ADDRESSING DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT

The authorities must pay more than a passing attention to the environment

 Of all the five most critical factors that affect the global environment, namely, air pollution, overpopulation, deforestation, climate change and global warming, the biggest threat to Nigeria’s environment remains deforestation. This is without losing sight of the waste management challenges, flooding, desertification, gully soil and coastal erosion that bedevil various parts of the country. The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, said recently that desertification and land degradation have impacted the livelihoods of more than 40 million Nigerians, and affected 43 per cent of the country’s landmass, approximately 923,000 square kilometres. Citing the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Lawal added that more than two million hectares of land were lost annually to desertification, land degradation, and drought.

Ordinarily, forests are home to wildlife which perform a broad range of critical environmental and climatic functions including the maintenance of constant supply of water, ensuring clean air and prevention of desertification, soil, and gully erosion. In its report, ‘High and Dry: Climate Change, Water and the Economy’ a few years ago, the World Bank said, water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change, could cost some regions up to six per cent of their GDP, spur migration and spark conflict.

The report claimed that climate-driven water scarcity could hit economic growth by up to six per cent in some regions and that the combined effects of growing populations, rising incomes and expanding cities would see demand for water rising exponentially, while supply becomes more erratic and uncertain. The report particularly contains a serious warning for Nigeria that is yet to be heeded. “Food price spikes caused by droughts can inflame latent conflicts and drive migration. Where economic growth is impacted by rainfall, episodes of droughts and floods have generated waves of migration and spikes in violence within countries,” it said.  

 There is an urgent need for an environmentally and socially equitable approaches to these challenges. The desert is still encroaching at the speed of more than 1.6 kilometres annually. There are almost 3,000 erosion sites in the Southeast. Flooding in Lagos is anything but ordinary. Rising temperature is increasingly becoming unbearable while agriculturists are struggling to adapt to the attendant climate variability with serious socio-economic implications. The National Park Service, charged with the responsibility of protecting swathes of forests and their biodiversity, is lacking in capacity apart from being inadequately funded and supported.    

As things stand today, less than 4 per cent of the country’s untouched forest cover is left. More frightening is the fact that 1.5 million trees are felled every day owing to illegal logging. There is an urgent need to completely reset the country’s environmental agenda. The fight against insurgency and banditry should be ramped up to rein in the devastation and degradation of the natural environment across the country. Environmental remediation measures such as the Great Green Wall Project should be taken more seriously and adequately funded. Stringent statutory provisions should be put in place to protect the various ecosystems and their biodiversity.   

Beyond the foregoing, there should be more transparency and accountability in the application of Ecological Funds, and must be made to serve their purpose fully and directly. Tougher measures should be put in place to checkmate wanton emission of noxious and deleterious gases through gas flaring and use of outdated machines. Electricity challenges in the country should be addressed to minimise the use of power generating sets. The Green Recovery Project of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) must attract deserved encouragement and partnership.   

Considering a recent report by the United Nations that Nigeria has the highest deforestation rate in the world, with an estimated 3.7 per cent of its forest lost every year, it is important for  all relevant stakeholders to find a solution to this existential threat to our national security and survival.