Assessment of climate awareness, policy development, and action across Nigerian states

Chukwumerije Okereke^1*Sadiq Okoh²Timothy Ogenyi³Gboyega Olorunfemi³

• ¹University of Bristol, School for Policy Studies, Bristol, United Kingdom
• ²Department of Political Science, Benue State University,, Makurdi,, Nigeria
• ³Society for Planet and Prosperity, Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria

As climate governance increasingly adopts multilevel approaches, subnational actors play a central role in achieving national and global goals. Yet, in Nigeria, as in many other developing federations, the role of subnational actors in climate governance remains understood. This paper presents the first systematic assessment of climate awareness, policy development, and climate action across all 36 Nigerian states. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines document analysis, a large-scale national survey, and a stakeholder workshop, the study establishes a baseline of subnational climate action readiness. The findings reveal pervasive governance gaps: low climate literacy among civil servants, weak or absent policy frameworks, limited budgetary commitments, and poor alignment with national strategies. While some states, notably Lagos, demonstrate innovation in adaptation and resilience, most policies remain fragmented, donor-driven, and show limited cross-sectoral integration. The paper argues that Nigeria's net-zero pledge for 2060 will remain aspirational unless subnational actors are empowered through harmonized policy templates, targeted capacity building, predictable fiscal transfers and governance innovations such as environmental disclosure and rating systems. Positioned within debates on multilevel governance, the study highlights Nigeria as a critical test case of how federated system in the Global South can recalibrate institutions to transform symbolic commitments into substantive action.