BUILDING RESILIENT COASTAL ZONE: PANACEA FOR SECURITY OF VITAL COASTAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTMENT IN NIGERIA
Abstract
Nigeria’s Coastal Zone is a low lying belt that stretches for about 853km from west to
east (Lagos to Calabar). It consists of Lagoons, Mahin Mud Coast, the Niger Delta and
Stranded Coast, criss-crossed by many rivers, creeks and lakes. It is also rich in
biodiversity with variety of flora and fauna, some of them unique. This zone is heavily urbanized and contains vital infrastructure especially those related to petroleum, gas,shipping, airports, highways, industries, services and tourism. But this costal zone is vulnerable to storms, ocean surge, floods, pollution, coastal erosion and threats to security exacerbated by prevailing climate change and associated impacts. This paper is an attempt to identify and discuss these threats and their impacts on the coastal zone of
Nigeria, including their likely effects on infrastructure and investment opportunities. It
recommends urgent building of a resilient coastal zone capable of protecting and
preserving the coastal infrastructure of Nigeria.
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