climate change. The excessive mismanagement of the environment through harmful practices like bush burning, deforestation and air pollution are leading causes of climate change; using products that negatively impact the environment could spell more trouble for the country. In the northern part of the country, desert is encroaching.
Yobe state has thousands of oasis are at the brinks of extinction, the government is doing little to stop it. Kashuwa Abdulazeez is a climate activist who is trying to save the oasis in Nigeria.
People are unaware of the changes in the climate. There are a lot of environmental challenges that need to be addressed. Oases are unaccounted for, there is no database to account for every oasis in the country including the ones on the verge of the destruction, the ones that have already been destroyed and those that need to be protected. The oasis is an important source of livelihood for people in Yusufari , Yobe State. It is also a protective barrier against desert encroachment .
If these oases are not preserved, there is going to be serious implications. So my call is for people all over the world to help us save these oases which are the natural eco system in Nigeria.
In coastal communities in the south, ocean surges have caused havoc, leaving residents homeless and eroding the land. In the dry areas of the north, heavy amounts of rainfall are causing flooding and even causing deaths. The most affected by climate change in Nigeria are people living in the commercial city of Lagos and six other states that border the Atlantic Ocean.
There are calls for citizens to be educated on climate change and how their actions could negatively impact the environment. They should be encouraged to make choices that protect the environment from further damage.