Climate Change and Conflict in Nigeria: The Boko Haram Challenge
Chukwuma Onyia
Abstract
This paper presents a structural and empirical analysis of the agential of the raison d’être for Nigeria’s
unpreparedness to adapt to changing climate. Structures and strictures of renteir state, prebendal politics and
people-unfriendly economic reforms have derailed the developmental focus of the state, and led to the emergence
of self-serving, self-perpetuating political elites. This increasingly weakened the state’s capacity and sovereignty
across its territory, making room only for a narrow focus on a segment of the state—the southern region—due
largely to its economic importance (rent generation). These three factors fueled unprecedented capital flight from
Nigeria, engendered general apathy to climate change among political office holders, and drastically impinged
on the state’s capacity and willingness to pursue meaningful adaptation programs. Thus, Nigeria’s legal, policy,
structural and institutional adaptive mechanisms for climate change are anything but adequate. The net effect is
exposure of the vast population of farmers in northern Nigeria to harsh environmental effects, consequently
generating conflict. This article makes a case for government and private sector partnership in undertaking
initiatives towards addressing challenges posed by global climatic change, as a measure to stemming the tide of
youth radicalization and rise of terrorist groups like Boko Haram.
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