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FG Forecasts ‘Weather Catastrophe’ for Lagos, Port Harcourt
The Federal Government on Thursday said a report by the inter-governmental panel on climate change revealed that many coastal mega cities including Lagos, Port Harcourt and others, would witness weather catastrophe by 2050.
It, however, stated that it was taking steps to mitigate this through the provision of information on future actions required by cities that projected to be affected by the climate change effects.
The Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, disclosed this during a side event on “Scaling up Climate Change Adaptation in Nigeria”, organised by the Federal Ministry Environment in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, at the ongoing COP27 event in Egypt.
This minister’s remarks were contained in a statement that was made available to our correspondent by the FME in Abuja on Thursday.
The statement read in part, “Abdullahi, quoting the report of the inter-governmental panel on climate change, affirmed that by 2050 many coastal mega cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt and other low line coastal cities in Nigeria will in a century witness weather catastrophe every year affecting millions of people and properties and causing devastation.
“Consequently, Nigeria has taken bold step to develop the adaptation communication guided by the NAP (National Adaptation Plan) Global Network.
“The adaptation communication will play central role in identifying national needs and enable international follow up while informing future action, driving ambition and contributing information for the global stock taking.”
Abdullahi stated that it obvious that the challenges of climate change were enormous, adding that no individual ministry could confront the challenges alone.
“We are calling for joint and cooperative efforts to tackle the problem, it is therefore pertinent that we begin to take our pledges into action as take away from COP27,” he stated.
On her part, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, said the Federal Government would scale up climate change adaption in Nigeria through her ministry.
“Our communities are composed of the poor, elderly, children and persons living with disabilities, and the additional effect of climate change has rendered them more vulnerable than they already are,” she said.
Farouq said her ministry would work with the Nigerian Adaptation Plan to reduce the vulnerability of communities to the impact of climate change by building adaptive capacity and resilience.
She stated that the plan also advocated integration of climate change adaptation into relevant new and existing policies, programmes and activities, as well as developing planning process and strategies.
“The reason we are here today is to harness and discourse good practices, programmes and strategies that other countries are using to reduce vulnerabilities to climate change,” she stated.
Despite signs of improving macroeconomic stability, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has argued that many Nigerians continue to face significant economic hardship as high prices and cost-of-living pressures weigh on households.
In its latest assessment of the Nigerian economy, the Fund acknowledged that ongoing reforms have helped strengthen macroeconomic fundamentals, including improved foreign exchange market stability. and stronger external reserves.
It, however, noted that the benefits of these reforms have yet to fully translate into improved living conditions for many citizens.
The IMF projected Nigeria’s economy to grow by 4 percent in 2025 and 4.1 percent in 2026, supported by policy reforms and improving economic conditions. However, the Fund warned that inflation and rising living costs remain major challenges to inclusive growth.
Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed headline inflation rose to 15.69 percent year-on-year in April 2026, underscoring the continued pressure on household incomes despite signs of economic stabilisation.
According to the IMF, sustaining growth will require policies that not only preserve macroeconomic stability but also improve social outcomes, create jobs and support vulnerable households. The Fund noted that while reform measures are beginning to strengthen confidence in the economy, many Nigerians are yet to feel the full benefits in their daily lives.
The assessment comes as Nigeria continues to implement fiscal, monetary and foreign exchange reforms aimed at boosting investment, strengthening public finances and supporting long-term economic growth. While economic indicators have shown gradual improvement, inflationary pressures and high living costs remain key concerns for households and businesses across the country.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has urged Nigerians to be careful of those trying to kidnap for ransom.
Akpabio argued on Tuesday that those behind kidnapping are perpetuating the activity to create an impression that Nigeria is not safe.
Speaking in Abuja during the commissioning of road projects to mark President Bola Tinubu’s third year anniversary, Akpabio said some of the president’s critics have resorted to paying youths to cause mayhem.
Akpabio accused Tinubu’s critics of focusing on insecurity instead of policy and infrastructure.
“Minister you said that people claimed that nothing is happening in Nigeria under the administration of President Tinubu. If they did not say that, how will they go for election? he asked rhetorically.
“If you realize what is happening recently, when they realized that they can’t talk about projects, performance, good laws, transformation in the Petroleum industry, subsidy removal that have been promised Nigerians for decades, they can no longer talk about the high-rise buildings in Abuja such as the NRS building, they resorted to paying young people and recruiting them to cause mayhem in the country.
“Be very vigilant and be careful about people trying to kidnap for ransom. They are kidnapping in order to give the impression that Nigeria is not safe.
“Our men and women in uniform have done tremendously well but many people will not know and that is why I keep saying that the devil you see today, you will soon see them no more.
“Elections will come and go; elections will never be our end; we will see the end of elections; it will never see our end,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of N10 billion as emergency intervention funding.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this on Tuesday.
According to Onanuga, the fund will strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities.
The Presidential Task Force on Ebola will be chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, with membership drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and state representatives.
Onanuga noted that the President’s approval followed a stakeholder meeting convened under the chairmanship of the Chief of Staff to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies against the possible importation of Ebola into the country.
Ebola recently resurfaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda – both neighbouring countries.
Other key stakeholders at the meeting included representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Lagos State Government and others.
Onanuga also disclosed that Tinubu directed all states hosting international airports and international border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for consideration and coordinated implementation.
Additional measures to be implemented by the Task Force include the intensification of passenger screening at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols; enhanced monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes, including Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines; and the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.
Other measures include the mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, as well as the disinfection of departure halls, cargoes, baggage areas and airport facilities as precautionary environmental measures.
The President also directed the advisory group to consult with security, diplomatic and aviation bodies on regulating flights from affected and designated high-risk countries.
The Task Force was further mandated to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, and to consider adjusting flight schedules to minimise interaction between high-risk passengers and other travelers.
