NextGen Nigeria

Flood killed my baby sister and friend

By Rumaisa, 13, in Borno State

I will never forget the dreadful floods of 2016 that claimed the life of my baby sister and my school friend.

Where I live in the North-East of Nigeria, Borno State, is usually hot and we do not see a lot of rain.

But as greenhouse gases cause the earth’s temperature to rise, scientists are projecting more unpredictable and extreme weather.

Rainstorms are already becoming more intense and we have all come to dread the rainy season.

The day my six-month-old baby sister, Amina, was taken from us was August 19, 2016.

At school that day everyone was talking about the changing weather; the usually grey and white clouds were looking darker and ominous.

My schoolmates and I were looking forward to the breaktime when the daylight suddenly turned into darkness.

I sat still in my chair in fear.

Many of the kids in the classroom put their heads on their desks with their eyes closed.

In the blink of an eye, heavy rain began to fall, pounding on the roof of the classroom like someone trying to force their way into a locked room.

Hours went by and the rain finally slowed down, we were allowed to leave and go home - to what was left of it.

On the walk home my schoolmates and I saw entire neighbourhoods under water, people desperately trying to salvage what was left of their belongings.

Some buildings had their roofs blown off; a few houses completely collapsed.

I continued to walk home in the soggy soil, with the soles of my shoes heavy with mud.

My stomach churned because I did not know what to expect when I would get home.

The building we lived in was still standing, but inside the havoc wreaked by the flood was shocking.

My mother breathed a sigh of relief on seeing me.

The floodwater had destroyed my storybooks and toys.

All of this, though, was not as painful as the news that my baby sister had drowned.

My mother told me she was in the kitchen - not part of the main building - and was sleeping in the room which had been struck worst by the rain.

My mother did not get to her in time due to the storm. I was heartbroken.

Amina was dainty and playful, I couldn’t believe she was gone.

My family was distraught.

I did not know how or where we slept that day.

I wished I had wings so I could fly away to a calm and happy place.

I awoke the next day amid the gloom, still gripped by grief.

But there was no hope of comfort as I learnt one of my friends was swept away by the flood when she fell into a ditch.

She was found floating in the water a day after the rain.

The disaster that followed that rain still makes me sad.

We moved away from that area, but it will be forever ingrained in my memory.

I hope and pray I do not witness a disaster like that again but as global warming continues, the IPCC predicts that the frequency and intensity of rainfall will only increase across Africa.

Humans do not have ultimate power over nature, but I believe we can do things to reduce its negative impacts on us.

In my community, people have also contributed to the damage and deaths by building houses on flood paths.

I want the government to remove buildings on flood paths, build proper drainage and take these small steps to protect our future.

Our family farm, which was our livelihood, destroyed by floods

By Hauwa, 11, Borno State

I always loved going to my parent’s farm. 

I would bury sesame seeds and beans in the dark, soft soil, dreaming of a bumper harvest. 

My father and I eagerly waited for them to grow. 

But last year, we never got to harvest our crops. 

The heavy rainfall was punctuated by thunder and lightning, and strong gusts of wind. 

I expected a soggy and muddy ground afterwards – nothing more. 

But, sadly, the destruction from the rain was devastating.

Forlorn-looking, mouth agape, my father stared in disbelief at our farm. 

The rain had pounded the ground, dug up the planted seeds, and washed them away.

In one fell swoop, there was nothing left of his hard work. My mother stood beside him in shock.

Other farms in the area suffered the same fate, which is all the more devastating because 70% of Nigeria’s population rely on agriculture for income. 

Distraught and disappointed, my father did not make any attempt to own a farm again and now our income is gone.  

He had put lots of money into the farm and it was all lost.

I felt even angrier that all our hard work was for nothing. 

I do not know whether I will own a farm in the future, but we urgently need to mitigate the pain caused by flooding and other climate change disasters.

I want my government to make a law that will prevent people from cutting down trees. 

Nigeria has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world. 

If people didn’t cut down trees, more water would be absorbed and it might not flood as much.  

And my father’s farm might still be here. 

Floods killed crops, animals and caused disease

By Lawan, 15, Borno State

I vividly remember the storm that tore my grandparents’ community apart last September.

It was the school holidays and my family had arranged to visit my grandparents.

When we arrived at their village in Borno State, I was delighted by the new people and all the animals roaming around.

But just an hour later, a howling wind began throwing dirt and dust in the air.

It quickly grew stronger, picking up and hurling objects.

In a flash, the clouds darkened, and the sky gave way to a downpour.

It rained and rained and rained.

My first day in the village was already ruined.

I waited and waited for the rain to stop, but it did not.

I was so scared.

I couldn’t imagine the horror some villagers endured as their walls and roofs gave way to the surging waters and fierce wind.

The rain did not stop until the following day.

I have never witnessed rain like that before.

When we finally stepped out of the apartment we were staying in, we were confronted with a devastating sight.

The walls of some houses had collapsed, while the roofs were hanging off other homes by a nail or two.

Many houses were flooded, including my grandparents'.

Animals had drowned in their pens as they were tied up when the floodwater overwhelmed them.

Worst of all, several people died in the flooding caused by the storm that day.

Many others fell sick as the village’s clean water sources were filled with dirty rainwater.

Lots of people were displaced, including my grandparents.

They did not return to their home until three months after the storm.

Many of the people relocated to another village, and it took some months for them to return to rebuild their homes and lives.

Today, people there are still battling hunger and malnutrition because the flood swept away their crops and killed their animals.

I want the government and NGOs to provide better drainage systems and health facilities.  

I don’t know if we can stop climate change but, with some help, we could be in a better position to face it.

Two female Nigerian activists write how the climate crisis is fuelling terrorist conflict in the country and the devastating consequences this has on children, particularly girls.

By Oladosu Adenike, 27, Ecofeminist and founder of I Lead Climate Action Initiative

We see the impact of the climate crisis on a daily basis in my area of Nigeria.

In North Africa’s Lake Chad region, we experience flash flooding, heat waves and desertification.

But what many do not understand is how the climate crisis is also driving armed conflict and the impact this has on girls and women.

In 2014 I was shocked and horrified at the abduction of the 276 school girls in the Lake Chad town of Chibok, Borno State, by the terrorist group Boko Haram.

It caused international outcry and inspired the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, which I joined to shout about how climate change, armed conflict and girls rights go hand-in-hand.

The group is still active today and climate change is only exacerbating them.

Climate change is also contributing to an increasing number of out of school children; flash floods stop them from getting to class and cause illness, while extreme heat creates an impossible environment to work in.

All of this increases their vulnerability to join armed groups.

Recently in a report by UNICEF, out of the 163 countries, Nigeria ranked second in terms of the risk that climate change poses to children, particularly in the Lake Chad region.

Lake Chad is a lifeline for the 30 million people who need its natural resources.

This report spurred us to use earth satellite imagery to map out areas in the Lake Chad region that have been affected by conflict and search for safe places that can support both the displaced and the rest of the community members.

Through this imagery, we found Lake Chad is shrinking.

It has shrunk by 90% since the 1960s.

And as the lake recedes, armed groups thrive by taking control of the new land.

This has led to an inter-border crisis and proves the climate crisis has no boundaries.

The shrinking of Lake Chad has also affected livelihoods such as farming, fishing and animal husbandry.

The number of child brides has increased as a result because their parents can’t find work to fund their children’s education and welfare.

Nigeria has the highest number of child brides in the world, mostly in the Lake Chad basin area - 95% of the 20 million living across the basin, covering seven countries, are affected.

This is what made me become an ecofeminist.

In the North central part of Nigeria, these crises have escalated into herdsman moving across the shore lines of the Lake Chad basin for greener pastures.

But this, of course, has led to yet further conflict over the land and competition for the little natural resources that are left.

On top of all this, Nigeria has suffered one of the worst farmer-herdsmen conflicts of the century as a result of the drying up of Lake Chad.

The situation is so serious that Nigerian police have accepted climate change as one of the drivers of crime in the country.

The loss of livelihood due to climate change impacts has become a powerful weapon against peace and security because it is leading to arm-uprisings.

Overall, climate change has hampered fundamental child rights and these everyday realities are now the single greatest threat to their future.

As an ecofeminist, I refuse to keep quiet about those things that matter to us all.

Every child deserves a secure future for a greener planet.

If Africa is not safe, Europe is not safe.

We can conclude nowhere is safe until everywhere is safe.

'Women are expected to sit in the background and accept whatever is decided for us, whether we like it or not'

By Maryam Ahmed, 21, Save the Children Nigeria Youth Ambassador

I was 14 years old when 276 Nigerian schoolgirls were abducted by insurgents around the same age as them.

I was from Northern Nigeria, in the same grade, and studying for my final examinations, just like them.

It could have easily been me in that situation.

Ever since then, I have been one of the voices pushing for the rights and safety of girls.

Now, I am worried about the threat that climate change poses to girls and women.

A lot of people in Nigeria don’t know what climate change and global warming mean.

Pollution happens around us, but they fail to understand how harmful the effects are.

They need to be educated on these issues and they need to understand the negative impact of their actions, especially on women and girls.

Climate change is already leading to food shortages and when there isn’t enough food for the whole family, the boys are prioritised.

This means girls are becoming malnourished.

As well as their health, this affects their concentration in school.

If food shortages continue, and families stop earning money through farming and selling food, they might not be able to afford to go to school at all.

Over half of the girls in Northern Nigeria are already missing out on school and our country has the highest number of out-of-school children in the entire world.

Climate change is going to make these problems worse.

At COP26, our government needs to work with other countries to create environmental policies that people can understand and implement.

At the beginning of my activism I was scared because in northern Nigerian culture, female voices are not important.

We are expected to sit in the background and accept whatever is decided for us, whether we like it or not.

But I thought, ‘Why do I have to be afraid to say or do what I legally have the right to?’

Things are getting better because, as the world is evolving, people are changing too.

They are now realising how important it is for girls to go to school.

I strongly believe that educating girls like me and giving us the chance to reach our full potential will contribute to a positive change in the world.

We are already beginning to see that women are the key to changing the world.

We can’t let climate change stop us.