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Govt blames insurgency, herdsmen-farmers clash on climate change

By Terhemba Daka, Abuja
15 December 2015   |   4:34 am
GOVERNMENT and other stakeholders yesterday attributed the rise in the activities of Boko Haram in the North East, recurring clashes between herdsmen and local farmers to the effect of climate change in the country. Addressing the House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change on the Federal Government’s efforts in Abuja, Minister of Information and Culture,…

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GOVERNMENT and other stakeholders yesterday attributed the rise in the activities of Boko Haram in the North East, recurring clashes between herdsmen and local farmers to the effect of climate change in the country.

Addressing the House of Representatives Committee on Climate Change on the Federal Government’s efforts in Abuja, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed called for urgent inter-agency collaboration to tame the ugly development.

Mohammed explained that desertification in the north, erosion and flooding in the South-South and South-East, as well as ocean rise in the South-West were some of the effects of climatic change if not immediately tackled by the stakeholders.

“There is insufficient information about climate change. People just know that there is a change in weather. Climate change is more fundamental than that. It affects our economy, security and other ways of life. The conflicts between herdsmen and farmers are as a result of climate change.

“In the past, there were grasses to feed on. But today, we do not have that in the north. The Lake Chad that shrunk is also responsible for the growth of Boko Haram. It is responsible for a number of things that have gone wrong. It is the number one cause of natural disasters in the country. No part of Nigeria is insulated from the effects of climate change. In the south eastern part of the country, we have erosion problems. In the north, there is desertification. In the south-western part, we have ocean surge.

“There should be more information dissemination. Nigerians live in denial. Many of the reasons responsible for climate change are the way we treat the environment.

“As the ministry responsible for the dissemination of information to Nigerians, we will need to work on the relevant agencies on areas of collaboration.

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