When did the issue of climate change get personal for you?

The issue of climate change became personal to me in 2007. This was the year I witnessed the effect of climate change for the very first time. My family and I moved into this new environment in Lekki axis in 2005, and two years later, in June, our street was flooded. The flood lasted till August. It was such a shocking experience. Ever since then, I became conscious of the effect of climate change.

There is a strong presence of nostalgia in your story. Could this sense of nostalgia be of loss or hope? 

The sense of nostalgia in my story is of loss. Loss of the Green we left behind, literally.  The negative effect of the many ways we  mistreat  our environments is becoming obvious  especially in a place like Lagos, and particularly the Lekki axis where we know that the area could be prone to an environmental disaster if we don’t conserve nature.  Yet, more lands are sold year in, year out for building constructions. The environment keeps getting clustered and overpopulated by the day. Flooding has become a concurrent issue for over a decade now. With each year recording more floods than the previous year. 

What inspired your story for The Green We Left Behind nonfiction anthology?

What inspired my story was the fact that there is little literature on the effect of climate change. And this has contributed to the lack of knowledge on this issue. As people usually learn from reading, and since there is little to no literature about climate change, then there is no way to get enlightenment about it. The lack of literature on this issue is also what inspired me to write my story for this project.

As an artist, how are you able to merge beauty in language with such a dire theme on climate change? 

Language is all about communication, and the ability to communicate the effect of climate change on my environment made it possible for me.

As you release your story to the world, what is your wish or hope for this story?

I wish that the release of my story to the world brings the much needed publicity to flooding in my environment  and also draw the attention of  the appropriate authorities to take the issue of climate change very seriously and help save my environment. Also, it is my hope that the people in my environment see the significance in taking care of our environment by playing their part and not contributing to the damage being done to the earth. 

Aside from writing, how else do you intend to contribute towards curbing climate change?

Beyond writing, I also advocate for the proper care of the environment. I do that by taking care of my environment always, and making sure I educate others on the need to do the same. 

Biography

Abibat A. Ibrahim  grew up in Lagos.  She studied history and archaeology at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree program in history at the Ibadan school of history, University of Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria.