‘How climate change trigger insecurity in Nigeria’

Speakers at the maiden Climate Change Summit and Retreat organised by the North East Development Commission (NEDC), including the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima and the Sponsor of Nigeria’s Climate Change Act 2021, Rep Sam Onuigbo, have noted the linkage between climate change and insecurity in Nigeria.

In his remarks as the Special Guest of Honour, Senator Shettima, recalled that at COP28 in Dubai last year, His Excellency President Bola Tinubu emphasized that Nigeria cannot beat the envisioned target of aligning with the international development climate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions unless every individual commits to the resolve to prepare for climate change.

He stated: “We have placed ourselves at forefront of global cooperation to implement solutions that can hold or even reverse the effects of climate change and this summit is vital step in realizing this objective.

The Vice President noted that while the Climate Change Act 2021 aimed to achieve low greenhouse gas emissions, green and sustainable growth and sets a clear target for getting Net-zero, our Energy Transition Plan (ETP) seeks to achieve this by 2060.

The Vice President, who spoke through the Special Adviser on Special Duties, Dr. Aliu Modibo, noted that now, more than ever, our challenge is to guard our environment through the intervention like North East Stabilisation Master Plan.

He stated: “This plan guarantees the stability, security and sustainable development of the North East, a region that has long suffered twin conflicts and environmental degradation. We cannot afford to allow this circle of perennial flood, disrupted live flock production, erratic power generation, food crises and unstable water bodies to hold our nation hostage. We must act decisively.”

Gombe State governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, praised NEDC for the Climate Change Summit and Retreat, saying that the programme would not have come at a better time than now.

He called the attention of the participants to the challenges being faced in North East, where about 83 per cent landmass of the region has been affected by drought, stating that NEDC’s response in putting together the summit will help in throwing up solutions to the problems.

Governor Yahaya, who was represented at the occasion by his Deputy, Dr. Manasseh Daniel Jatto, therefore enjoined the Commission to engage the resource persons and experts it has assembled for discussion to come up with indigenous solutions to the problems.

“Climate Change,” he stated, “has impacted the region in the areas of health, environment and agriculture, the main stay of life in the North East Region.”

Speaking further, he disclosed that climate change in the region poses a great danger to agricultural ventures in Gombe State owing to dwindling rainfall, drought, etc.

The member representing Southeast in the Governing Board of North East Development Commission (NEDC), Rep. Sam Onuigbo, while delivering his paper on Climate Change, expressed the view that the struggle for limited resources and land necessitate the clashes between migrants and native populations.

According to the former member of the National Assembly, “land degradation, drought and desertification exacerbated by climate change, have led to the loss of livelihoods means and migration by majority of the people” who engage in different types of economic activities.

He explained that lying on 272, 451 kilometers of arable land, the North East region occupies one third of Nigeria’s land mass, stressing that it was based on that strategic imperatives that whenever the region sneezes, Nigeria must catch cold.

Onuigbo, who sponsored Nigeria’s landmark legislation on Climate Change, also known as Sam Onuigbo Climate Change Act 2021, said juxtaposing background information about North East with some key climate change data “is essential as a frame of reference and as a guide.”

He posited that available data, both negative and positive, exists as well as research outcomes to support the assertion that the major means of livelihood of majority of North East inhabitants is agriculture, especially livestock and crops.

“These farmers predominantly depend on rain to be able to carry out their activities. This becomes relevant when we take into account the fact that due to the impacts of climate change, land degradation, desertification, heatwaves, and drought constitute some of the major inhibitions to agriculture. And these menaces are very visible in the region.

“Furthermore, the major obstructions to growth and development in the region are insecurity, climate change- as visible in how it affects agriculture which is the major livelihood source- and of course skills, education, and technology,” he noted.

He cited the United Nations General Assembly Resolution no 63/281 of June 3, 2009, which expressed deep concerns that “the adverse impacts of climate change, including sea level rises, could have possible security implications.”

Further, Onuigbo who doubles as the Chairman of Climate Change, Security and Special Intervention Committee of NEDC, disclosed that even the UN Security Council Resolution 2349 of 31st March, 2017, referenced its previous resolutions on insecurity, counter terrorism. “And, on its Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), the UN said it “recognises the adverse effects of climate change and ecological changes among other factors on the stability of the Region.”

He argued that those two resolutions highlight the critical link between climate change and insecurity, especially with regards to the North East region, adding, “These challenges, coupled with an overdependence on the centre, have greatly impacted growth and sustainable development in the region.”

The former lawmaker explained that he decided to vary the original topic expected from him by the organisers, which had to do with “How climate change impacted the North East,” so as to project into the future.

His words: “Accordingly, there is a manner in which in addressing these challenges, leveraging recent international rave for climate action, the region can be firmly positioned on the path to massive sustainable development. That is the point I am here to discuss.”

Dwelling on the main thrust of his paper, Rep Onuigbo contended that apart from the two UN resolutions cited, it could be deduced that “climate change, by affecting land and other ecosystems, impacts on food security and livelihood means, while also leading to displacement.

“These combinations lead to forced migration, which eventually bring about conflicts. And, this is clearly the North East story,” he asserted, adding that findings by Oyewo showed that resource scarcity induced by climate change can exacerbate tensions between communities leading to competition for resources, such as water, land and grazing areas.

“As the availability of these resources declines, communities may increasingly turn to violence to secure their livelihoods, thereby further entrenching the cycle of conflict.

“It is important to understand this, so that we can see how climate change plays a role in almost all of our challenges. From livelihood, health, to insecurity, climate change is situated at the nexus of it all,” he stated.

However, despite the challenges posed by insecurity as occasioned by Climate Change, the former lawmaker noted that a lot of opportunities abound for the North East region.

According to Onuigbo, “The North East has immense potential laced with opportunities, which can be leveraged upon to align on the development roadmap of the region.

“Personally, I do think that mainstreaming climate action into our plans is the surest way to sustainably develope North East. This is because of the immense opportunities available through climate action.

“We established earlier that the North East occupies a large expanse of land. We also established that agriculture is a critical livelihood source for the region. We also stated that drought and desertification are key climate change impacts within the region.

“What this entails is that the agriculture industry, including its entire value chain can be explored as a potential sustainable livelihood source for inhabitants, and a further source of massive Internally Generated Revenue for the States.”

He maintained that the North East climate offers great opportunity for massive advancement in the generation of renewable energy, “which can then power industries and households, and serve as means of clean cooking for our women.”

“This,” he disclosed, “relieves them of the health implications of using unclean cooking means, while also reducing pressure on the forests. Renewable energy can also be leveraged to provide better access to potable water and water for irrigation and enhance agroforestry.”

Onuigbo, who is also the South East representative in the NEDC, recalled that the African Leaders’ Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change at the Inaugural African Climate Change Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, in September, 2023, made a commitment. The African leaders committed to “Focusing our economic development plans on climate-positive growth, including expansion of just energy transitions and renewable energy generation for industrial activity, climate aware and restorative agricultural practices, and essential protection and enhancement of nature and biodiversity.”

He said Nigeria must begin to think and work towards exploring these opportunities.

On Africa’s contribution to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is the root cause of climate change, Onuigbo asserted that it remains minimal.

He regretted that even at about 4% of the global GHG emissions, the continent continues to be massively impacted by climate change. He added: “This has led to a strain on the continent’s revenue, and even the livelihood of its people. With majority of its people dependent on rain-fed agriculture, climate change is therefore a huge menace facing the continent.”

Buttressing his argument, Onuigbo cited Africa Development Bank’s position that “One of the biggest threats to Africa’s people and their way of life, as emphasized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is how climate change will interact with non-climate drivers and stressors to exacerbate the vulnerability of agricultural systems, particularly in the semi-arid areas and lands.

“Increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation are very likely to reduce cereal crop productivity (including maize and wheat), with strong adverse effects on food security.”

He said a number of factors have severally hampered Africa’s efforts at dealing with the menace, which has created a sinkhole for its development. These factors he listed as technology, lack of knowledge and awareness, poverty, finance, and politics.

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