Nigeria’s New Weather Puzzle

Nigeria’s New Weather Puzzle: When Cold and Heat Collide

Lagos, Nigeria

At 6 a.m., the streets of Yaba glistened with dew, and commuters pulled their jackets tighter as a chill hung over the city. “I thought I was in Jos, not Lagos,” laughed bus driver Ibrahim Yusuf, rubbing his hands together before gripping the steering wheel. By midday, however, the sun burned mercilessly, and the very same passengers who had shivered in the morning were now fanning themselves furiously in traffic.

This is the new reality of Nigeria’s climate puzzle: a single day can carry the breath of harmattan and the sting of the Sahara. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has noted unusual cold spells in southern states during months once known for steady heat, followed by sharp temperature spikes in the afternoons. Farmers in the north, meanwhile, say that rains often arrive early, disappear suddenly, and return when least expected.

Nigeria’s map released by NiMet showing Heat and cold wave

For many Nigerians, these swings are more than a curiosity they are a disruption of daily life. School children attending summer in Ikeja arrive in sweaters only to pull them off by the second lesson. Traders in Kaduna say vegetables now spoil faster because cold mornings give way to scorching afternoons that rot fresh produce in hours. “It is confusing,” says 58-year-old tomato seller madam Grace . “We cannot predict what to wear, what to sell, or how long our goods will last.”

READ ALSO: The Day the River Came: Nigeria’s Hidden Climate Exodus

Climate scientists say such extremes are evidence of increased variability driven by global warming. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2023) warns that climate change is not just about hotter averages it is about wild swings that destabilize ecosystems, economies, and societies. In Nigeria, cold spells can lower crop germination rates, while sudden heat waves dry up young seedlings, compounding food insecurity.

Health experts are equally alarmed. The Federal Ministry of Health reports rising cases of respiratory infections linked to unseasonal chills, while hospitals also treat spikes in dehydration and heat exhaustion later in the day. “Our patients are caught in a climate whiplash,” says Dr. Olumide , a Lagos physician. “One morning they need blankets, the same evening they need fans. Their bodies struggle to adjust.”

The social consequences are just as stark. In rural Niger State, parents say children are falling sick more frequently, missing school days as families spend scarce money on medicines. In Port Harcourt, factory workers complain of fatigue and poor concentration due to temperature fluctuations inside poorly ventilated plants. The International Labour Organization (2024) estimates that unpredictable weather could cost African economies up to 5% of working hours annually by the next decade.

Yet, amidst confusion, adaptation is emerging. Some schools in Abuja are shifting lesson times earlier in the day to avoid the hottest afternoons. Farmers in Benue are experimenting with mixed cropping to hedge against erratic rains and unusual cold snaps. In Lagos, tech start-ups are designing low-cost weather apps in local languages to help traders, farmers, and commuters plan their day.

But adaptation, experts argue, is not enough. “What Nigeria is experiencing is a glimpse of a world destabilized by climate change,” says climate activist Oladosu. “If global emissions continue unchecked, we will see more confusion in our skies, more sickness in our homes, and more hunger in our markets.”

Back in Yaba, Ibrahim Yusuf leans on his bus as passengers debate whether to carry sweaters or umbrellas tomorrow. He shakes his head and smiles: “The weather does not respect anybody again.”

His words, half in jest, capture a serious truth, Nigeria’s climate is no longer a predictable rhythm but a shifting puzzle, where mornings freeze, afternoons burn, and the future feels like a question no one can answer.

Nigeria’s New Weather Puzzle is real