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One is very positive and hopeful that with adherence to the solutions proffered, they will go a long way in taming climate change disasters thereby enabling both government and the people to concentrate on programs, policies, projects and activities that will eventually enhance the determination of the then President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration to move the nation forward thereby achieving the desired change.
Moreover, in the southern Nigeria, climate change is also reflected in the massive flood experienced in 2012, houses, farms, farm products, properties and even human beings were swept away. Also the statistics released by the southwest zonal office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) about 2 years ago show that no fewer than 5000 persons were affected and 60 houses destroyed in a windstorm which occurred in four states in the South -West region.
Negligence and failure to tackle the issue of climate change by successive government administrations in Nigeria, which has been stated to contribute to the rise of insurgency across the country. It is necessary for active preventive measures to be taken and adapted to prevent catastrophic results as regards climate change. Around few decades ago, the Lake covered an area of over 40,000 square kilometers, whereas it now encompasses a mere 1,300 square kilometers. While the negative trend continues unabated and as land is laid to waste by the rising temperature leading to the rapid southward expansion of the Sahara Desert. Farmlands and surrounding villages became barren and were swallowed up by advancing desertification, which led to massive migration of people in search of more fertile terrain from the north east towards the greener plateau and middle belt regions. Rising-temperature-and-people-migrating, growing desertification forced thousands of Fulani herdsmen to move to the south and middle belt leading to clashes with crop farmers culminating in death of hundreds according to the reports of residents and activists (source: https://fmic.gov.ng/climate-change-nigeria-brief-review-causes-efforts-solution).
Over a billion people in the world defecate in the open. Open defecation is the human practice of emptying of bowels in the open environment, rather than into a toilet, or structures designed for its purpose. In 2018, the National Outcome Routine Mapping, NORM, reported that an estimated number of 47 million Nigerians defecate in the open environment; this common act has earned Nigeria a ranking in Africa and in the World. (Source: https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/nigeria/64776/eu-and-unicef-call-clean-water-and-toilets-all-nigerian-schools en). In Africa, Nigeria is described as the country with the largest number of persons practicing open defecation, and the second-largest country with this practice in the world, after India. This act is widely practiced by children, adults and even the aged. There is also a close index in the number of males and females engaging in open defecation. This seems to suggest that open defecation is a general problem in Nigeria.
(To be continued).
Thought for the week
“Climate change is happening, humans are causing it, and I think this is perhaps the most serious environmental issue facing us”.
(Bill Nye).
