WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: Nnimmo Bassey Urges Climate Action Now

….Says Universities Must Lead Nigeria’s Green Transition

Renowned environmental activist and director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, has declared that Nigeria has reached a defining moment in its response to climate change, warning that continued dependence on fossil fuels and environmental destruction could plunge the country into deeper ecological and economic crises.

Speaking at the 2026 World Environment Day celebration hosted by Igbinedion University in Edo State, Bassey called on universities across the country to assume leadership in driving climate action, environmental justice and sustainable development.

Delivering a keynote address titled “Now for Climate: Nigeria’s Moment, Edo’s Opportunity – Universities at the Vanguard of the Climate Transition,” Bassey said climate change was no longer a future threat but a present reality already affecting livelihoods, food production, public health and national security.

“The future has already arrived,” he said. “Climate action is no longer something that can be postponed. ‘Now for Climate’ leaves no room for procrastination or the propagation of false solutions.”

He described the climate crisis as the “epicentre of a global polycrisis” manifested through biodiversity loss, pollution, food insecurity, economic instability, displacement of populations and growing inequality.

According to him, despite global commitments under the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, insufficient action has made those targets increasingly difficult to achieve.

Bassey pointed to floods, coastal erosion, desertification, declining agricultural productivity and worsening heat stress across Nigeria as evidence that the country is already paying a heavy price for climate inaction.

He stressed that Africa contributes only between two and three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions but bears a disproportionate burden of climate impacts, describing the situation as one of the greatest injustices of modern times.

“The communities most exposed to climate impacts are often those with the fewest resources to adapt,” he said, adding that climate change discussions must always be anchored on climate justice and the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities.

The environmentalist also renewed criticism of decades of oil and gas exploitation in the Niger Delta, arguing that communities in the region have suffered immense ecological damage from oil spills, gas flaring, contaminated water sources and degraded farmlands.

He warned that the global shift to renewable energy must not become another form of exploitation.

“The transition away from fossil fuels is necessary, but it must be just,” Bassey said. “It must not simply replace fossil fuel colonialism with green colonialism.”

Highlighting opportunities for Edo State, he noted that the state’s forests, biodiversity and fertile lands represent valuable ecological assets that could underpin sustainable development if properly protected.

However, he expressed concern over widespread forest degradation, illegal logging, extractive activities and environmental conflicts linked to natural resource exploitation.

Bassey urged stronger protection and restoration of the state’s forest reserves, describing healthy forests as critical carbon sinks that help regulate the climate while supporting local livelihoods.

A significant portion of his address focused on the role of higher institutions in confronting the climate crisis.

He argued that universities must move beyond traditional academic functions and become centres of innovation, policy influence, research and community engagement capable of shaping a just transition.

“Every student graduating today will enter a world shaped by climate realities,” he said. “The question is not whether universities have a role to play. The question is whether our universities are prepared to lead.”

He called for climate literacy to be integrated across all disciplines, insisting that graduates in fields ranging from law and medicine to engineering, journalism and economics must understand the environmental dimensions of their professions.

He also urged universities to align research priorities with local community needs, particularly in areas such as agroecology, renewable energy, biodiversity conservation, water management and climate adaptation.

According to him, campuses should themselves serve as models of sustainability through renewable energy deployment, waste reduction, water conservation and ecosystem restoration.

Bassey further advocated stronger collaboration between academic institutions and local communities, arguing that indigenous knowledge systems must be recognised as vital components of effective climate solutions.

He challenged universities to scrutinise projects marketed as “green” and expose initiatives that merely repackage exploitative practices under the banner of sustainability.

As Nigeria navigates the challenges of climate change, he said institutions of higher learning possess a unique responsibility to help redefine development, prosperity and humanity’s relationship with nature.

“The future will not simply happen to us. It is something we collectively create,” he said. “Nigeria has a moment before it. Edo State has an opportunity before it. Igbinedion University has a responsibility before her.”

“The question is whether we will act with the courage, wisdom and commitment that this moment demands.”