Desertification in Northern Nigeria: Causes and Consequences

Desertification is one of the most serious problems facing northern Nigeria with 580,841 km2 out of the 927,892km2 total land area of Nigeria and with about 62 million Nigerians directly or indirectly affected by desertification. Climatic variability, deforestation, extensive cultivation, overgrazing, cultivation of marginal land, bush burning, fuel wood extraction, faulty irrigation system and urbanization were identified as the major causes of desertification. An attempt was made in this paper to review such causes and consequences, with a view to identify some inadequacies and to make appropriate recommendations to policy makers. The paper argues that a lot of national and international interventions have to be made to curb the condition in Nigeria. It recommends that agriculture should transcend from development strategy to agric business and that governments at levels and non-governmental organizations should provide adequate water for the farmers, planting of Jatropha trees and some exotic trees that have economic benefits which would add value to the livelihood of the people, adequate funds should be provided to the frontline states to fight desert encroachment and set up a desertification monitoring center.