Health
FG must empower local communities to take ownership of climate solutions – Experts
Angela Onwuzoo
For Nigeria to secure a climate-resilient future, experts say the Federal Government must shift from its current technocratic approach and adopt locally led adaptation strategies by empowering local communities to take ownership of climate solutions.
The experts also stressed the need to raise nationwide awareness and mobilise collective action towards climate resilience, sustainable and climate-friendly lifestyles, and innovative green economic initiatives and opportunities.
The climate change experts and researchers stated this during a Nigerian Academy of Science Media Roundtable in Lagos, where members of the Academy and journalists examined the impact of climate change and proposed practical solutions.
The NAS challenged the media to intensify public awareness of the effects of climate change on people and the environment while encouraging Nigerians to adopt more sustainable lifestyles, noting that extensive research has identified human activities as the primary drivers of climate change.
More importantly, the Academy urged the media to bring climate change issues to the front burner through its agenda-setting role and hold governments accountable for investing in climate solutions, particularly those tailored to local communities, which bear the greatest burden of climate change impact.
Delivering a presentation titled, “Climate Change, Health, and the Nigerian Reality: Securing Our Climate Future for a Resilient Nigeria,” a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics and Research), University of Lagos, Emeritus Prof. Babajide Alo, appealed to journalists to consistently remind the Federal Government that achieving Nigeria’s 2060 net-zero emissions target would remain difficult unless it strengthens climate governance at the state and local government levels, raises public awareness, and empowers communities to lead adaptation efforts.
Alo, a distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UNILAG and a global climate change expert, said securing a climate-resilient future for Nigeria requires the Federal Government to shift from top-down technocratic approaches to locally led adaptation, where communities are empowered to define, design and implement climate solutions.
“Because local communities face the most direct impacts of climate change, their lived experiences, indigenous knowledge and active participation are essential for building lasting, effective and equitable resilience.
“We need to empower local populations to take ownership of climate solutions.
“By leveraging indigenous knowledge, investing in local capacity and fostering inclusive decision-making, communities can proactively mitigate climate risks and build long-term solutions,” he said.
He maintained that addressing climate change in Nigeria requires the Federal Government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, transition to cleaner energy sources, implement mitigation measures and strengthen adaptation efforts to address the changes already underway.
The don said climate change is one of the greatest development challenges facing Nigeria and the world today, identifying human activities dating back to the 1800s—particularly the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas—as the primary drivers.
The climate change expert lamented that rising global temperatures, extreme weather events, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation threaten every aspect of human life, from food security and water availability to health, livelihoods and national security.
Alo, a Fellow of the NAS, noted that climate change poses an existential threat not only to the world but also to Nigeria’s sustainable development by endangering lives, worsening food insecurity, undermining public health, affecting socio-economic development and threatening national security and stability.
“Human lives are at risk from rising temperatures, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, flooding, desertification and other climate-related events that continue to endanger communities across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
“The most vulnerable remain poor populations, especially women, youths, farmers and fisherfolk. These groups bear the brunt of climate change impacts,” he said.
The Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, recently attributed the severe flooding across parts of the state, which left many residents stranded and homeless, to climate change.
Speaking on the health implications, Alo described the situation as “a crisis within a crisis,” particularly for vulnerable groups such as women, children and older persons.
“There are several vulnerable populations experiencing climate change events around the world that continue to threaten the health and well-being of some of the most susceptible members of society, such as the elderly, persons with disabilities and the homeless.
“Although there are 100 million homeless people globally, about 1.6 billion people live without adequate housing. Such hardship means many are unable to effectively prepare for, respond to or recover from climate change events. Hence, it is a scenario of ‘a crisis within a crisis’,” he said.
During the 2026 World Environment Day commemoration in Abuja, the Director of the Department of Climate Change at the Federal Ministry of Environment, Iniobong Abiola-Awe, also warned that climate change poses a growing threat to food security, livelihoods and national security.
Alo faulted some of Nigeria’s strategies for addressing climate change, noting that most climate-related initiatives have focused on the federal level, with limited attention given to climate policies, planning and investments at the state level.
“This is a major gap because the impacts of climate change are largely borne by states, and subnational policies and actions are critical to addressing climate change and achieving Nigeria’s net-zero target,” he said.
According to him, only a few states have climate policies or action plans, and even fewer have dedicated budget lines.
He also noted that cross-sectoral collaboration and alignment with national initiatives remain weak.
“These gaps in national climate governance reveal serious structural and institutional weaknesses that undermine our progress towards achieving the 2060 net-zero goal.
“This calls for harmonised subnational climate action frameworks, enhanced capacity building and improved public awareness. We must recalibrate institutions to transform symbolic commitments into practical and achievable climate actions”, he said.
Alo urged the media to intensify public awareness on climate issues and solutions while encouraging Nigerians to adopt sustainable practices that mitigate climate change.
Earlier, in her opening remarks, the Public Affairs Secretary of the Academy and Fellow of NAS, Prof. Chinedum Babalola, who welcomed participants on behalf of NAS President Prof. Abubakar Sambo, said the roundtable was one of the key ways the Academy demonstrates the relevance of science to everyday life.
Babalola, a former Vice-Chancellor of Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Ogun State, said science must not remain confined to journals and laboratories if it is to provide solutions to society’s challenges.
“It must speak to policy, to business and to the Nigerian people. That is why we are here today in partnership with the media. You are the bridge that translates evidence into action.
“Our theme, ‘Climate Change, Health, and the Nigerian Reality,’ could not be more timely. We are already living the reality—flooding leading to cholera outbreaks, heatwaves worsening cardiovascular disease, changing rainfall patterns affecting food production and nutrition, and air pollution driving respiratory illnesses,” she said.
Citing World Health Organisation data describing climate change as the single greatest health threat of the 21st century, Babalola said it was imperative for the Academy to focus on climate change, health and environmental issues, especially given Nigeria’s large population, infrastructure gaps and double burden of disease.
“As the foremost independent science advisory body in the country, the Academy has a responsibility to bring evidence to the table and ensure that evidence informs decision-making,” she said.
Drawing lessons from global sustainability efforts, the professor stressed the need to prioritise environmental sustainability, long-term planning and measurable action.
“We must measure not only the cost of remediation but also how many lives have been improved.
“We must build indigenous capacity and ensure that solutions reflect our Nigerian reality rather than simply borrowing ideas from developed countries,” she added.
A veteran journalist and Executive Director of the Media Support Centre, Wale Fatade, advised journalists to report climate change in ways that spur government action and encourage behavioural change within communities by helping people see themselves in the stories.
In his presentation titled, “Reporting Climate Change, Health and the Nigerian Reality,” Fatade urged journalists to communicate science in simple language and help Nigerians understand the World Health Organisation’s position that climate change is the greatest threat to global public health in ways that inspire action.
He challenged journalists to elevate climate reporting by highlighting its impact on disease outbreaks, food security, nutrition, mental health and access to healthcare.
Fatade reiterated that the media serves as the critical bridge between complex scientific research and the everyday lives of ordinary people.
Also present at the media roundtable was the Executive Secretary of the NAS, Dr Doyin Odubanjo, who coordinated the dialogue.
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