Renowned environmental activist Nnimmo Bassey on Friday said Nigeria has reached a critical point in tackling climate change, warning that continued reliance on fossil fuels and environmental degradation could worsen ecological and economic crises.
Bassey, Director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, spoke at the 2026 World Environment Day event hosted by Igbinedion University. In a keynote titled “Now for Climate: Nigeria’s Moment, Edo’s Opportunity – Universities at the Vanguard of the Climate Transition,” he urged Nigerian universities to take the lead in climate action, environmental justice and sustainable development.
“The future has already arrived,” Bassey said. “Climate action is no longer something that can be postponed. ‘Now for Climate’ leaves no room for procrastination or false solutions.”
He described climate change as the “epicentre of a global polycrisis” driving biodiversity loss, pollution, food insecurity, displacement and inequality. Despite global commitments under the Paris Agreement to keep warming below 1.5°C, he said weak action has made those targets harder to meet.
Bassey pointed to floods, coastal erosion, desertification, poor crop yields and rising heat stress across Nigeria as proof that climate impacts are already here. He noted that Africa contributes only 2-3% of global emissions but suffers disproportionate effects, calling it one of the worst injustices of the modern era.
“The communities most exposed to climate impacts are often those with the fewest resources to adapt,” he said, stressing that discussions must center on climate justice and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities.
He also criticized decades of oil and gas exploitation in the Niger Delta, citing oil spills, gas flaring, polluted water and degraded farmland. While supporting a shift to renewables, he warned against “green colonialism” replacing fossil fuel exploitation.
For Edo State, Bassey said forests and biodiversity are key assets for sustainable growth if protected. He decried illegal logging, extractive activities and forest degradation, and called for stronger protection of reserves as vital carbon sinks.
Much of his address focused on universities. He said campuses must move beyond lectures to become hubs for research, innovation, policy influence and community engagement. Climate literacy, he argued, should cut across all courses — from law and medicine to journalism and economics — because every graduate will enter a world shaped by climate realities.
“Every student graduating today will enter a world shaped by climate realities,” Bassey stated. “The question is not whether universities have a role to play. The question is whether our universities are prepared to lead.”
He urged institutions to align research with local needs in agroecology, renewable energy, water management and adaptation. Campuses themselves, he said, should model sustainability through renewable energy, waste reduction and ecosystem restoration. He also called for recognition of indigenous knowledge and closer university-community partnerships.
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Bassey challenged schools to scrutinize projects branded “green” to expose exploitative practices repackaged as sustainability.
“Nigeria has a moment before it. Edo State has an opportunity before it. Igbinedion University has a responsibility before her,” he concluded. “The question is whether we will act with the courage, wisdom and commitment that this moment demands.”
