THE POLITICO-SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN NIGERIA

The political, social and economic wellbeing of Nigerians have reached a tipping point because of the vicissitudes of climate change, the falling value of the Naira and the low price of oil in the international market. The negative consequences of climate change in Nigeria which includes low food and livestock production, drought, rise in temperature to mention but a few seem to be the challenges that will finally bring the country to her kneels if not contained promptly and effectively now. This paper seeks to identify the politico-socio-economic consequences of climate change in Nigeria by using the methodology of content analysis. The study anchors on the reflective modernization theory which will be used to explain the information gathered from the Ministries of Environment and Agriculture as well as other secondary sources. Important findings from the research showed that climate change is a global phenomenon with Nigeria contributing a negligible fraction of toxic carbon emissions which contributes to flooding, loss of lives and properties and political instability. This paper recommends that the Nigerian government should make budgetary allocations which would help combat climate change challenges and should develop the political will to join other countries which have acknowledged the catastrophic effects of climate change to force the industrialized world to cut down emissions of greenhouse gases. If the above recommendations are not taken seriously by all and sundry, the negative consequences will affect Nigeria’s social and economic fabric which can lead finally to political decay