Nigeria’s Climate War: Citizens Vs. Rising Risks

By AUGUSTINA McSOLOMON-OGHAKPERUO

Grassroots Burden, Youth Power and Adaptation Funding Gaps

The Burden Isn’t at COP Summits — It’s in Local Farms, Streets, and Classrooms

A long-term investigation into Nigeria’s climate landscape shows a widening gap between the severity of climate impacts and the country’s ability to fund adaptation. OjuOluwa, speaking in Ibadan, reminded Nigerians that although the government cannot fight climate change alone, citizens are already carrying the heaviest burden.

Communities across flood-prone states like Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Anambra and Benue now self-fund road repairs, food loss recovery, clean water access, and emergency care during climate disasters. Unlike migration-driven climate impacts, these are indigenous community emergencies affecting ancestral livelihoods — not temporary settlements.

Youth Leading, But Unsupported

OjuOluwa called for youth empowerment, but investigative findings reveal that while young Nigerians are driving climate innovation through recycling startups, clean-energy advocacy, climate reporting, and grassroots engagement, government and institutional funding for youth-led climate action remains inconsistent, small-scale, or bureaucratically inaccessible.

Adaptation Funding: The Missing ₦Billions

Nigeria receives climate financing pledges through international partners, but long-form reviews show that:

• disbursement timelines are slow,

• tracking is opaque,

• climate innovation grants rarely reach rural smallholder farmers,

• and adaptation infrastructure (irrigation, drainage, early-warning systems) is severely under-scaled.

The Citizen Verdict

Climate optimism is rising among citizens and NGOs, but belief alone cannot fill empty stomachs or hospitals. The central question posed by OjuOluwa — “What am I doing? What are you doing?” — has now evolved into a bigger one: “What are our institutions actually funding and delivering?”

Conclusion

Nigeria’s climate war is being fought from the bottom up. But without transparent financing pipelines, enforced environmental protection laws, and accessible adaptation funding, citizens will continue to innovate — but struggle to survive.