Mohammed O. Taoheed reports,
Suleiman Adamu, the Minister of Water Resources, has called on the private sector and other crucial stakeholders to get involved in the protection of the nation’s rivers from man-made pollution.
Adamu gave this charge during an event commemorating the 2022 World Rivers Day, with the theme: The Importance of Rivers to Biodiversity, yesterday in Abuja.
The minister noted some problems, such as pollution through dumping of refuse and untreated sewage wastes, open defecation, urbanisation and climate change, were still affecting the nation’s waterways.
He explained that rivers have rights and need to be healthy as this is vital for promoting livelihood support and sustenance to those who depend on them.
Adamu equally told Track News Nigeria that private individuals and volunteers have a great role to play in protecting rivers and lakes, saying that this is necessary for public health and socio-economic development.
According to him: “We are in a society where everybody is waiting for government to do everything. This is not supposed to be the case. I will like to see volunteers and champions.
“We need to create an arrangement where the society and people take ownership themselves. These things are not owned by government. So, people should be able to come and take ownership and do the needful.
“We are sending the message and we hope that the citizens will come to do the needful, even if it’s just a question of (saying): ‘Okay, I will not drop this bottle in this river’.
“I think you have done enough. If we can get people to stop polluting the rivers, that will be a major achievement.”
The minister pointed that he had mandated the 12 River Basin Development Authorities and agencies to carry out regular and increased advocacy programmes for rivers’ restoration, protection and conservation.This, he said, would be done within the framework of Integrated River Basin Management, for the overall development and management of all water resources.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, lamented that rivers have been degraded, diverted, and polluted at a high cost to people and the earth’s living system for a long time.
She stressed the need for scaling up national efforts toward rivers’ remediation, protection and conservation in the interest of the present and future generations.
Representative of Regional Centre for Integrated River Basin Management in Nigeria, Prof. Ramah Elfithri, urged all stakeholders to do more to protect rivers’ water quality.
In her words, the quality of the country’s rivers and lakes will ensure livelihood support for those living around them.
She also called for more measures to protect the biodiversity of all water resources, saying this would promote inclusive development.
Highlights of the event included a memorial tree planting and symbolic river clean up at Jabi Lake in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
