Category: Discourse

Wildfires, once sporadic and seasonal in Nigeria, have become a persistent and devastating environmental crisis with implications for public health, food security, biodiversity, and the economy. In the past year, a trend has emerged: wildland fires are intensifying in scale, frequency, and destructiveness. From the dense forests of Cross River to the savannahs of Northcentral, no part is immune.

Between May 2024 and this May, Nigeria recorded over 15,600 high-confidence fire alerts, a stark indicator of the growing threat. In one incident in January, nearly 9,905 hectares were razed in 10 days, displacing 158 people and decimating farmland, wildlife, and natural resources.

 What fuels Nigeria’s wildfires?

At the heart of this crisis lies a dangerous intersection of human activity and climatic extremes. The most common triggers include:

•Slash-and-burn agriculture: Farmers ignite fields to clear vegetation, often losing control of the fires.

•Bush burning for hunting: A traditional but unsustainable practice, still common despite state prohibitions.

•Livestock grazing preparation: Pastoralists use fire to stimulate fresh growth, increasing wildfire risk.

•Negligence and accidents: Sparks from cigarettes, faulty electrical lines, and open cooking flames.

•Climate change and weather extremes: Extended dry seasons, reduced rainfall, and harmattan winds create the perfect storm for fire.

The risk is highest during harmattan (November to March), when vegetation is driest, and firefighting becomes more difficult due to strong winds and poor visibility.

The Fallout: More Than Flames

The consequences go beyond visible charred landscapes. According to the Federal Fire Service, Nigeria lost over N67.1 billion property and 100 lives to fire incidents in 2024 alone.

The hidden costs are even greater:

•Public health crisis: Exposure to wildfire smoke—laden with PM2.5, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds—is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, especially among children, the elderly, and frontline workers.

•Environmental degradation: Fires hasten deforestation, deplete soil nutrients, disrupt water cycles, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, undermining Nigeria’s climate goals.

•Biodiversity loss: Protected areas, such as those in Cross River, suffer recurring burns that endanger wildlife and disrupt delicate ecosystems.

•Economic impacts: Agriculture, forestry, and livelihoods are affected. Wildfires lower yields, destroy infrastructure, and displace families, worsening poverty and food insecurity.

Institutional gaps and old policies

Despite the threat, response remains largely reactive. Agencies, such as NEMA, NESREA, and Federal Fire Service operate in fragmented frameworks, constrained by outdated laws such as the Fire Service Act of 1963—a relic that no longer meets the realities of modern disaster risk management.

While initiatives, such as National REDD+ Strategy and forest patrol (e.g. SMACON in Cross River) show promise, they are underfunded, localised, and lack coordination.

What’s missing is a unified, wildfire strategy that integrates legal reform, agency synergy, community engagement, and climate policy alignment.

Prevention, not just reaction

A sustainable solution requires urgent, collaborative action. The following pillars are critical:

1 Policy & legal reform

•Modernise fire-related laws and strengthen enforcement with stricter penalties for illegal burning.

•Empower agencies with clear roles and mandates for wildfire prevention and response.

2. Community fire management

•Train and equip local fire guardians in fire-prone communities.

•Support traditional leaders to enforce local fire laws.

•Offer incentives for adopting sustainable farming and energy practice.

3. Early warning & risk mapping

•Expand weather station networks and fire risk modelling.

•Launch real-time alert systems to notify communities and responders of impending threats.

4. Education & media awareness

•Launch national fire awareness campaigns in local languages.

•Embed fire safety in school curricula and religious platforms.

5. Invest in tools & manpower

•Upgrade firefighting infrastructure and provide advanced training for state and local units.

•Create inter-agency wildfire task forces at federal and state levels.

6. Climate adaptation integration

•Embed wildfire risk into Nigeria’s climate change response frameworks.

•Promote sustainable land use, reforestation & ecosystem restoration.

• Addressing gaps in wildfire care

Despite the frequency and severity of wildfires in Nigeria, especially in Middle Belt and northern regions, much is undone. Our response to this threat has often been reactive, fragmented, and insufficiently prioritised.

First, Nigeria lacks a national wildfire management strategy properly funded, science-based, and enforceable. While policies on environmental protection exist, there is a disconnect between legislation and implementation. Fire prevention is often buried under broader disaster management mandates, leaving it under-resourced and poorly coordinated.

Second, we have not invested adequately in wildfire surveillance and early warning systems. Real-time fire detection technologies—satellite monitoring, remote sensing, and ground-level heat sensors—are either absent or poorly integrated into planning. As a result, many fires go unreported or are noticed too late, allowing destruction to spread unchecked.

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Third, community-level capacity remains weak. Local communities, the first to experience wildfires, are rarely trained or equipped to respond. There are no structured volunteer firefighting networks in rural areas, and where they exist, they lack tools, protective gear, or logistical support. Traditional knowledge of fire cycles and land use, once an asset, is eroding due to modernisation and migration.

Fourth, public education and awareness remain inadequate. Many still perceive wildfires as isolated accidents or divine punishment, not preventable environmental disasters. We have not invested in sustained campaigns to inform the public—especially farmers, herders, and forest users—about fire risks, safe land practice, and their role in prevention.

Fifth, there is limited research and data on fire ecology in Nigeria. We do not yet understand the frequency, distribution, and impact of wildfires on biodiversity, air quality, or public health. This knowledge gap hinders planning and response, and restricts the ability to attract international climate and disaster resilience funding.

Finally, we have not fostered interagency collaboration. Wildfire response is siloed in Ministry of Environment, Fire Service, NEMA, and state actors. This approach results in duplicated efforts, delayed interventions, and poor resource sharing.

These shortcomings cost lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems. By confronting what we have not done, we create the space to reimagine what is possible. If Nigeria is to overcome this challenge, we must close these gaps with urgency, integrity, and innovation.

From Awareness to action

Tackling Nigeria’s wildfire crisis is not solely the duty of government agencies—it demands participation of every citizen, community, and institution. Wildfires are a symptom and a cause of deeper environmental and developmental challenges. To overcome them, we must move from passive concern to collective action.

Communities in fire-prone rural areas play a frontline role. Local residents often witness the first sparks and are most vulnerable to its effects. Their involvement in fire surveillance, reporting, and early suppression is vital. Community fire rangers, traditional leaders, youth groups, and farmers must be empowered with training, equipment, and legal backing to prevent and manage outbreaks. Awareness campaigns in local languages and cultural formats can shift harmful practice—such as open bush burning for hunting or agriculture—toward safer alternatives.

Educational institutions and faith-based organisations also have critical platforms for driving behavioural change. Schools can incorporate wildfire education into environmental science curricula, while religious groups can preach environmental stewardship. When spiritual and moral values align with ecological responsibility, social change becomes more effective and enduring.

Private sector actors, including agricultural businesses, construction firms, and manufacturing industries, must prioritise fire safety and land management. They should adopt fire-resilient practice, support reforestation initiatives, and invest in clean energy alternatives that reduce land clearing by fire. Corporate social responsibility programmes can also fund community fire alert systems, weather monitoring stations, and emergency relief.

The media and civil society must amplify stories of resilience and risk, shine a light on policy gaps, and hold stakeholders accountable. Campaigns that blend science, storytelling, and solutions can galvanise momentum for wildfire prevention. Civil society can also bridge the gap between government initiatives and grassroots needs by channelling resources and expertise where most needed.

Lastly, individuals must become agents of change. Avoiding open fires in the dry season, properly extinguishing cooking flames, and reporting suspected incidents are small but powerful. Planting trees, reducing deforestation, and spreading awareness in families and peer groups contribute to a culture of responsibility.

In a country so vast and diverse, wildfire prevention cannot succeed without unity of purpose. From policy tables in Abuja to farms in Benue, from classrooms in Calabar to homes in Kano, each action matters. Together, we can rewrite Nigeria’s wildfire story—from one of loss and destruction to one of resilience and recovery.

Let us rise in the strength of collective commitment

The time to act is now

If wildfires continue unchecked, the nation could face an environmental disaster with consequences—loss of forest reserves, worsening air quality, mass displacement, and collapsing rural economies. This is not just a government issue. It’s a national emergency that demands the attention and cooperation of citizens, policymakers, farmers, students, and business leaders. Prevention begins with awareness. Mitigation begins with action.

A call to global inclusion

As researchers, we are confronted with the reality that climate-related exposures, such as wildfire smoke are not confined to one continent or economy. While much of current literature—and regulatory advances—focus on high-income countries, the burden is quietly escalating sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. In the Middle Belt and parts of the North, wildfires have intensified, driven by climate variability, deforestation, and traditional agricultural practice. Yet, there is an absence of surveillance systems, research funding, and policies to assess or mitigate the health risks for outdoor workers in these settings.

This lack of action is not merely a data gap—it is an ethical one. The global occupational health community must recognise that inaction in low and middle-income countries perpetuates environmental injustice. We call on funders, academic institutions, and policymakers to invest in inclusive, context-sensitive wildfire research that uplifts the realities of vulnerable populations. Equity in climate adaptation must begin with equity in knowledge generation.

Conclusion

The prevalence of wildfires, driven by climate change and unsustainable land practice, presents a public health and environmental crisis. While global wildfire discourse often overlooks our regions, the absence of data, early-warning systems, and regulatory frameworks leaves Nigerian communities vulnerable to the health hazards posed by wildfire smoke.

The time to act is now. Policymakers, researchers, and environmental leaders must develop strategies for wildfire prevention, health protection, and adaptive response. This is not just about knowledge generation—it’s about implementing systemic changes that include strengthened air quality regulations, health surveillance, and community preparedness.

We stand at a critical crossroads. The need for action is both urgent and moral. By prioritizing research, bolstering regulations, and engaging communities, Nigeria can rise to meet this challenge, ensuring a healthier, more resilient future for its people. The stakes are high, and the opportunity to act is fleeting—failure to address this growing threat would jeopardize the well-being of millions and undermine long-term environmental sustainability.

*Anthony Akande, writes from Ohio, USA. He can be reached at anthonyakande17@gmail.com