The overlooked intersection: Climate, disability, and education in Nigeria

For 14-year-old Amina, navigating her way to school in Kano, Nigeria, is more than a daily routine—it’s a test of resilience. Living with a mobility impairment, Amina relies on crutches to reach school. But during Nigeria’s intensifying rainy season, flooded roads and mud-filled pathways turn her journey into a near-impossible feat. Amina’s hardship serves as a metaphor for a larger issue: how climate change makes it more difficult for children with disabilities to succeed, especially in Nigeria’s already overburdened educational system.

Climate change and its growing impact on vulnerable populations

As climate patterns shift, Nigeria faces increasingly severe weather events—floods, droughts, and extreme heat—placing additional strain on a country with limited infrastructure resilience. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) reports that rainfall variability has increased by 15 percent over the last two decades, leading to frequent and intense floods, especially in the north and along coastal areas (NiMet, 2023). This unpredictability not only disrupts daily life but also intensifies access issues for disabled students, whose educational opportunities are already limited due to infrastructure inadequacies and social stigma.

In northern Nigeria, climate disruptions have particularly grave consequences for disabled students. According to a recent study by UNICEF (2022), over 60 percent of primary and secondary schools lack basic facilities such as ramps, accessible toilets, and reinforced pathways. When extreme weather damages these already scarce facilities, students with disabilities are often forced to stay home, and many eventually drop out due to prolonged inaccessibility.

Nigeria’s education and disability policy gaps in a climate-impacted context

Nigeria has made progress on inclusive education policies, such as the National Policy on Inclusive Education (Federal Ministry of Education, 2018), which seeks to integrate students with disabilities into mainstream schools. However, these policies lack adequate adaptation to climate impacts, resulting in temporary fixes instead of long-term resilience. For instance, while emergency response plans exist, they often do not account for individuals with disabilities, leaving those like Amina without adequate support when floods disrupt access to schools.

Stakeholders argue that this oversight represents a missed opportunity for Nigeria to integrate climate resilience with inclusive education policy. “Addressing these issues in silos won’t work. Nigeria must look at climate change, disability, and education as interconnected problems if we hope to achieve equitable access,” argues Dr Fola Ajayi, an advocate with the Nigerian Disability Rights Commission. This is not just a domestic issue; globally, climate-related barriers to education for disabled students are receiving increased attention, with UNESCO urging countries to prioritise disability-inclusive climate policies.

Financial and structural barriers to adaptation

Budget constraints further complicate Nigeria’s ability to implement effective, climate-resilient educational infrastructure. While Nigeria has committed 7.5 percent of its 2024 budget to education, one of the highest allocations in recent years, only a fraction is earmarked for special needs education and climate adaptation (Federal Ministry of Budget, 2024). The lack of targeted funding hinders both the construction of resilient school facilities and the provision of accessible transportation options, which are critical for students in flood-prone regions.

Economic challenges also play a significant role. With inflation at 32.7 percent, as per the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS, 2024), Nigeria faces tight fiscal space to manoeuvre. A recent World Bank report suggests that countries with higher inflation rates and lower GDP growth may struggle to fund adaptive educational infrastructure, further compounding the challenges for Nigeria’s most vulnerable students.

International comparisons and policy recommendations

Several African nations provide instructive examples of integrating disability inclusion with climate resilience in education. For instance, Kenya’s national adaptation plan includes provisions for constructing climate-resilient, accessible schools in flood-prone areas, a model that could serve Nigeria well. South Africa has also taken steps to establish inclusive emergency response systems that account for people with disabilities during extreme weather events.

To make tangible progress, Nigeria will need to implement similar integrated policies. This includes enhancing infrastructure standards to withstand climate impacts, establishing climate-resilient transportation routes, and improving emergency preparedness with special provisions for students with disabilities. More ambitious still would be a targeted fund for climate-adaptive infrastructure, which could leverage international climate finance opportunities, such as those offered by the Green Climate Fund.

A critical juncture for inclusive climate policy

The stories of students like Amina underscore the urgent need for Nigeria to rethink its approach to education, disability, and climate resilience. Ensuring equitable educational access amid intensifying climate challenges is not just a matter of policy but one of societal justice. By adopting a proactive, integrated approach, Nigeria can set a precedent in Africa for addressing the intersection of climate and disability within its education system.

Addressing this issue holistically is an opportunity to build resilience for future generations. As Nigeria faces a demographic boom, particularly among young people, the time to act is now. Integrating climate adaptation with inclusive education policy could be a transformative step toward a more equitable and sustainable future for all Nigerians.