By Gbenga Akingbule
National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Dr Abdullahi Ganduje at the weekend advocated for immediate utilisation of additional rivers towards the recharging of Lake Chad.
Gatekeepers News reports that Ganduje said the urgent appeal is part of efforts to address the lake’s rapid shrinking, which has posed serious environmental and socio-economic challenges for the region.
Ganduje, a former Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), made the call after delivering his remarks at the end of the 5th LCBC Governors’ Forum meeting, which was held at the University of Maiduguri in Borno State, Nigeria.
According to Ganduje who was also a former Governor of Kano state, LCBC member countries which include Chad, Cameroon Niger and Nigeria, must take urgent steps to recharge Lake Chad by utilising other available options.
“We need to think outside the box, we must think of multiple sources of transferring water into Lake Chad. Let’s look at River Niger, River Benue, River Gongola, River Kaduna, River Hadejia, Jamaare, and Yobe.
“We need to look at these rivers, feasibility studies should be carried out for the possibility of transferring water from these rivers down into Lake Chad,” Ganduje said.
The APC National Chairman commended the development partners and urged stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the resolutions reached during the three-day meeting
“Most of the challenges and recommendations highlighted, if properly implemented, there’s hope to change the narratives, especially the security threats in the Lake Chad Basin “
