Desert encroachment taking toll on families, Buhari warns

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday decried that climate change was steadily taking a toll on income of families, as farmlands get fewer with desert encroachment, while the vagaries of weather pose greater risks for the future.

Receiving a letter of credence yesterday from the High Commissioner of Australia to Nigeria, Mrs. Claire Ireland, the president said the global attention on taming the effects of climate change was important, noting that population had been on the increase in Nigeria and lands for investment and farming had become more competitive.

“Before now, 10 to 15 members of a family could own a land, but the desert encroachment and growth in population have created a situation where you can have 200 people struggling over a family land,’’ he said.He noted that the effect of climate change on Lake Chad had created more economic challenges.