Overview:

Professor Babatunde Agbola first came in contact with the IHDP at the 3rd Open Meeting of the Human Dimensions Research Community in Shonan Village, Japan from 24-26 June 1999. At this meeting, he was informed of fellow Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (HDGEC) researchers in Nigeria and encouraged to contact Dr. Meshach Emenweke at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Nigeria, who was then a main contact for IHDP in Nigeria at that time. However, it was not possible to meet and put the Nigerian chapter on certain footing until March 2000, when Dr. Agbola took over the leads as contact for IHDP in Nigeria.

In late June 2001, a group of scholars and researchers from several of Nigeria's 40 universities met at the University of Ibadan to establish a National Human Dimensions Committee in Nigeria. Supported by a seed grant from IHDP, the meeing was organized by Professor Agbola. The main objective of the meeting was to inform the national research community about IHDP's activities and to encourage researchers in the area of GEC to become involved. Another main objective was to compile a national inventory of Human Dimensions research in Nigeria.

To facilitate this process, participants agreed to divide the country into five geographical zones, with Zone Coordinators responsible for setting-up a network of researchers from universities in a particular region. The proposed zones and their coordinators were as folows: (a) Northeast: Dr. Abdul-Kadir Gambari; (b) Northwest: Mr. Jinadu; (c) Southeast: Dr. Ibeanu; (d) Southwest: Prof. Agbola; (e) South-South: Mrs Faith Ekong. It was agreed that membership in the NC would be open to both natural and social scientists whose work was related to GEC. In addition, participants identified variuos sources for cooperation and funding, including several NGOs, governmental and other institutions. Seeking a possible cooperation with START and other international bodies, was emphasized but never truly realized. As the coordinators meeting was convened on 28 June 2001, this was thus considered the date for the formal establishment of the IHDP NC.

Contact Person:

Prof. Samuel Babatunde Agbola (Chair) Centre for Urban and Regional Planning Faculty of the Social Sciences Executive Director, Institute for Human Settlement and Environment (IHSE) University of Ibadan Block 20, Plot 18, PDCOS Basorun Estate P.O. Box 26970, Agodi Post Office Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria Phone: +234 27 15 488; Cell: +234 80 3321 8243 Fax: +234 28 10 1452 E-mail: babatundeagbola@yahoo.com Areas of expertise: land-use dynamics, demography Links to: Member of the Scientific Steering Committee for IHDP/IGBP LUCC Project (2000-05)

Members:

Prof. Samuel Babatunde Agbola (Chair) Centre for Urban and Regional Planning Faculty of the Social Sciences Executive Director, Institute for Human Settlement and Environment (IHSE) University of Ibadan Block 20, Plot 18, PDCOS Basorun Estate P.O. Box 26970, Agodi Post Office Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria Phone: +234 27 15 488; Cell: +234 80 3321 8243 Fax: +234 28 10 1452 E-mail: babatundeagbola@yahoo.com Areas of expertise: land-use dynamics, demography Links to: Member of the Scientific Steering Committee for IHDP/IGBP LUCC Project (2000-05)

Mrs. Faith Ekong Faculty of Social Sciences Department of Urban and Regional Planning University of Uyo 1, Ikpa Road, P.M.B. 1017 Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria Phone: +234 85 200 303; +234 85 202 696 Fax: +234 85 202 694

Dr. A. Gambari Department of Political Sciences University of Maiduguri Borno State, Nigeria Web: http://www.unimaid.org/Social%20sciences.htm

Dr. Okechukwu Ibeanu Department of Political Science University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria Email: ibeanu@hotmail.com Links to: Member of Scientific Steering Committee of IHDP-GECHS Project (1998-2001), Nigerian representative on the UN Commission on HUman Rights (2004-2007)

Dr. A. Iliya Department of Geography Uthman dan Fodio University Sokoto, Nigeria

Dr. A. M. Jinadu Department of Urban and Regional Planning Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria

Key HDGEC research topics in Nigeria:

Publications:

Agbola, T. (2005): Proceedings of the National Conference "Dilemmas in the Management of Common Environmental Resources in Nigeria" hel 2-3 March 2005 in Ibadan, Nigeria. Completed for IHDP as part of the IHDP Seed Grant Initiative

Agbola, T. (2001): Nigerian Coordination Meeting. IHDP Update Newsletter. Issue 03/2001, page 16.

Okechukwu Ibeanu, O. (2001) Environment, Human Security and Governance in Nigeria. Notes on a Strategic Plan. IHDP Update Newsletter. Issue 03/2001