Tinubu seeks urgent help as vanishing Lake Chad harms Nigeria

President Bola Tinubu has called for urgent international collaboration to recover the critical body of water that has disappeared from Lake Chad, causing socioeconomic harm to Nigeria.

Tinubu said this in an opinion article published on CNN on Tuesday, with the title ‘Africa can become the world’s green manufacturing powerhouse’.

He said COP28 marked a critical milestone with the first Global Stocktake on implementing the Paris Agreements, a comprehensive review and inventory that allows each country to assess its progress in reducing emissions and achieving climate goals.

He said to uphold our legally binding commitment to a cleaner world, Nigeria launched the Nigerian Carbon Market Initiative at COP28 by joining the African Carbon Market Initiative.

The rapid loss of water resources and the escalating rate of desertification are closely tied to the Sahel crisis, which is characterised by the emergence of extremist and authoritarian elements, according to Tinubu.

He said: “The startling loss of 90 percent of Lake Chad over the past three decades is a perfect example of this. We seek urgent international collaboration in both financing and technology toward the total recharge and recovery of this critical body of water.

“Together, with one voice and coordinated action, we can stop the desert from consuming Nigeria’s vast arable land, displacing communities, and causing food insecurity and social dislocation that often erupts into violence.”

In southern Nigeria, rising ocean levels threaten coastal areas, he said. “Throughout the nation, flooding kills hundreds of innocent civilians and decimates farmlands, towns, and villages, all while rendering tens of thousands of our people homeless.”

Tinubu said Nigeria has taken significant steps and acted decisively in enacting the Climate Change Act and committing to net-zero emissions between 2050 and 2070.

“However, challenges persist as energy and food crises caused by conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have weakened the willingness of wealthy nations to fully cooperate with less developed economies. This affects the ability of less developed countries to pursue national plans for achieving net zero emissions, even when those plans are detailed and achievable,” he said.