Local Farmers blame rising temperatures on Boko Haram bombs

War propaganda by the Boko Haram terror organization in Nigeria may be producing an usual result with increasing number of local populations convinced that extreme weather conditions experienced in some parts of the country were as a result of bombs set off in the battle between the Nigerian military and the Islamist sect.

Of recent, subsistence farmers in Borno, Yobe, Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto States have reportedly lamented rising temperatures, blaming the phenomenon on the frequent bomb explosions arising from the war against terror.

But speaking at a forum on climate change at the Ekiti State University, an environmentalist, Emmanuel Oladapo, described as untrue the notion that wars and bombings carried out against the Boko Haram terror group was responsible for the rising temperatures in the country. He stresses that economic activities were the major cause of extreme weather conditions or the prevailing climatic change.

Speaking further, he said there was no scientific claim identifying bombing as the cause of global warming, adding that the global environment was large enough to accommodate the impact of bombs.

“Economic activities are major contributors to the frequency of the earth’s adjustment and agriculture is not left out on its effect."

According to Oladapo, the country loses between 10 and 20 percent of agricultural produce to climate change. He explained that plants and animals alike were affected mostly by the changes in weather conditions, adding that crops could die as a result of flooding.

“There are two areas that climate can affect agriculture and they are the soil in terms of the temperature and crops in terms of humidity. When the weather is too hot, animals like cattle, sheep and goats will be exposed to stress and possibly abortions. Then, when the rainfall is too much, it may result in flooding and killing the crops and plants because the temperature and humidity conditions have suitable levels for plants and animals,” he said.

Oladapo told local farmers that the choice of crops grown in a given locality should be dictated by the weather conditions of that area. His advice followed a pledge of commitment to Nigeria's agric revolution by the National President of the Seed Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria (SSEDAN) Mr. Richard Olafare.

Olafare, who is a member of the board of African Seed Association, said that significant progress had been made in the Nigerian seed industry, noting that based on recent efforts to build capacity of seed farmers, adoption rates for seeds moved from 10 to 25 per cent within three years while seed production grew from 4,000 MT in 2011 to 8,000 MT of maize and 12,000MT of rice in 2012.

By Emmanuel Mayah