The Federal Government has urged Nigerians to take collective action to protect the country's rivers from various threats. Prof. Joseph Utsev, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, made the call in Abuja at the 2026 World Rivers Day celebration. The theme of the celebration was "No Forests, No Rivers, No Water, No Life." The Minister emphasized that Nigeria's rivers are crucial to food security, public health, agriculture, industry, fisheries, biodiversity, livelihoods, and national development.
According to Prof. Utsev, Nigeria's rivers are facing significant pressure from population growth, urbanization, untreated wastewater, indiscriminate dumping of solid waste, agricultural runoff, erosion, sand mining, and climate change. These activities have severe consequences for communities downstream, making collaboration among governments, traditional institutions, communities, the private sector, development partners, and civil society essential to sustainable river management. The Minister noted that the Ministry is strengthening Integrated Water Resources Management to protect and restore watersheds and river catchments.
The Minister linked river protection directly to sanitation, warning that untreated sewage and wastewater entering rivers could threaten public health, livelihoods, and water supplies. He stated that 179 Local Government Areas have been validated as Open Defecation Free, while over 5,238 public sanitation facilities have been supported nationwide through the Federal Government's Clean Nigeria Campaign. This development represents progress towards the safely managed sanitation and hygiene targets under SDG 6.2.
Prof. Utsev urged the media to intensify public awareness on sanitation and responsible environmental practices. He called on Nigerians to stop open defecation, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, plastics, and effluents into waterways, while urging communities to protect forests, wetlands, and river catchment areas that sustain the nation's water sources. The Minister particularly challenged Nigerian youths to become "vanguards of river and water protection," using education, technology, entrepreneurship, and community action to tackle plastic pollution.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ali Dallah, noted that healthy rivers depend on healthy forests and watersheds, which help regulate water flow, reduce erosion, protect water quality, and support groundwater recharge. He said the choice of Wupa River along Kuje Road, Abuja, as the venue for the celebration was deliberate, providing an opportunity to demonstrate the need for practical action towards protecting and restoring degraded water bodies and their surrounding ecosystems.
The Director of Rivers Basin Operations and Inspectorate in the Ministry, Mrs Stella Oduh, called for sustained protection of Nigeria's forests and river systems, noting that their conservation was essential to securing water, public health, and sanitation for future generations. She urged young Nigerians to become champions of environmental stewardship, stressing that the quality and availability of water inherited by future generations would depend largely on the rivers and ecosystems protected today.
The Federal Government's efforts to protect Nigeria's rivers and water resources are crucial to the country's sustainable development. The Ministry's initiatives, including the strengthening of Integrated Water Resources Management and the Clean Nigeria Campaign, demonstrate a commitment to addressing the challenges facing the nation's water resources. By working together, Nigerians can ensure the protection of the country's rivers and water resources for future generations.
Key points
- The Federal Government has called for collective action to protect Nigeria's rivers from pollution, deforestation, and other threats.
- The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation emphasized that Nigeria's rivers are crucial to food security, public health, agriculture, industry, fisheries, biodiversity, livelihoods, and national development.
- The Ministry is strengthening Integrated Water Resources Management to protect and restore watersheds and river catchments.
