Nigeria has launched a major report aimed at strengthening climate resilience and environmental sustainability in resettled communities across the Lake Chad Basin, one of the country’s most fragile ecological and security corridors.
PERISCOPE NIGERIA reports that the Resilience and Environmental Sustainability of Resettled Enclaves (RESTORE) Project Report, produced by the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE) with support from the Heinrich Böll Foundation, was unveiled on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by Amina Wali, OSPRE’s Communications Manager, the study examines how climate change, environmental degradation, conflict dynamics, displacement and resettlement intersect in a region still grappling with insecurity and humanitarian pressures.
According to OSPRE, the report is designed to guide federal and state policies, inform civil society interventions and support community-led resilience efforts in North-East Nigeria, particularly among internally displaced persons (IDPs) and resettled populations confronting climate-driven risks.
Speaking at the launch, the Country Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Sophie Von-Knebel, said communities in the Lake Chad Basin are already living the harsh consequences of climate change.
“Climate change is no longer a distant threat for communities in the Lake Chad Basin — it is their daily reality.
“This report offers critical, grounded evidence on how environmental degradation is compounding fragility, displacement and insecurity. We are proud to support this research, which will help policymakers, humanitarian actors and communities chart a more sustainable and resilient future,” Von-Knebel added.
The report outlines the growing environmental pressures facing resettled enclaves, including desertification, water scarcity, disrupted livelihoods and the coping strategies of displaced populations. It proposes a set of actionable measures centred on climate adaptation, ecosystem restoration, inclusive peacebuilding and forward-looking planning to reduce displacement triggers.
The Director General of OSPRE, Chris Ngwodo, said the study comes at a crucial moment for Nigeria’s national security and humanitarian response.
Ngwodo said, “The RESTORE Project represents an essential step toward understanding how climate shocks, environmental pressures and conflict dynamics intersect to shape displacement and resettlement patterns in the North-East.
“Our goal at OSPRE is to ensure that government and civil society actors have the evidence and tools they need to build resilient communities, strengthen preparedness and support long-term recovery in the region.”
He added that the partnership with the Heinrich Böll Foundation was key to producing a “timely and strategic” study.
Presenting the findings, the Lead Researcher, Murtala Abdullahi, emphasised the need for integrated responses that combine environmental and security interventions.
He said addressing the crisis requires “interdisciplinary and multidimensional measures that merge reforestation, livelihood restoration, effective water resource management, transitional justice and disarmament with military operations.”
In a keynote address, Professor Sunday Ochoche stressed that resettlement initiatives must be designed with long-term sustainability in mind to avoid cycles of displacement and environmental decline.
OSPRE said the RESTORE Report will contribute to ongoing national strategies on climate security, environmental management and durable solutions for displacement. Both OSPRE and the Heinrich Böll Foundation reaffirmed their commitment to working with federal ministries, state governments, local authorities and communities to ensure the report’s recommendations translate into practical policy and programme actions.
