Nigeria is grappling with a severe and escalating crisis as the impacts of climate change, particularly devastating floods, intensify existing vulnerabilities and fuel insecurity. The nation’s youth are bearing the brunt of this complex emergency, facing displacement, marginalization, and increased pressure to engage in violence and criminality. This report, based on data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), delves into the interconnected challenges of climate change, displacement, and their impact on Nigeria’s most valuable asset: its young people.

The floods were not a localized event; they swept across the vast majority of the country, affecting 34 of Nigeria’s 36 states. This unprecedented geographic scope meant that millions of people across different regions, ethnicities, and economic backgrounds were simultaneously thrust into crisis.

These socioeconomic disparities have profound implications for human security. The IOM report highlights a disturbing trend: youth facing a lack of livelihoods are increasingly targeted for recruitment by insurgent groups like Boko Haram, particularly in the northeast where 1.9 million people are displaced in Borno State alone.

The convergence of climate change, natural disasters, and insecurity has created a vicious cycle that threatens Nigeria’s stability and development. Young people, who should be the drivers of the nation’s future prosperity, find themselves trapped in a web of environmental degradation, economic exclusion, and social instability.

As climate change continues to intensify, Nigeria’s response to this crisis will determine not only the fate of its youth but the trajectory of the entire nation. The time for comprehensive action—addressing both the immediate humanitarian needs and the underlying structural vulnerabilities—is now.