By Fatima Saka
Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo says “Lake Chad Region Recovery and Development Project is a sheer music to the ears, but the story of the rise and falls of Lake chad”, is faced with constant challenges that needs recovery with sufficient insights to tackle the multiple issues.
He stated this as he welcomed the first Annual international forum on the development of the lake Chad Region on Monday in Abuja.
Osinbajo, who brought the warmed greetings of President Muhammadu Buhari, said by his relentless and advocacy has made the recovery of Lake Chad a geostrategic issue for ECOWAS and the Africa Union.
In addition, he said, Lake Chad was one of Africa’s largest natural deposit which has about 25,000 square kilometers.
He also said that the lake Chad fresh water lake provides water for over 30 million people in the four countries surrounding the Sahel: Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad; but, however, faced with disastrous circumstances, for about 1350 square kilometres, as a case of the devastating impact of climate change on natural resources.
Also, In his opening remarks, The Managing Director/CEO North-East Development Commission (NEDC), Mohammed Alkali, Said Lake Chad has borne with double burden of climate change and forced displacement over the last several years.
“This forced displacement crisis has added pressure on host communities around the Region”, he added.
However, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouk, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Bashir Sani said, Nigeria’s North East region, has been faced with multiple challenges and interrelated drivers of conflict and fragility and over 23 million civilians straddling across the four countries (Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria) bordering the Lake Chad Basin, has been stirred with insurgency.
Adding that, their aims is to coordinates the platform and support the ambition of concrete joint advocacy actions, and contribute to the orderly and humane management of reintegration systems, to assist in the search for practical solutions within the Lake Chad Basin.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of Lake chad Basin Commission LCBC, Ambassador Mamma Nuhu, said that this maiden edition is to interject the mechanism for regional cooperation, coordination and recovery interventions across the region, also proffer possible Solutions towards building resilience and improving the livelihood of people of the region.
Other dignities who were also present are:The World Bank County Director, Shubham Chaudhuri; Borno State Governor, His Excellency, Babagana Zulum; Governor of Far North Region Cameroon, His Excellency, Midjiyawa Bakari; Honourable Minister of Water Resources of Nigeria, Engr. Suleiman Adamu; and, F.C.T minister of Nigeria, Muhammad Bello.