Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A leading Nigerian environmental scientist and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Babajide Alo, has warned that Nigeria's ambitious target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2060 will remain unattainable unless state and local governments are urgently empowered to lead climate action. Speaking at a media roundtable organised by the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS) in Lagos on Thursday, July 9, 2026, Alo painted a stark picture of a country where climate policy remains heavily centralised, leaving the subnational levels—where the impacts of climate change are most acutely felt—largely sidelined.
Alo, an Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science, delivered his remarks during a session themed “Climate Change, Health, and the Nigerian Reality: Securing Our Climate Future for a Resilient Nigeria.” He acknowledged that the Federal Government has made notable strides by establishing a National Climate Change Policy, submitting its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and launching initiatives such as the Great Green Wall and the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP). However, he lamented that these efforts remain overwhelmingly concentrated at the federal level, while states and local governments have received "comparatively little attention in terms of policy development, institutional capacity, financing, and implementation."
"The impacts of climate change are mostly borne by states, and policies at the subnational level are critical to addressing climate change and achieving Nigeria’s net-zero goal," Alo said. He noted that most Nigerian states are yet to develop comprehensive climate policies or action plans, and dedicated budgetary allocations for climate programmes remain largely absent. This governance gap, he warned, is further compounded by low climate literacy among state officials, weak public awareness, limited cross-sectoral collaboration, and poor alignment between state initiatives and national climate priorities. According to Alo, these institutional weaknesses could fundamentally undermine Nigeria's climate commitments unless urgent reforms are undertaken to strengthen climate institutions at the subnational level.
Alo called for a harmonised national framework to improve policy coordination, technical capacity, financing, and public awareness campaigns at the state and local levels. He stressed that climate education must become a central pillar of Nigeria's climate strategy, particularly at the grassroots, where communities face the immediate consequences of floods, droughts, desertification, coastal erosion, and other climate-induced disasters. He also highlighted the growing public health implications of climate change, describing the situation as "a crisis within a crisis." Vulnerable groups, including older persons, people with disabilities, women, children, and the homeless, are disproportionately affected because they often lack the resources to prepare, respond, and recover from extreme weather events.
To secure Nigeria's climate future, Alo advocated for a fundamental shift away from top-down, technocratic approaches toward Locally Led Adaptation (LLA), where communities actively define and implement climate solutions. He argued that local communities possess valuable indigenous knowledge and practical experience that can complement scientific innovations. Empowering communities to own climate initiatives, he said, improves sustainability, promotes social cohesion, strengthens peacebuilding efforts in conflict areas, and ensures more efficient use of limited resources. He recommended greater recognition of traditional knowledge systems like indigenous weather forecasting, rainwater harvesting, and climate-smart agricultural practices that have helped African communities adapt successfully. He also emphasised the importance of inclusive decision-making, ensuring that women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised groups are actively involved in planning and implementing climate programmes.
Despite the global recognition of community-led adaptation, Alo noted that inadequate financing remains a major obstacle, with less than 10 per cent of international climate finance currently reaching local communities directly. He called for reforms to channel more resources to community-based institutions, including direct financing, better planning, technical support, and accountability. He urged governments to promote climate-resilient livelihoods through sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, eco-tourism, and other green businesses that reduce vulnerability and create jobs. He also called for the scaling up of successful community initiatives like disaster risk reduction, ecosystem restoration, and early warning systems, which he said can save lives and property.
Alo's intervention comes at a critical time for Nigeria's climate ambitions. The country has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060, with an estimated financing requirement of nearly $500 billion above business-as-usual levels under its updated Energy Transition Plan (ETP 2.0). While the Federal Government has positioned climate action as a major economic opportunity, experts increasingly agree that progress will depend on stronger implementation at the subnational level. A recent comprehensive assessment of climate awareness, policy, and action across all 36 Nigerian states, published in Frontiers, found that achieving the 2060 net-zero goal requires harmonised subnational frameworks, enhanced capacity-building, and innovative tools to incentivise accountability and stimulate stronger state-level climate action.
As Alo put it, "Empowering communities is not only a strategy for survival; it is a proactive way to build a more equitable and sustainable world, ensuring that, as the climate changes, livelihoods and ecosystems are secured for future generations." For Nigeria to turn its net-zero ambition into reality, his message was clear: the federal government cannot do it alone. States and local governments must step up, and they must do so now.
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