SYMBOLIC ALIGNMENT OR STRUCTURAL CHANGE? REASSESSING NIGERIA'S CLIMATE ECONOMY IN THE AFTERMATH OF COP29
SYMBOLIC ALIGNMENT OR STRUCTURAL CHANGE? REASSESSING NIGERIA'S CLIMATE ECONOMY IN THE AFTERMATH OF COP29

Summary/Abstract: Nigeria faces an increasing climate crisis despite contributing almost nothing to global greenhouse gas emissions. This paper examines Nigeria's climate crisis through the lenses of rentier political economy, environmental governance, and climate justice, arguing that while there is no debate about Nigeria's vulnerability status, our climate crisis is amplified more by institutional weakness and performative policy compliance rather than by biophysical exposure. The study's methodology was anchored on qualitative document analysis to interrogate the gap between Nigeria's so-called ambitious climate rhetoric and its disalignment with domestic implementation. Our analysis reveals that institutions are fragmented, that climate finance and projects are donor-driven, that there is opacity in climate finance, amplified by weak accountability mechanisms, and that "what we go to do at COPs" is purely a diplomacy of "visibility that prioritizes global recognition over domestic implementation". The paper, therefore, concludes that Nigeria's climate challenge is fundamentally a governance failure furnished by a rentier economy and epistemic dependency. The study recommends the consolidation of climate finance, citizen oversight, and community-driven adaptation. Ultimately, the study contributes to the debate on climate governance in the Global South and argues that vulnerable states must move beyond "vulnerability rhetoric" and take leadership on their climate problems.

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