By Rasheeda Hamidu
The Nigerian Navy has urged Nigerians to support government efforts to protect and sustainably manage the country’s lakes amid growing threats from pollution, climate change and declining water levels.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, made the call on Thursday at a World Lake Day celebration organised by Naval Base Abuja.
Abbas, represented by Commodore Innocent Uduodoh, Director of Civil-Military Cooperation at Naval Headquarters, said protecting and maintaining the country’s lakes required active participation from communities that depend on the water bodies.
He said lakes were important to water and food security, power generation, biodiversity and livelihoods, adding that their protection should be treated as a collective responsibility.
Abbas said Nigeria’s lakes, including Lake Chad and Kainji Lake, support fishing, agriculture, livestock, transportation, tourism and water supply but face increasing pressure from pollution, climate change, overfishing and poor management.
He said Lake Chad had shrunk by about 90 per cent compared with its size in 1963, affecting the livelihoods and wellbeing of about 13 million people in the region.
The naval chief called for stronger measures to control pollution from agricultural runoff, industrial waste and domestic sewage, as well as research and greater involvement of affected communities in decisions concerning lake management.
He also urged stakeholders to address the effects of climate change on lakes and adopt sustainable management practices to protect the ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
The Commander, Naval Base Abuja, Commodore Oluseyi Oladipo, said the Navy’s World Lake Day activities were also aimed at increasing public awareness of the ecological importance of lakes and encouraging practical measures to protect them.
Oladipo said the Navy had conducted a one-week cleaning exercise at Lake Chad as part of activities to commemorate World Lake Day and support efforts to rehabilitate the Lake Chad Basin ecosystem.
NatureNews notes that World Lake Day, observed annually on August 27, provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of lakes to freshwater supply, biodiversity, livelihoods and climate resilience, with the United Nations warning that lakes globally face growing pressure from pollution, overuse and climate change.
