By: Manasseh Mbachii The Nigerian climate has been irregular over the years, alternating between periods of extremely dry or rainy seasons and seasons of drought and excess flooding, which affected agricultural activities and caused a loss of shelter. Economic sectors such as agriculture, fishing, and forestry are more predisposed to the adverse effects of climate change. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) disclosed that flood disasters in 2022 left 2.4 million persons displaced and 662 lives lost. Overview of climate in Nigeria Nigeria has a tropical climate with two distinct seasons: wet and dry. These seasons have varying lengths of rainy and dry seasons, depending on the geographical location. For example, the southern part of Nigeria has a longer period of rainy season (March to November) than the northern part (May to September). The dry season is prevalent in the north, coupled with high temperatures that may reach an average monthly value of 38 degrees Celsius, while the mean temperature in southern Nigeria hovers around 32–33 degrees Celsius. In the north, the harmattan wind, which is a dry and hot wind, blows longer than it does in southern Nigeria. Causes Of Climate Change In Nigeria Although natural hazards like volcanic […]
Climate
In July 2023, UDEME, in a bid to get the details of the contractors and the amount released for the project, sent a Freedom of Information (FOI) Letter to the Ministry of Water Resources and Environment in Makurdi. A response was not provided.
…Nigeria grapples with this environmental health threat. Worldwide, approximately 400 million tons of plastic waste are generated annually, equivalent to 12 tons per second.
He claimed that without assistance from foreign donor organisations, the Federal Government would find it challenging to manage.
Olasupo recently spoke on the crucial topic “Building a Resilient Plant Health System in a Changing Climate.” in Twitter spaces named #ClimateWednesday, a weekly youth voice on climate justice that seeks to build to build a climate-smart generation around Africa organized by the International Climate Change Development Africa.
It was a cloudy afternoon on the 8th of October 2021 in Makurdi, Benue state, when Mbaiorga Winifred had just stepped out of her makeshift home. The previous night’s heavy rain had dismantled her makeshift home, a series of mosquito nets combined in a “cave-like form” to provide shelter for her and her five children. “I was busy fixing my “Ihia-wam”- all through the day after being drenched the previous night. The weather was not my challenge.” Mbaiorga said. “Ihia-wam” means “my house” in the Tiv language. She continued, “But I became terrified when I saw the cloud forming again. I knew my family, and I would be drenched again later that night.” Since the incident, life has never been easy for Mbaiorga and her family. A few years ago, she could do menial jobs at the camp to fend for his children, but her strength has failed her. “Since October, I have been feeling a very sharp headache coupled with general weakness of the body. Worse still, I began emaciating, and my body worsens daily.” Mbaiorga could not access any hospital even when some mobile health workers privately told her that she could have type II diabetes. The Back […]
Mike Ede, 56, from Opiruku, Oju Local Government Area of Benue State, North-central Nigeria, couldn’t believe that her ever fertile land that was a source of healthy products could reduce in nutrients as he stood looking at the piece of land. “Only but a glorified farmland,” Ede’s thought betrayed him aloud as he tried hard to swallow the pain. Mr Ede wouldn’t have worried enough if only the trend is just on a piece of land, but across many farmlands in “Orihi” and “Iyato”- the two most fertile areas where foods are grown in the local government, at least that is accessible for him. “There were times all these places were full of trees and covered grasses, you could barely go through them because of the thickness of the grasses,” Mr. Ede explained. He continued, “At that time, a piece of land in this area can give you a double output increase especially if it’s cassava or yam, you could feel the nutrients.” As we speak, it is as dry as anything and the scorching sun around this place wouldn’t even allow you till the land.” Mr. Ede is an established farmer in the Opiruku community whose annual income used […]
Climate change awareness campaigns by NGOs need to target large corporations as well as rural communities. By; BAYRON VAN WYK (Minority Africa) — I used to work at an NGO focused on climate change and environmental awareness. I was expected to develop educational and agricultural programmes targeting mostly rural farmers in the Kavango East and West regions to sensitise them to climate change issues. In these regions, subsistence agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for 16% and 31% of the population. the NGO’s programme encouraged local farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices. In these regions, there has been contention over oil exploration and discovery. In mid-2021, Canadian-based firm ReconAfrica announced that they had discovered oil in the Kavango East and West regions. Since then, ReconAfrica has started operations for oil production. However, several environmental groups, such as Frack Free Namibia (FFN), have expressed concern over the impact of such activities on the region’s sensitive plant and animal life. Through my work in the Kavango East and West regions, I started to think more deeply about climate change and environmental awareness programmes run by NGOs. I started questioning whom these organisations chose to target. Why are they targeting primarily rural […]
After days of consistent rainfall some areas in the capital of Benue state have been flooded with goods worth millions lost. Some of the area flooded are Gyado Villa, Wurukum Market and Achusa all in the capital of the state. Some individuals who were affected lamented that the flood in Makurdi has become a yearly scenario with goods worth millions lost every year. Also Read: ReviveOurLibrary: Benue Citizens lament Moribund State Library. Mr Emeka who deals with Clothing at the Wurukum Market recounting his losses stated that “in the past three years I have lost goods worth 2 Million Naira due to the incident that occurs every year, the government should stand up to stop this yearly occurrence” Onah, a student of Benue State University Makurdi who could not hold back his tears while sharing his experience criticized the government for failing to provide ‘critical infrastructures’ in the state “the government has failed to provide critical infrastructure at every level, the school is on strike we are still losing our properties due to flooding if the government provides drainage system the yearly occurrence and losses could be averted” “the government should also provide enough hostel facilities for students like me […]
