“The Danger of a Single Story”: Climate Change Securitisation Framings and Reductionism of Conflict Dynamics in Nigeria

The climate change–security nexus has dominated the literature, research, policy, and security governance in Nigeria. This study argued that the framing of climate change as a security threat has led to new governance challenges and risks, creating “a single story” in scholarship. The study adopted a mixed qualitative methods approach. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were analysed thematically and triangulated with secondary data. The findings indicated that framing climate change as a security issue in Nigeria has produced a skewed scholarly understanding of security challenges and has contributed to inertia within policy circles. In conclusion, the study contended that there is a need to account for the multiplicity of drivers of security challenges in the country, so as to be able to provide effective and adequate solutions.