Under the hot midday sun, Agye Agye, a Nigerian man in his forties, straddles his battered okada. As his fingers grip the handlebars, slick with perspiration, he rides through the roads of Arab (Orozo), a Sahelian-hot, semi-arid urban poor area of Abuja.
He pulls over whenever customers wave him down, engaging in a brief haggle over fare, and sometimes, wiping his brow with his arm and motioning for them to hop on.
The dry, hot wind stings his face and carries fine particles of dust and sand – possibly – into his lungs. The reporter observes that with every new trip, the sun seems to grow hotter.
Speaking with EcoPivot, Agye describes his routine:
“I usually start at dawn and work till dusk, but afternoons are the hardest because of the sun’s intensity.”
He shuttles between Gidan Mangoro and Arab (Orozo), urban poor areas in Abuja, Nigeria.
“I often feel hot, tired, and sick when I get home, but I have no choice. I am the sole provider, and my wife’s tailoring business is on hold because we can’t afford to rent a shop for her,” he explains.
“When I’m dehydrated and tired, and there are no customers, I rest under a tree before starting again. It’s worse during harmattan when everything is dusty, and I have to deal with both the dust and the heat.”
The daily exposure doesn’t just leave him physically drained; it impacts his health.
“I feel weak all the time. My throat gets dry from dehydration, so I stop to buy sachet water before continuing. Sometimes, I feel faint and have to rest to avoid falling. My eyes get itchy too, but I don’t know if it’s from the dust or the constant squinting to block the sun.”
Heat Stress in Nigeria
In Nigeria, extreme heat is so normalized and overlooked, leaving workers like Agye blind to the growing dangers. Few recognize it as part of a larger, growing climate crisis.
However, the sun’s intensity is no accident. Global warming, fueled by fossil fuels, deforestation, and unchecked industrial activities, has pushed temperatures higher year after year. In crowded urban areas, the heat multiplies.
Wasiu Adeniyi Ibrahim, a meteorologist at NiMet, warns that heatwaves, “characterized by prolonged periods of excessively hot temperatures and humidity, are becoming more frequent and intense.” Yet, for okada riders like Agye, such warnings are not easy to understand.
Health Implications of Heat Stress for Urban Poor Workers.
Under the punishing heat, the human body begins to break down in ways many do not realize, experts say. Excessive sweating, the body’s natural cooling mechanism, can lead to rapid dehydration.
For outdoor workers like Agye, prolonged exposure to such conditions increases the risk of severe complications, including kidney damage from constant dehydration. Beyond the physical toll, scientists say heat affects mental well-being.
Despite these stark realities, the issue of heatwaves is largely ignored in Nigeria. Many view extreme heat as an inconvenience rather than a serious threat. Yet, rising global temperatures, driven by human activities like deforestation and fossil fuel consumption, have turned urban areas into heat traps. The World Bank notes that extreme heat worsens air quality, as higher temperatures combine with pollutants to create harmful ground-level ozone.
Solutions To Tackle Heat Stress
The absence of strong climate policies and public awareness has left vulnerable populations without the tools to protect themselves. For Agye, the answer seems simple: ‘If we had more shaded places to rest and cold water to drink, it wouldn’t feel like we’re fighting for our lives every day.’
Practical measures like installing cooling centers and affordable healthcare provisions could significantly reduce the risk of heat stress among urban workers, researchers say. However, these preventive measures remain out of reach for those who need them most.