The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta has raised the alarm that worsening climate change is rapidly emerging as a major driver of insecurity, displacement and resource-based conflicts across the Niger Delta, urging governments and stakeholders to make climate resilience a central pillar of peacebuilding and development planning.
The warning came on Wednesday during PIND’s Policy Roundtable on Advancing Climate Resilience, Climate-Sensitive Peacebuilding and Human Security in the Niger Delta, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The organisation also unveiled a Policy Brief on Climate Change and Human Security in the Niger Delta, which identified flooding, coastal erosion, irregular rainfall and environmental degradation as key factors destroying livelihoods, reducing agricultural and fishing productivity and intensifying competition over dwindling natural resources.
Speaking on behalf of PIND’s Executive Director, Sam Ogbemi Daibo, the organisation’s Peacebuilding Programme Manager, Dr David Udofia, said climate change could no longer be viewed merely as an environmental issue because of its growing impact on peace and security in the region.
“Climate change is increasingly a livelihood, peace and human-security challenge in the Niger Delta. When farms are flooded, fishing waters are degraded, mangroves are destroyed and families lose their sources of income, the consequences extend far beyond the environment.
“These pressures can deepen poverty, increase displacement, aggravate community grievances and intensify competition over scarce resources. We must therefore integrate climate resilience into peacebuilding and development planning,” Udofia said.
The high-level roundtable attracted policymakers, government agencies, development partners, environmental experts, researchers, civil society organisations, private sector representatives, peacebuilding practitioners and members of climate-vulnerable communities.
Participants examined strategies to protect climate-sensitive livelihoods, strengthen community adaptation, improve environmental governance and prevent climate-induced pressures from escalating existing conflicts.
A major highlight of the event was the unveiling of PIND’s Climate Data Filter on the Niger Delta Peace Map, a digital tool designed to incorporate climate information into conflict analysis and early-warning systems.
According to the organisation, the platform will help policymakers and practitioners identify emerging threats early, improve anticipatory action and support evidence-based decision-making.
The Director of Relief and Rehabilitation at the Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency, Chief Amiefamonyo Braid Fredrick Ongiri, stressed the need for stronger collaboration among governments, communities, development partners and the private sector.
“No institution can address the climate-security challenge alone. The evidence presented today reinforces the need for stronger coordination, better use of data and greater investment in locally led adaptation. The recommendations from this roundtable provide a practical foundation for collective action,” he said.
Also speaking, a representative of affected communities, Mr Ebijimi Olugbenga of Bijimi Community in Ilaje Local Government Area, Ondo State, said flooding and environmental degradation were already disrupting livelihoods and increasing hardship for residents.
“Our livelihoods depend on the land and water, but flooding and environmental degradation are making it increasingly difficult for families to farm, fish and earn an income. Communities must be involved in designing the solutions because we experience these challenges directly and understand what will work locally,” he said.
PIND said the roundtable built on recommendations from the 2025 Niger Delta Crisis Scenario Planning Workshop on Resilience Strategies organised in collaboration with the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience, the Fund for Peace and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH under the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Governance Project.
The meeting ended with a commitment to integrate climate-security concerns into public policy, environmental governance, community peace structures, early-warning systems and development programmes, while strengthening collaboration among stakeholders to tackle emerging climate-related risks across the Niger Delta.
