

























NIGERIA AND THE QUESTION 
OF CLIMATE JUSTICE

1
Anthony Ikechukwu Kanu, OSA

Abstract 
The world has witnessed series of natural disasters that are 
driven by climate change, and in most cases, the result of 
anthropogenic activities. Nigeria, alongside other countries 
of the world, faces the threatening consequences of climate 
change and other forms of environmental degradation. This 
paper, which takes the form of a case study, is a response to 
the question of the general level context of Nigeria's struggle 
with the challenges of climate change. It has analyzed 
Nigeria's Natio nally Determined Contributions (NDC) 
through the lens of climate justice, considering the wider 
policy frameworks at the national level. It, therefore, touched 
on the national effort towards keeping 1.5C alive, transition 
to green energy, the provision for food sovereignty, the 
capacity of the government to nance for mitigation, 
adaptation, losses and damages, and nally, the promotion 
and protection of the roles and rights of indigenous peoples 
and local communities in the preservation of biodiversity. 
This paper applied a hybrid methodology, which includes 
collection of data from national and international sources, 
and from the empirical research of Nigerian scholars. These 
were analyzed critically and presented thematically. It 
submits that, while the Nigerian state is doing her own bit in 
the direction of climate justice, there is still much to be done, 
which require more national commitment and international 
collaboration.

Keywords: Nigeria, Climate Change, Justice, Environment, 
Biodiversity



I.  Introduction
Climate change constitutes one of the greatest threats not only to 
human existence but to sustainable human development. It is globally 
agreed to be real and caused by both natural and anthropogenic 

2
factors . This report, however, focuses more on anthropogenic 
activities in Nigeria that are bringing about variable rainfall, episodic 
ooding, drought, desertication in some parts of the country, 

3abnormal rise in sea levels, land degradation, etc , and the broad 
question of Nigeria's efforts towards adapting to and mitigating 
climate change. Nigeria is located in West Africa, having a total area 

ndof 356,669 sq mi, making it the 32  largest country in the world. It is 
bordered in the north by Niger, in the east by Chad and Cameroon, in 
the South by the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean and the West by 

4
the Republic of Benin .
 As a result of anthropogenic activities, it has been observed 
that the Green House Gasses (GHG) have been rising since the 
Industrial Revolution. This comes from Fossil Fuel that produces 

5
carbon dioxide (CO2) , which constitutes two-third of the 

6greenhouse gasses . The recognition of this threat led to several 
conferences and bilateral agreements with commitment from states 
to deal with the causative factors. This report focuses on Nigeria's 
commitment to this global vision and effort. It will report on Nigeria's 
effort towards keeping 1.5C alive, transition to clean energy, food 
sovereignty within the context of climate change, nancing for 
mitigation and the contribution of indigenous approaches to the 
conservation of biodiversity. 

II. Nigeria and the 1.5C Commitment
7 thAt the Conference of the Parties (COP26)  held in Glasgow on 13  

November 2021, the nearly 200 countries in attendance including 
Nigeria, had a climate pact in which they agreed to limit temperature 
rises to 1.5C and revisit and strengthen their current emissions targets 

8to 2020 known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) . 
The progress on this will be determined by a yearly round table report 

9on global progress .
 The credentials of Nigeria in relation to domesticating 
international agreements is quite impressive. Apart from being a 

2 Ekpoma Review, Volume 9, 2022



party to the UNFCCC in 1994, ratifying the Kyoto Protocol in 2004 
and implementing the requirements of the protocols and agreements 
which includes setting up administrative machinery and 

10implementing associated projects , Nigeria, following the agreement 
at COP26, has signed the Climate Change Bill into law with the hope 
of developing adaptation and mitigation plans.
 However, there are several factors that affect the translation 
of these plans into action. The rst is the absence of an accurate data 
due to poor technology systems and adequate commitment to 

11reporting current emission level . This is further compounded by a 
weak legislation that is necessary for ensuring increment of climate-

12
friendly activity . 
 The approval of the Petroleum Industrial Bill by the federal 
government, which will attract new investments into oil and gas is not 
in line with the Paris agreement, and thus not a good sign. 
 Another difculty is the inability of the Nigerian government 
to diversify its economy from an entire dependence on non-

13
renewable fossil energy . There is also the factor of lack of 
community ownership of the project as a result of a poor commitment 
on the part of the government to work closely with local 

14communities, civil societies, stakeholders and developing partners . 
This is not unconnected with the poor coordination among federal 
government's ministries and agencies which shows that climate 

15
change is not currently mainstreamed into policy plans and targets . 
The amount allocated to climate change related matters in the budget 

16
is not strong enough for an effective positive action .
 More so, the plan of the country to expand its domestic, 
regional and export gas markets, the plan to revive its coal domestic 
production through the 2018 National Energy Policy, poor reliable 
electricity grid that makes citizens spend much on generators, shows 
indices of dilemma that is at odd with Nigeria's resolve to reduce its 
emissions by 20% by 2030 and 47% conditionally on international 

17support .

III. Transition to Clean Energy
There is a global emphasis on the need for transitioning from the 
present energy system dominated by fossil fuel to green energy. In 

3Nigeria and The Question of Climate Justice



this regard, Nigeria has met the requirements for participating in 
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects (tasked with the 

18
responsibility of reducing GHG emissions) . In 2006, Nigeria 
established a Designated National Authority (DNA) tasked with the 
evaluation, endorsement and approval of CDM projects based on 
national sustainable development criteria, tracking CMD projects 

19
and giving UNFCCC an annual report . The Nigeria's Department  of 
Climate Change under the Ministry of Environment has at least 
eleven CDM and six national/regional projects under the Program of 
Activities (POA). Through this, she had recorded notable emission 
reductions, for instance, from 2015 to 2021, Nigeria has recorded 
annual emission reduction of 6,967 gigagram and 215 gigagram 

20respectively . Nigeria has consistently made submission of reports in 
this regard in 2003 and 2014 to UNFCCC. 
 Going by to the 2022 Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, 
Nigeria has improved in reducing gas aring. This is also seen when 
viewed against the report of gas aring in 1991 which was at 4% 
(13% of the world's total volume of ared gas) with Nigeria as second 
after Russia. It is hoped that if the country works on her inefcient 
methods of exploiting its non-renewable energy resources and the 
survival strategies adopted by its teaming population, it will further 
drop below the rst 10 countries. 

Table 1: Gas aring volumes 2016-2020 (billion cubic meters)

No  Countries  2016  2017  2018  2019  2020 Changes 
from 
2019-2020

1

 

Russia

 

22.37

  

19.92 

 

21.28

 

23.21

 

24.88 1.66
2

 

Iraq   

 

17.73 

 

17.84

 

17.82

 

17.91

 

17.37 -0.54 
3

 

Iran

 

16.41 

 

17.67 

 

17.28

 

13.78 

 

13.26 -0.52 
4

 

USA

 

8.86 

 

9.48

 

14.07

 

17.29

 

11.81 -5.49 
5

 

Algeria 

 

9.10 

 

8.80

 

9.01

 

9.34

 

9.32 -0.02 
6

 

Venezuela 

 

9.35

 

7.00

 

8.22

 

9.54

 

8.59 -0.95 
7 Nigeria 7.31 7.65 7.44 7.83 7.20 -0.63 
8 Mexico 4.78 3.79 3.89 4.48 5.77 1.28
9 China 1.96 1.56 1.82 2.02 2.72 0.70
10 Oman 2.82 2.60 2.54 2.63 2.52 -0.11

21 22 23 24
Source: NOAA , Payne Institute  and Colorado School of Mines , GGFR

4 Ekpoma Review, Volume 9, 2022



According to the 2022 Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, Nigeria 
thranks 7  among the 10 countries with highest gas aring who 

contribute 75 percent of the world's gas aring. Ahead of Nigeria are 
Russia, Iraq, Iran, the United States, Venezuela, Algeria. The three 
countries behind Nigeria include: Mexico, Libya, and China. 
 Although the country has remained in the top seven aring 
countries, it has nonetheless steadily reduced its aring: flaring has 
declined from over 25 bcm in 2000 to close to 7 bcm in 2020, while oil 
production has remained essentially at at around 2 million barrels a 
day.
 These notwithstanding, the commitment of Nigeria is heavy 
at the level of policies and agreements without sufcient action 

25towards implementation . A major aw in the CDM and POA 
projects, according to Nwozor, is their lack of effort towards 

26developing the green energy potentials of Nigeria . There is also the 
problem of incapacity of Nigeria to put in place sufcient 
technologies to ensure the achievement of national targets on green 

27
renewable energy . At the moment, there are efforts towards 
expanding the country's hydorcarbon reserves, the use of inorganic 
fertilizer is still very high, the improper disposal of industrial wastes 
are seen in most major cities. 
 These notwithstanding, the policies of the country 
emphasizes its commitment towards mainstreaming renewable 

28
energy in line with global aspirations . Given the rising population 
and decit in development, Nigeria will require international support 
to translate these policies into action as she is still far from achieving 
her target of transition to green energy by 2030. 

IV. Food Sovereignty and Changing Climate
Nigeria has consistently made efforts towards food sufciency in the 

29past . These attempts, however, have done very little to address the 
underlying causes of declining agricultural capacity. In 2018, an 
estimated 25 million Nigerians were undernourished. This is up by 
180% given the records of the previous decade. Out of an annual 
demand for wheat of 3 million tons, only about 100,000 are produced 
in the country. This is based on poor nancial aid to farmers, extreme 
temperatures and unpredictable precipitation patterns, recent Jihadist 

5Nigeria and The Question of Climate Justice



insurgency and its offshoots in the North Eastern and North Western 
parts of the country already experiencing decline in agricultural 
production by almost 55%, poor mechanized system of farming, 
dependence on rain for agriculture or on the natural weather 

30conditions of localities , increased desert encroachment in the 
northern part of the country, erosion, ood, environmental 

31 32degradation in the southern part of the country , poor storage  and 
33

huge increase in population growth . 
 From the data reported by the Global Food Security Ranking 

thin 2022, Nigeria ranks the 97  county out of the 113 countries on 
record. 

Table 2: 2021 Global Food Security Ranking

No.  Country  Year  Trends
1

 
Nigeria

 
2012

 
39.0

2

 
Nigeria

 
2013

 
2.1

3

 

Nigeria

 

2014

 

-1.6
4

 

Nigeria

 

2015

 

1.4
5

 

Nigeria

 

2016

 

1.5
6

 

Nigeria

 

2017

 

-0.5
7

 

Nigeria

 

2018

 

-1.4
8 Nigeria 2019 2.1
9 Nigeria 2020 1.4
10 Nigeria 2021 0.1

34Source: GFSR 2021

Even though the overall trend is positive at +2.3, it is still not enough 
to ensure food security. In fact, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture 

35
lamented that 65% of the population of Nigeria is food insecure . 
With Nigeria's population projected to double by 2050 to 400 

36
million , the country lives with a catastrophy in view.

V. Climate Finances
The challenges that come with climate change require nances to 

37
tackle . Unfortunately, most developing countries like Nigeria do not 

6 Ekpoma Review, Volume 9, 2022



38
have enough nances to tackle the challenges of climate change . 
More so, the World Bank formerly expects a nancial cost of 10-40 
billion dollars annually for developing countries, and currently 140-

39300 billion dollars annually . This posses a serious challenge to 
countries like Nigeria. 

Table 3: Aggregate budget expenditures for adaptation 
(2013–2020)

NO.  Year  Total Naira Share of Total 
adaptation 
budget

 

Share of 
adaptation 
budget to 
GDP

1

 
2013

 
10,753,404,222

 
34.05%

 
0.0168%

2

 

2014

 

2,591,421,756

 

8.20%

 

0.0038%
3

 

2015

 

238,646,377

 

0.76%

 

0.0003%
4

 

2016

 

1,786,363,620

 

5.66%

 

0.0026%
5

 

2017

 

6,122,821,038

 

19.39%

 

0.0088%
6

 

2018

 

1,099,037,404

 

3.48%

 

0.0016%
7

 

2019

 

4,986,075,679

 

15.79%

 

0.0069%
8

 

2020

 

4,006,552,629

 

12.69%

 

0.0057%

Total 31,584,322,725

40
Source: Oyimadu and Uche 2021

From the foregoing budgetary allocation for tackling climate change 
and the nancial allocation expected by the World Bank, it is obvious 
that many developing economies like Nigeria cannot deal with the 
issue of climate change without external aid. This explains why a 
major source of the ow of nancial resources for adaptation mostly 
comes from developed countries. However, most times, the 
requirements for accessing these international sources of funds 
require stringent conditions. This notwithstanding, from the 
dimension of funding, Nigeria cannot fund the adaptation of climate 
change alone and will, therefore, require external assistance from 
developed economies and Non-Governmental Organizations. 
 

7Nigeria and The Question of Climate Justice



VI. Indigenous Peoples and Biodiversity Conservation
Indigenous knowledge systems are a signicant resource which 
contribute greatly towards increased efciency, effectiveness and 
sustainability of the environment. So far, the major way through 
which the Nigerian government promotes and accounts for the roles 
and rights of indigenous peoples and local communities is through 
representation in governance through the local heads of communities 
and villages. Through them, the voices of the local people are heard, 
and through through them the government communicates with them 
in the language that they understand better. 

Regarding the contributions of indigenous knowledge systems to the 
preservation of the environment, the following are notable:
I. their conceptualization of nature as mother, source of life, 

nourisher, supporter and teacher, brings a new perspective to the 
41understanding of nature .

II. motherhood also introduces the concepts of respect, love, care, 
empathy, support, patience, etc., which are indispensable for the 

42promotion of the good health of the environment .
III. the understanding of nature as manifestations of great spirits, 

means that they are not just considered as things or properties. 
43

They are spiritual personalities deserving of respect and care . 
IV. traditional rites, rituals and festivals become become 

opportunities for the renewal of nature, as in the case of planting 
44of trees .

V. the environment is understood as a part of the human world. Its 
destruction would have direct consequences on the health of the 

45
human person .

In view of the necessary roles of indigenous peoples in the 
preservation of the environment, there is need for the government to 
recognize their role in conservation, and thus, include them in 
discussions about climate change. They need to be given the 
opportunity to speak for themselves. 

VII. Conclusion
Nigeria as a country is currently experiencing the severe 

8 Ekpoma Review, Volume 9, 2022



consequences of the mismanagement of the environment, which is 
46posing a serious threat our collective existence . In the face of the 

foregoing, Chiras avers that: “Together, the problems of 
overpopulation, depletion, and pollution have created an ecological 
crisis – a threat to the integrity of natural systems of which humans 

47are part, and, therefore, a threat to the survival of human life” . The 
present report is a contribution to knowledge in the form of a case 
study as it focuses on Nigeria's experience and efforts toward dealing 
with the challenges of climate change. It analyzed Nigeria's 
Nationally Determined Contributions through the lens of climate 
justice, considering the wider policy frameworks at the national level
  This piece remains a very signicant contribution to studies 
in climate change, and its speciality and focus on the Nigerian state 
has allowed for a broader study that gives a peculiar picture of the 
situation of climate justice in Nigeria. It strongly believes that while 
the Nigerian state has committed in the direction of climate justice, 
there is still much to be done. Climate justice will be achievable if the 
government gives it the consideration due to it. This effort, however, 
will remain insufcient without the interventions of developed 
economies and Non-governmental Organizations. 

.
1  Ikechukwu Anthony KANU, OSA is a friar of the Order of Saint 

Augustine, Province of Nigeria. He is a Professor of African Philosophy 
and Religion at Tansian University, and also an adjunct to the University 
of Jos; Veritas University, Abuja; St Albert the Great Major Seminary, 
Abeokuta and the Augustinian Institute, Makurdi. He is also the 
President of the Association for the  Promotion of African Studies.

2  Intergovernmental panel on climate change 2013: The physical science 
basis working group I Contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of 
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge: 
Cambridge University Press, 2013. 

3 Haider, H., Climate change in Nigeria: Impacts and responses. K4D 
Help. Rep. pp. 1-38, 2019

4 Ade Ajayi, J.F.; Kirk-Greene, A.H.M.; Udo, R.K.; Falola, T.O. Nigeria. 
Available online: .https://www.britannica.com/place/Nigeria

5  Sovacool, B. K. The history and politics  of energy transitions: 

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47 Chiras, D.D., Environmental Science: A framework for decision-

making. London: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1985, p. 5

14 Ekpoma Review, Volume 9, 2022


