Ahmed’s Climate Change Story

By Ahmed Tijani, September 12, 2023

Ahmed Tijani recounts how climate change impacts like desertification and water scarcity enabled violence and instability in Nigeria's Sahel region, leading him to advocate for climate action.

I had just been admitted to the University (Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria) in 2007; rather than shout in excitement, I was filled with unease. My alma mater is located in a border city. It is very close to the Nigerian 'Middlebelt’, a region that has become tense and where there have been clashes between pastoralist herders and farmers. Rather than the joy of going to the University, I was scared of travelling.  

Many do not know that the shrinking of Lake Chad and desertification (the Lake dried up by 90% between 1960 to date) has provided fodder to criminal gangs operating in the Sahel region and impacting the lives and livelihoods of over 100 million people and a ripple effect on over 300 million others in Sub-Saharan Africa and the North African region. Climate change causes these events. As the temperature of the Earth rises, evaporation rates increase, and more lakes and water bodies dry up. Also, changes in precipitation patterns (due to increased temperature) mean less rainfall and lead to drought and desertification.  

The Boko Haram and the herders menace the people of Nigeria. These groups have killed over 70,000 people and displaced millions. This is a testament to the adverse effects of climate change. Education of the coming generation is also a casualty in this crisis. For example, over 1,500 schools have been destroyed in Nigeria due to hostilities, and 1,280 teachers and students have been casualties. Governments in these regions have also been overwhelmed as non-state actors leverage people's loss of livelihood to brainwash and recruit hundreds of able-bodied young men to create havoc in society. The nomadic herders also moved their grazing to places where the land is fertile (due to desertification) and have been clashing with farmers for some time now.  

I proceeded to the University to study Electrical Engineering and took a special interest in renewable energy. I remember taking courses on energy generation and learning about 45% of the energy generated in our world is still being generated from coal and oil. It was how I could contribute to reducing carbon emissions and stem the tides that have had ripple effects on the Sahel region's people.  

Throughout my five years at the University, I constantly feared being attacked by these criminals, especially on the road. In the last decade since I graduated from the University, this constant fear has heightened, and students risked their lives in this region of the country. So, it's harrowing when some call climate change a hoax from their comfort. For me, it's both offensive, shows a lack of empathy for the humans in the Sahel, and dances on the graves of those killed during these crises. I have since spent more than 7 years of my career both seeing the reduction of Scope 1 emissions and being a strong advocate for energy transition. I am pursuing an MBA and will focus on securing roles in sustainability post-graduation.

Let's take climate change seriously before we start feeling the effects at our doorsteps.

Change The Chamber is a bipartisan coalition of over 100 student groups, including undergraduates, graduate students and recent graduates.