The Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP) has launched a nationwide citizens’ movement, the Vote4Climate 2027 Campaign, aimed at placing climate action, environmental sustainability, food security, clean energy, health, and human security at the heart of Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
Speaking at the launching ceremony in Abuja, the nation’s capital, Dr Michael Terungwa David, Executive Director of GIFSEP, says the time has come to interrogate candidates on the issues that will determine the future of Nigeria.
He noted that the 2027 general elections present an opportunity to redefine our national priorities and place people, planet, and prosperity at the centre of governance.
“Together, let us build a climate-resilient, food-secure, prosperous, healthy, and sustainable Nigeria,” he said.
He further stressed that the 2027 election must be different not because politicians have changed but because citizens have changed.
“Because the stakes have changed. Because the planet has changed,” he stressed.
According to him, “The future is on the ballot.”
He called on all Nigerians to look beyond the politics of ethnicity, zoning, religion, and stomach infrastructure and interrogate candidates on the issues that will determine the future of Nigeria.
“The time has come to ask: What are their plans for climate adaptation and resilience?
What investments will they make in renewable and clean energy?
Are they going to ban the imports of solar panels, the lifeline for many Nigerians?
How will they address food insecurity?
How will they tackle pollution and improve air quality?”
He encourages Nigerian journalists to ask the questions that matter at every press briefing, every debate, every press conference and demand detailed, costed, credible answers on climate.
“To Civil Society: Mobilise. Educate. Scorecard every candidate on the green agenda. Make it impossible for any politician to avoid these questions. To Nigerian Youth: You will live in the Nigeria that 2027 creates. Register and Organise. Vote and demand that the future you inherit is one worth living in. To all Nigerians: Nigeria is our business. Every election is a climate election. Every vote is a vote for the kind of future your children will inhabit. Cast it wisely. Obtain your voter’s card – vote wisely, vote responsibly, vote for the future,” he said.
According to him, over 35 million Nigerians already face acute food insecurity, with climate shocks, droughts with floods and pest invasions projected to reduce national crop yields by up to 50% by 2050.
Board Member of GIFSEP and Executive Director GeeFoundation for Social Justice & Development, Mrs Gloria Agema also called for greater inclusion of women in climate change decision-making processes, stressing that women are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and climate-related shocks.
According to her, women and girls bear the greatest burden of climate change impacts, including food insecurity, land degradation, health challenges, energy poverty, and insecurity.
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She urged governments, development partners, and stakeholders to support women-led climate actions by expanding access to financing, leadership opportunities, and participation in environmental governance.
Also speaking at the 2026 World Environment Day event, Richard Nzekwu, consultant on Land Degradation Neutrality with the UNCCD, called for urgent adoption of nature-based solutions to address the growing challenge of land degradation in Nigeria.
The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is “Beyond Stomach Infrastructure, Ethnicity, Zoning and Religion: Voting for Climate Action, Clean Energy, Food Security, Health, Security and a Sustainable Future”
