The 32-year-old clothing manufacturer regularly navigates chaotic traffic to deliver luxury clothes and shoes to customers throughout the greater city of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital. But his and millions of others’ commutes have been disrupted by extreme temperatures as Africa’s most populous country battles a heatwave. Adding to the pain is that the rise in fuel prices due to the Iran war has led to higher costs for air conditioning and backup generators, along with mercury.“The sun is very hot,” Akani told AFP, sandwiched between two sweaty passengers.Rising temperatures are nothing new in the West African country, which lies just above the equator. But according to the Nigerian Meteorological Service (NiMet), things are getting worse: it warned in a 2025 report that in the decade from 2016 to 2025, nine out of 10 years were “among the 12 hottest on record.”Recently, UK-based Korean DJ JinseoulMusic, who was touring Nigeria, shared her ordeal in an Instagram post to her over 430,000 followers. “Surviving the Nigerian heat without light,” she wrote, using the slang term for electricity.
“The heat woke me up in the middle of the night.”Analysts blame the high temperatures in Lagos on climate change, its coastal location, population density, limited green spaces, and heavy traffic. The constant use of generators exacerbates the problem, as machines that consume large amounts of gasoline release heat and greenhouse gases.Meanwhile, public transportation is a mess, with most commercial vehicles rickety and lacking air conditioning. Temperatures in Lagos peaked at 35 degrees Celsius at the end of March, according to NiMet.The temperature reached 38 degrees Celsius in the capital, Abuja, while in Sokoto in the northwest, the temperature reached 44 degrees Celsius, with NiMet describing the conditions as “unhealthy.”High fuel pricesNigeria’s unique economic situation as Africa’s fourth-largest economy, but with a crumbling electricity grid that is far less stable than some of its poorer neighbors, has led to widespread use of private generators, at least among those who can afford them.This number may diminish with the rise in fuel prices due to the Iran war.“I no longer use it because of the high prices,” Emmanuel Chinonso, 40, a driver in Abuja, told AFP.When the grill goes out on a hot night, his fan goes out, too, he said.As elsewhere in the country, petrol prices have almost doubled in the capital, from around 850 naira per liter to more than 1,300 – a record high in a country where petrol sold for around 195 naira at the start of 2023. Many drivers, like Chenonso, turn off the air conditioning in their cars to save fuel – and “beg” for a tip from customers in exchange for turning it on.“If you explain to them, you will find that some of them are very understanding and nice,” he said.Health warningsDespite humid air filled with dust and vehicle fumes, and engines idling as vehicles waited for passengers on a recent Wednesday, thousands of Lagos traders continued to display their wares in direct sunlight, despite warnings against prolonged exposure. Street vendors balanced tubs of iced soft drinks across the traffic, providing a quick relief to commuters.With the cost of living rising after years of high inflation, many traders exposed to the sun and polluted air are more concerned with putting food on the table than air quality. “The weather is not good,” Aminat Jimoh told AFP while frying tofu on the side of the road. “But we have to endure because we can’t eat if we don’t come here.”The heatwave may also exacerbate the malaria burden in Nigeria. According to the World Health Organization, climate change – through increased rainfall, temperatures and humidity – could in some cases accelerate malaria transmission by enabling mosquitoes to reproduce faster.Nigeria recorded about a quarter of the world’s malaria cases and 30 percent of global deaths in 2024, according to the World Health Organization.The approaching rainy season offers some relief as storms bring down temperatures.But it will also bring its own challenges, such as flooding.“I know the rain has its own problem, but I can’t wait for this heat to go away,” Akane said.
