Recent research has attributed growing Climate Challenges as the main cause of the floods that killed over 600 people in Nigeria earlier in 2022. Nigeria experienced it worst flooding in over 10 years with more than 1.4 million people badly affected and devastating impact on homes and farmland along.

Researchers from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) consortium said in a study that the floods, among the deadliest on record in Nigeria with human ignorance and activities directly exacerbating climate change. According to the experts the floods between June and October this year displaced more than 1.4 million people and were 80 times likelier to occur because of human activity.

The 2023 flood experience has brought to the fore the urgent need to rethinking Nigeria Climate action – present and future challenges. The growing challenge of Climate Change and flooding in Nigeria was recently attributed to mismanagement of the nation’s ecological fund and government reluctant in accepting full responsibility for the safety and welfare of the people.

While much has been said about the floods’ effects, it’s essential to consider how corruption and unaccountable spending of the Ecological Fund contributed to the problem. The Federal Government of Nigeria established the fund to address various ecological challenges in communities across the country. It was created through the Federation Account Act 1981, on the recommendation of the Okigbo Commission, and then modified in 2002.

The fund initially constituted 1% of the Federation Account, and in 1992 this was increased to 3%. The aim was to devote a pool of money to projects that would ameliorate serious environmental problems nationwide. The fund now also covers flooding, which is a direct consequence of climate change.

Data collated from the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee reports show that between 2012 and 2021, Nigeria set aside N548 billion for the derivation and ecological funding account. Given that the country is at high risk for graft, sums of this magnitude are vulnerable to misappropriation and fraud – with dire consequences for citizens suffering the impact of climate change.

“The influence of climate change means the prolonged rain that led to the floods is no longer a rare event,” the study found. The above-average rain over the wet season now has approximately a 1 in 10 chance of happening each year; without human activities it would have been an extremely rare event.”

The report comes as COP27 climate talks are under way in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, where developing nations are demanding rich polluters pay for climate-change linked calamities. But until there is change in attitude of Nigerian Leaders in prioritizing the sustainability of the nation and welfare of the people, no matter how much the rich polluters pay Nigeria or any other Africa Countries; where human ignorance and activities have been identified as a challenge – Climate Change and Flood would remain a major deadly challenge in Nigeria.