Lagos — The panic caused by the present unusual weather condition in the country and the belated efforts of a few experts to douse the tension, are profound testimonies of Nigerian's low level of preparedness to appropriately respond to the challenges of global climate change.

The strange weather, a dusty haze, from the Sahara Desert, blown from the north to the southern parts of the country, has left behind, physical mishap, unquantifiable emotional trauma and significant economic losses.

The negative effects of the inclement weather first came to the fore when some fatal road accidents in Gombe State and Abuja, early March, were directly blamed on "windy, humid weather", which severely "reduced visibility". Also within that period, increased cases of diseases like meningitis, skin rashes, etc, blamed on excessive heat, were recorded in states like Bauchi and Abuja among others.

By Friday March 19, 2010, the unusual weather had become pronounced in the southern parts of the country, especially in the Lagos area, causing panic and widespread fear that it would culminate in a dangerous acid rain. Frightened Nigerians adopted several means to alert their loved ones of the speculated acid rain, including text messages. One of the text messages sent round, which heightened the fear of Lagos residents, read in part: "There is possibility of acid rain. The dark circle appeared around the moon on March 17 and this was an indication of an acid rain... It rains like normal rain, but it may cause skin cancer if you expose yourself to it".

The panic that resulted from the un-coordinated and unscientific response, coupled with cancellation of flights, as the weather condition worsened across the country, forced some government officials and experts to make efforts aimed at dispelling people's fears by explaining that the development was neither as strange as some had tried to portray it nor as dangerous as citizens feared.

For example, the Acting Director, Weather Forecasting Services (DWFS) of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Mr. Ifeanyi Nnodu, at the 2010 World Meteorological Day, held in Lagos on Tuesday, March 23, 2010, said there was nothing to worry about concerning "the harmattan haze currently ravaging the country", adding that acid rain is "associated with industrialisation and not harmattan or the rings situated around the moon". He said that the only thing new about the inclement weather was the timing which is as a result of global climate change.

His explanation and other experts' views now being offered may have gone a long way in re-assuring Nigerians that the worst may not have come, but the obviously late responses of these experts to an important matter like this unusual change in weather exposed the fact that Nigeria is still far behind in its understanding of and response to this phenomenon known as global climate change.

Until this year, global warming and climate change which results from it had remained, for most Nigerians, fairy tales. This is because both the government and the experts, including relevant institutions like NIMET, had done little or nothing to properly educate Nigerians and bring home the reality of this monster that is confronting the world. Otherwise, why would the experts in the country wait until Nigerians find themselves in the middle of this kind of crisis before they wake up to explain the causes and possible consequences of such freak weather?

What has happened confirms the fear that Nigeria's leaders view environmental issues with utter disdain. For instance, at a time when efforts to curtail the adverse effects of global warming on their citizens have become top priority in most countries of the world, our meteorological centers are being left to rot.

Worse still, nobody seems to be sufficiently worried by the ugly fact that Nigeria does not have any climate policy in place, 50 years after independence. This is partly because, over the years, non professionals, or those without an interest in the sector have been picked to man the environment ministry.

The result of this serious anomaly is the rot in the sector and the exposure of Nigerians to the negative effects of weather change.

We, therefore, urge Acting President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately breathe life into the environment ministry by first investigating the sector to ascertain why it is not as proactive as it should be. He should, thereafter, ensure that professionals, and those who understand the issues at stake in the sector, henceforth, man the ministry. He should equip the nation's meteorological centers and such other institutions to international standards and motivate the staff of these agencies appropriately. Government should also embark on more education and awareness campaigns on the environment and climate change issues while intensifying efforts to stop gas flaring and other industrial activities that are not friendly to the environment.

Also, the nation's health sector should be on red alert to tackle any health challenge that may arise as a result of this strange weather.

Nigerians are also advised to take more interest in environmental issues. This consciousness should start from homes and offices, where citizens should take to clearing the gutters, planting trees and conserving energy.

Nigeria will, this way, have joined the rest of the world in responding appropriately to the crisis of global climate change.