Trees, Not Masks, Will Save Nigeria’s Lungs

By Atumye Amos Alao As I look out my window in Abuja this chilly January morning, the city is wrapped in a thick, eerie haze that blocks the sun and stings the eyes. This is not the gentle harmattan we knew as children. Perhaps for the first time in my memory, the holiday season in […]

By Atumye Amos Alao

As I look out my window in Abuja this chilly January morning, the city is wrapped in a thick, eerie haze that blocks the sun and stings the eyes. This is not the gentle harmattan we knew as children. Perhaps for the first time in my memory, the holiday season in Nigeria passed without the signature harmattan cold and wind. Families who stocked up on sweaters, headwarmers, and thick blankets were left disappointed, wondering where the familiar December chill had gone.

Then, almost without warning, mid-January brought this choking blanket of dust that has grounded flights, kept children indoors, and turned every breath into a struggle. Just days ago, a flight from Saudi Arabia was diverted from Kano to Abuja because visibility dropped dangerously low. In Kano, people are staying inside as cold, dusty winds increase breathing problems. Across the north, from Borno to Zamfara, thick dust haze cuts visibility to less than one thousand meters.

If you are coughing more, feeling tightness in your chest, or watching loved ones struggle, know this: our air is sending a loud warning.

First, let us be clear. Viral messages claiming an “Environmental Protection Agency” has issued a warning about extreme pollution are completely false. The old Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) was replaced nearly twenty years ago by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), and no such alert has come from NESREA or any official source.

But the danger is very real. This haze is a toxic mix of Saharan dust made worse by climate change. What used to be a predictable dry season has become unpredictable. It was delayed in December 2025, then arrived with force in mid-January 2026. Warmer temperatures weaken the northeasterly winds, allowing dust to stay longer and mix with city pollution from lost trees and spreading concrete. The result is fine particles that enter our lungs, irritate airways, trigger asthma and bronchitis, weaken immunity, and fill hospitals.

This crisis shows a hard truth: we have neglected our landscapes, and now they are hitting back. As landscape architects, we do not just create beautiful gardens. We design survival systems. Trees are not decorations. They are natural air filters that catch dust and pollutants before they reach our lungs. Green spaces cool cities by several degrees, improve air movement, and prevent trapped haze. Urban forests and shaded streets can reduce particle pollution significantly. In Nigeria, where deforestation has removed natural protection, these designs save lives.

Imagine Abuja’s streets lined with native acacias, or Lagos’s parks turned into green lungs that clean the air for millions. But we cannot build these solutions without trained professionals. Landscape architecture education in Nigeria is growing but still underfunded. Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria offers master’s degrees. The University of Lagos, Bingham University in Karu, Reverend Father Moses Orshio Adasu University formerly Benue State University provide bachelor’s programs, with Bingham starting the first undergraduate course in 2019. With only about a dozen academics in the field nationwide, we are training far too few people for the size of the challenge.

Tertiary institutions must act now. Add climate-resilient design to courses, partner with NESREA for real projects, and attract young talent with scholarships. As president of our society, I call on policymakers to fund these programs immediately. They are not luxuries. They are investments in a future where we can breathe freely.

Mitigation begins today, and it is simpler than many think. Plant native trees in your compound. Follow weather forecasts to choose the best time. Demand that city planners protect green spaces from being covered in concrete. Join campaigns to reforest the north and create wind barriers in cities. Bring landscape architects into health and policy discussions. We have the plans for cooler, cleaner cities. Masks offer temporary relief. Landscapes deliver lasting healing.

Let us push for national action: stronger laws against deforestation, urban green requirements, and community planting events. Fellow Nigerians, this haze is our wake-up call. It is choking our children on their way to school, delaying flights, and overloading hospitals. But together we can green our way out and turn dust into opportunity.

Share this if you have felt the burn in your lungs. Tag your leaders, plant a tree, spread the message. If we act now, tomorrow’s air can be clear, cool, and full of life.

Alao is the President, Society of Landscape Architects of Nigeria