President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged the international community to adopt a coordinated, urgent, and equitable approach to address climate-induced mobility, warning that the phenomenon is no longer a distant or abstract threat but a pressing reality deeply rooted in Nigeria’s present-day challenges.
Speaking on Thursday, January 23, 2026, during a high-level panel at the ongoing Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, President Tinubu emphasised that Nigeria is already experiencing severe displacement caused by climate change, including desertification in the North, flooding in the South, and coastal erosion along the Atlantic seaboard.
“For Nigeria, climate-induced mobility is not a distant or abstract issue. It is deeply rooted in our daily reality families displaced from farmlands in the Sahel, communities washed away by floods in the Niger Delta, and coastal settlements vanishing into the sea,” Tinubu stated.
He highlighted key statistics: Over 2.5 million Nigerians displaced internally due to climate-related disasters in the last decade.
Northern states losing arable land at an alarming rate due to desert encroachment.
Rising sea levels threatening Lagos, Nigeria’s economic powerhouse, with potential displacement of millions if unchecked.
The President called for Global climate finance to be made accessible, predictable, and sufficient for vulnerable nations.
Coordinated migration policies that recognise climate refugees and provide legal pathways.
Technology transfer and capacity building to help African countries adapt and build resilience.
Debt relief linked to climate action, so developing nations are not forced to choose between servicing debt and protecting citizens.
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Tinubu reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to net-zero by 2060 and the Energy Transition Plan but stressed that Africa cannot bear the burden alone when it contributes the least to global emissions yet suffers the most.
The speech has been widely praised across Africa, with delegates describing it as “clear, bold, and rooted in lived experience.”
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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