Environmental Disasters since 1980s: A Historical Interrogation of the Nigerian Armed Forces Roles in the Mitigation

Publication Details

Publication Date

10/09/2026

Volume / Issue

Vol 1, Issue 4 (2026)

Article No.

080

Journal

British Journal of Contemporary Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.67693/BJCR-NX538XX5

Received

19 Aug 2026

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9

Downloads

1

Abstract

This paper titled “Environmental Disasters since 1980s: A Historical Interrogation of the Nigerian Armed Forces in the Mitigation” is an investigation into the gradual changes that began to occur in the natural ecosystem resulting from global warming and the effect of climate change. Findings reveal that this development was due to unnecessary interference and intercourses that took and still taking place between man and the ecological system occasioned by the outbreak of the industrial revolution beginning from Europe and the North-America. Gradually, as from the 1980s the reality started dawning on Africa and Nigeria which informed the researchers to benchmark the dating to the 1980s. These environmental disasters are all natural disasters that occur on the planet earth. For the purpose of the paper, disasters are mainstreamed to the Nigerian context namely: Landslides, floods, erosion, and desert encroachment amongst others. Interestingly, all these disasters occur with their attendant multiplier effects that usually contribute to national security questions. These National Security issues always attract the attention of the Nigerian Armed Forces as one of their core mandates globally. The paper chronicled most approaches the Armed Forces of Nigeria have adopted to mitigate the effects on Nigerians which is known as ‘Disaster Response and Management’ (DRM). The methodology harnessed in the development of this paper is the multi-disciplinary approach in historiography. Conclusively, the creation of the Armed Forces underscores their invaluable responses to both environmental and man-made disasters as an integral responsibility of the force. The paper is a value addition to the ongoing evaluation of the Armed Forces in peace and conflict times.

License

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . Free to read, share, and adapt with attribution.