Professor Rabia Sa’id of Bayero University Kano has been named among 21 global experts appointed to the newly formed United Nations Independent Scientific Panel on the Effects of Nuclear War, as announced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in New York on July 17.
The panel was established under General Assembly Resolution 79/238 to investigate the impacts of nuclear war, including environmental destruction, radiological contamination, and the consequences for public health, agriculture, and economies—both immediate and long-term.
Professor Sa’id, a physicist specializing in atmospheric and space-weather research, is the only Nigerian scientist on the panel.
Other members include researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
In a statement, the UN said the panel will examine the effects of nuclear war “on a local, regional, and planetary scale, including, inter alia, the climatic, environmental and radiological effects, and their impacts on public health, global socioeconomic systems, agriculture, and ecosystems in the days, weeks, and decades following a nuclear war.”
The panel’s report is expected to be submitted during the 82nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2027. A similar global scientific assessment was last conducted in 1988.
The UN stated that the experts were selected based on “their leading scientific expertise across relevant disciplines, while ensuring impartiality, and equitable geographical and gender balance.”
The panel will also “engage broadly with stakeholders worldwide, including civil society groups, international organizations, and communities most vulnerable to the fallout of nuclear conflict,” according to the statement.
The UN said the panel’s work is intended to fill existing knowledge gaps and inform future scientific and policy decisions on nuclear threats.
