Institute blames farmers, herders conflict on climate change

The Commandant, National Institute for Security Studies, Alhaji Ayodele Adeleke, has blamed the increasing cases of farmers/herders clashes in the country on climate change.

Adeleke said this on Thursday, in Abuja at a workshop organised for participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course 15 (EIMC 15).

The workshop has as its theme: “The Global Climate Challenge: Prospects and Priorities for Economic Development and Conflict Resolution in Africa”.

The commandant noted that drought, loss of farmland, desert encroachment, food insecurity and migration were major effects of climate change.

He lamented the attendant effect of climate change on human lives and expressed the hope that the workshop would provide new perspectives on the challenges.

“We are all aware of the global climate change and its attendant effects on human lives, loss of farmland, desert encroachment, food insecurity, drought, migration,” he said.

He said various United Nations conferences on Environment and Development and other coalitions had highlighted the interdependence of different social, economic and environmental factors.

“The presentations and discussions of today will create an avenue to dissect both sides of climate challenge, the pros and cons,” he added.

The commandant said that the focus should be on the effects of climate change on the environment and people, as well as the economy.

Adeleke urged the participants to come up with workable measures to resolve conflicts associated with climate challenge.

“This seminar will be thought-provoking and therefore, I enjoin participants to pay rapt attention for our individual and collective benefits,” he said.

He said that the annual seminar was one of the highlights of the EIMC that the institute placed utmost premium on.

Adeleke added that the seminar had always provided useful insights to issues confronting the nation and the entire globe.