The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has inaugurated a National Working Group on Human Rights and Climate Change in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to ensure that climate policies protect vulnerable communities increasingly affected by floods, displacement, food insecurity and environmental degradation.
The initiative brought together the NHRC, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the National Council on Climate Change to place human rights at the centre of Nigeria’s climate response.
Speaking at the inauguration, NHRC Executive Secretary Dr Tony Ojukwu, said climate change should no longer be viewed solely as an environmental issue but as a human rights concern affecting millions of people.
“It’s not just about rising temperatures,It’s about people. It’s about families losing their homes, farmers losing their livelihoods, communities being uprooted and vulnerable people falling deeper into poverty, Ojukwu said.
He urged policymakers to assess climate action through its impact on people, arguing that every flooded community, displaced family and failed harvest reflects a broader challenge affecting human dignity and fundamental rights.
The Working Group will bring together government agencies, civil society organisations, academics and development partners to ensure that communities most affected by climate-related challenges have a voice in shaping policy responses.
Representing Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Dr. Iniobong Abiola Awe said the ministry remains committed to developing inclusive climate policies that protect vulnerable populations and leave no one behind.
The Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change, Dr. Omotenioye Majekodunmi, said the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly visible across Nigeria.
She cited flooding, migration, farmer-herder conflicts and rising temperatures as interconnected challenges affecting livelihoods, social stability and human dignity nationwide.
“These are no longer isolated environmental problems,” she said, describing them as daily realities confronting many communities across the country.
Civil society groups also endorsed the initiative. Dr. Priscilla Achakpa, founder of the Women Environmental Programme, pledged continued support for climate justice efforts, particularly for women, young people and other vulnerable groups who often face disproportionate climate impacts.
The Federal Commissioner for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Aliyu Tijani Ahmed, reaffirmed support for protecting people displaced by climate-related disasters. He was represented at the event by former NHRC Director Dahiru Bobbo.
The Presidency also expressed support through President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Special Assistant on Climate Change, Comrade Yussuf Olatunji Kelani, who pledged backing for the Working Group’s activities.
The NHRC said the new Working Group represents a commitment to ensuring that climate action protects not only the environment but also the rights and welfare of affected communities.
Officials at the inauguration stressed that climate policies must address the needs of children forced out of school by disasters, farmers who lose harvests to changing weather patterns and families displaced by environmental crises.
