Climate Change Is a Human Rights Crisis, NHRC Declares, Unveils National Action Group

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has declared climate change a growing human rights emergency in Nigeria, warning that rising temperatures, devastating floods, prolonged droughts and climate-induced displacement are stripping millions of Nigerians of their fundamental rights to life, food, shelter, health and dignity.

In a move aimed at placing people at the centre of Nigeria’s climate response, the Commission on Tuesday inaugurated the National Working Group on Human Rights and Climate Change, a multi-stakeholder platform expected to integrate human rights principles into the country’s climate policies and interventions.

Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Chief Tony Ojukwu, said climate change has evolved beyond an environmental challenge into a humanitarian and human rights crisis that demands urgent and coordinated action.

According to him, communities devastated by floods, farmers whose livelihoods have been wiped out by erratic weather patterns, families displaced by climate-related disasters and children forced out of school because of environmental emergencies are all victims of rights violations that require institutional protection.

“Climate change is not just about rising temperatures or changing weather patterns,” Ojukwu said. “It is about people losing their homes, farmers losing their livelihoods, communities being uprooted and vulnerable populations being pushed deeper into poverty.

“Our response must therefore be guided by one fundamental question: How does climate change affect people and how do we protect their rights?”

He said the newly inaugurated Working Group would provide a platform for government institutions, civil society organisations, development partners and academics to ensure that climate policies are designed with the needs of vulnerable communities at their core.

The initiative, he noted, is a collaborative effort involving the NHRC, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the National Council on Climate Change, with a mandate to mainstream human rights into climate governance and strengthen accountability in climate-related interventions.

Representing, Alhaji Balarabe Lawal, the Minister of Environment, Dr. Iniobong Abiola Awe reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to climate policies that are inclusive and responsive to the needs of communities most affected by environmental degradation.

She stressed that Nigeria’s climate adaptation and mitigation programmes must protect vulnerable populations while promoting sustainable development.

Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change, Dr. Omotenioye Majekodunmi, said the evidence of climate change is already visible across the country, citing recurring floods, desertification, rising temperatures, forced migration and worsening farmer-herder conflicts as clear indicators that the crisis has assumed both environmental and social dimensions.

She argued that the consequences of climate change now extend beyond damaged ecosystems to include threats to livelihoods, security, economic stability and human dignity.

Civil society organisations also pledged support for the initiative.

Founder of the Women Environmental Programme, Dr. Priscilla Achakpa, called for greater attention to climate justice, particularly for women, children, young people and other vulnerable groups who bear the heaviest burden of climate impacts despite contributing the least to global emissions.

The Federal Commissioner for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Aliyu Tijani Ahmed, represented by former NHRC Director, Dahiru Bobbo, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to protecting persons displaced by climate-induced disasters.

Similarly, the Presidency, through the Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Climate Change, Comrade Yussuf Kelani, pledged support for the activities of the Working Group.

The inauguration comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with increasingly severe climate shocks. In recent years, recurrent flooding has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, destroyed farmlands and critical infrastructure, while prolonged drought and desertification in parts of northern Nigeria have intensified competition over shrinking natural resources, fueling conflicts and worsening food insecurity.

Human rights advocates have increasingly argued that climate change is no longer solely an environmental issue but a development, governance and justice challenge that disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable populations.

With the establishment of the National Working Group, the NHRC hopes to ensure that Nigeria’s climate response goes beyond reducing emissions and strengthening resilience to also guarantee that the rights and dignity of citizens remain at the heart of every climate policy and intervention.