By Joseph Chibueze, Abuja

Nigeria today joins the rest of the global community to celebrate
World Humanitarian Day (WHD), a day set aside to honour humanitarian
aid workers all over the world.
The celebration this year will focus on the effects of climate change
and its devastating effects on communities.

Speaking on the theme of this year’s WHD which is climate change,
Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Edward Kallon, said the
Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) is using the event to remind everyone
in Nigeria that it is no longer about the possibility of a climate
emergency, “we are now living through it,” he said.
Last year, like every year, humanitarian organisations and workers
helped people affected by extreme weather-related events. In West and
Central Africa, climate change effects are felt in rising
temperatures, droughts and floods that are affecting people’s
livelihood, shelter and physical and mental well-being.
According to Kallon, “The climate emergency is a race that we cannot
afford to lose.
“Extreme stress, property loss and food/water scarcity contribute to
community conflict over resources, leading to increased incidences of
community tensions and farmer-herder violence in north-east Nigeria.”
Nigeria has experienced the highest number of fatalities from
conflicts between farmers and herders concentrated in the
northwestern, Middle Belt, and more recently in southern states.
The impact of climate change has significantly increased in West and
Central Africa over the past 10 years with geographic concentrations
in north-east Nigeria. Here, people struggle to have access to food
and suffer from climatic shocks that are negatively affecting food
crops, driving up food prices. The economic decline has drastically
reduced the buying power of communities to secure even the basics.
Extreme weather resulting from climate conditions can delay the
delivery of life saving assistance and place humanitarian workers at
great risk. As climate patterns become more volatile, heavy rains
result in frequent flash floods, making it more difficult to mount a
timely response. The security situation in the north-east is still
precarious with ongoing attacks on humanitarian assets, infrastructure
and personnel.
Climate hazards especially affect women and girls, who often bear a
disproportionate burden to provide for their families by going without
food and other means of sustenance. As droughts make water even more
scarce, women and girls are forced to walk longer distances to obtain
potable water, increasing their exposure to sexual harassment and
assault as they travel to bring back these essentials.
“Time is already running out for millions of vulnerable people in the
north-east, we need to act now,” said Mr. Kallon. “Men, women and
children who have contributed least to this climate emergency are,
sadly, the most affected.”
There will be several environmental/climate change events happening
simultaneously during WHD, as Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states will
engage in tree planting, trash pick-up in communities and open
discussions on local radio on what actions people can take to fight
the effects of climate change. The UN and partners have also enlisted
the support of national climate change and environmental influencers
to spread the message on social media through interactive sessions.
Meaningful climate action is needed as climate change will continue to
detrimentally affect access to clean water, food, and other resources,
resulting in adverse effects to the safety and well-being of
communities in the north-east BAY states. As we head rapidly towards
the end of the year, funding levels do no match the increasing
needs—the Humanitarian Response Plan remains only 33 per cent
funded—while the total ask is over $1billion.
“We cannot afford to accept climate disasters as inevitable. We are in
the most important race of our lives. And, together, we can make
meaningful changes to mitigate the effects of climate change.” said
Mr. Kallon.