Professor Oyenike Eludoyin has stressed the urgent need for Nigeria to invest in innovative adaptive approaches to address rising heatwaves and evolving climate conditions, particularly their impact on agriculture, food security, and public health, in pursuit of sustainable development in the country.
While also describing the temperature level experienced in the country as a silent and invisible biological crisis, she warned that prompt actions must be taken to avert this saying, “Nigeria must move swiftly from a passive posture of ‘Climate Victimhood’ to an active stance of ‘Climatic Agency’.”
Prof. Eludoyin gave the admonition on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, while delivering the institution’s 68th inaugural lecture titled, “The Human Element in the Climate Equation: Navigating Thermal Stress and Environmental Health in a Warming Nigeria.”
She identified the high temperature conditions as a localised phenomenon not evenly distributed across the country, adding that high-density residential zones, commercial hubs, and paved core of the cities with minimal green spaces prevent efficient ventilation, compared to surrounding rural-urban vegetated areas.
The Don further stated the numerous effects of this environmental challenge including the farmer’s burden where labourers in certain areas are hindered from working in peak Solar hours, compromising regional food security and livelihood of agrarian families; sleepless nights from high nocturnal temperatures resulting in public health crisis; and the economic drain on citizens due to the rising financial cost artificial cooling, and the loss of physical productivity in its absence which further deepens the cycle of climate-induced poverty marginalisation cycle among households.
“The global climate is warming at a pace that severely outstrips our current infrastructural capacity. Concurrently, our local Nigerian environment is becoming more humid, less ventilated, and progressively stressful to biological life”, she warned.
Prof. Eludoyin noted that despite the several self-insuring practices such as cultivar selection, microclimate modification, and regional adaptive divergence, a huge number of small scale farmers still face challenges such as severe, multi-day heat waves and catastrophic flash floods.
The inaugural lecturer further explained that in regions where rain-fed agriculture serve as the primary economic driver of livelihoods and national sustenance, a shifting climate remains an existential threat to food security and human survival. She added that even agricultural inputs such as fertilisers, seed quality, and soil management are executed perfectly, crop yields may continue to fail as a result of escalated afternoon heat and high night-time temperatures.
Prof. Eludoyin therefore recommended the immediate reform of national agricultural policies through the establishment of dense networks of local government area-based monitoring stations, organisation of institutional public enlightenment campaigns, and subsidy of rural green technologies.
She noted that the deployment of Precision Agriculture would also empower small scale farmers whose traditional agricultural predictions have been completely distorted by intra-seasonal rainfall variability. This, according to her, can be achieved through designating regional universities as active institutional climate hubs that produce data-driven Digital Planting Calendar and farm-gate advisories delivered directly to farmers in their indigenous languages.
The Climatologist also advocated an architectural and urban planning revolution through the review of the National Building Code to promote climate-responsive building designs. She recommended the adoption of solar-reflective roofing materials, as well as the integration of rooftop gardens, vertical greenery, and other nature-based features to reduce heat absorption in urban areas.
In addition, she called for the development of urban green spaces by mandating the preservation or cultivation of indigenous tree cover in new residential, commercial, and industrial layouts. She also recommended the use of permeable paving materials to improve moisture retention and support natural cooling within cities.
To address the public health risks associated with extreme heat, Prof. Eludoyin proposed the establishment of a national Heat-Health Warning System to provide timely public advisories, regulate intensive outdoor activities during dangerous heat conditions, adjust school hours where necessary, and activate cooling centres for vulnerable residents.
Presenting the inaugural lecturer earlier, the Vice Chancellor and Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Tomola Obamuyi, described the inaugural lecture series as one of the university’s longstanding tradition as well as a testament of his administration’s commitment to elevating these academic standards. He commended Prof. Eludoyin for her commitment to scholastic research that provide solutions to national challenges, which has positioned the institution as a solution-hub in the academic community.
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