Unless the Nigerian government addresses the " ticking time bomb , " which is the country 's worst environment , the population will face devastating consequences , according to writer Yahaya Ahmed . Desertification in the region is predicted to see 55 million people from 10 countries migrate northward towards the coastal belt and middle - belt regions . However , if sea levels in the coastal regions rise by 0.5 m , 35 % of the Nigerian Delta would flood ; if sea levels rise by 1 m , then 32 million people would be displaced and move northwards . The convergence of the two groups will result " in a potential refugee crisis and other social frictions in the middle - belt , " Ahmed claims .
Unless the Nigerian government addresses the "ticking time bomb," which is the country's changing environment, the population will face devastating consequences, according to writer Yahaya Ahmed. Desertification in the north is predicted to see 55 million people from 10 states migrate southwards towards the greener Plateau and middle-belt regions. However, if sea levels in the coastal regions rise by 0.5m, 35% of the Nigerian Delta would flood; if sea levels rise by 1m, then 32 million people would be displaced and move northwards. The convergence of the two groups will result "in a potential refugee crisis and other social frictions in the middle-belt," Ahmed claims.