Resident’s perception and response to temperature variations in emerging Urban centres in Nigeria: An example from Jalingo, Nigeria

The research analyzed the resident's perception and response to temperature variation in Jalingo metropolis.Energy and comfort are affected more by temperature than by any other element of the physical environment.Physiological functions of the human body respond to changes in temperature, and incidences of certain diseases vary with temperature and the seasons.The state of the atmosphere (hot or cold air) even influences our mental and emotional outlook.The aim of the study was to analyze human perception and response to temperature variations among residents in Jalingo.Primary data was collected using pre-tested, wellstructured questionnaires.Secondary data was obtained from the archive of the upper Benue River Basin Development Authority, Yola for the period of ten years (2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015).A multi stage sampling technique was used in the selection of the respondents.This study concludes that temperature is greatly affecting the health as well as the socio-economic activities of the inhabitants of Jalingo.The result also shows that there is just a little variation over the years even though temperature remains high.It is therefore recommended that Government should develop and implement early warning systems and intervention strategies to mitigate the health effects of extreme temperature events.Enhancing adaptation to heat events can be accomplished through the adjustment of indoor temperature via the improvement of building design, thereby ensuring that the indoor temperature predominantly falls within a comfortable range, irrespective of the outdoor temperature.Lastly, the Taraba state government, through pertinent agencies such as the Ministry of Education and Environment, should establish weather stations in all the Local Government Area (LGA) headquarters in the state, thereby enhancing accessibility to climatic data for regular monitoring purposes.