The Federal Government has called for integrated management of Nigeria’s rivers, forests, wetlands and watersheds to safeguard water resources, public health and livelihoods.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, made the call on Monday in Abuja at the commemoration of the 2026 World Rivers Day.
Utsev said sustainable water resources management required coordinated action by governments, communities, traditional institutions, the private sector, development partners and civil society.
He said the theme of the celebration, “No Forests, No Rivers, No Water, No Life,” underscored the interdependence between healthy ecosystems and sustainable water resources.
According to him, rivers support agriculture, food production, domestic and industrial water supply, fisheries, biodiversity, livelihoods and economic development.
He said forests, wetlands, floodplains and groundwater recharge areas helped protect river sources and regulate water flow, adding that their degradation threatened rivers and the communities that depended on them.
Utsev said Nigeria’s rivers, including the Niger and Benue, as well as streams, wetlands and tributaries, constituted a shared national heritage requiring collective protection.
He identified population growth, urbanisation, untreated wastewater, indiscriminate dumping, agricultural runoff, erosion and sand mining as pressures threatening the country’s rivers.
The minister added that climate change, changing rainfall patterns, flooding and drought were compounding the challenges, requiring integrated management of watersheds and water resources.
He said the ministry was strengthening its capacity to collect, analyse and use data on rainfall, river flows, groundwater and water quality to support evidence-based water management.
Utsev said sanitation was central to river protection, noting that untreated sewage and wastewater could contaminate water sources, threaten public health, affect livelihoods and compromise water supplies.
He said 179 Local Government Areas had been validated as Open Defecation Free under the Clean Nigeria Campaign, while more than 5,238 public sanitation facilities had been supported nationwide.
“These achievements reflect our commitment to keeping human waste out of our drains, streams and rivers,” he said.
The minister urged Nigerians to stop open defecation and the indiscriminate dumping of refuse, plastics and effluents into drains, streams and rivers.
He also called for the conservation of forests and wetlands, responsible wastewater management, efficient water use and stronger collaboration among stakeholders.
Utsev said the government was identifying dams requiring rehabilitation and locations for new ones as part of measures to manage excess water and mitigate flooding.
He said the government was exploring private-sector participation in dam construction and rehabilitation, stressing that government alone could not undertake all the required projects.
The minister said the ministry was also engaging relevant state governments on water-resource management, including discussions with Kebbi on measures to manage water from the Lagdo Dam.
He urged young Nigerians to deploy education, technology, entrepreneurship and community action to tackle plastic pollution, open defecation, wastewater management and ecosystem degradation.
Utsev called on the media to sustain public awareness of the relationship between forests, rivers, water and sanitation, saying behavioural change was essential to protecting water resources.
He said the Federal Government would continue to strengthen policies, institutions and programmes aimed at sustainable water resources management and improved sanitation services nationwide.
Earlier, Ali Dallah, Director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said the choice of the Wupa River as the venue provided an opportunity to demonstrate the need to protect and restore water bodies.
Dallah said activities for the celebration, including public enlightenment, environmental awareness and stakeholder engagement, were designed to encourage practical action to protect rivers.
He said Nigerian rivers faced pollution from domestic, industrial and agricultural activities, indiscriminate waste disposal, deforestation, erosion and uncontrolled development along river corridors.
According to him, the challenges had implications for water quality, public health, agriculture, biodiversity and the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians dependent on water resources.
Dallah said healthy forests and watersheds helped regulate water flows, reduce soil erosion, protect water quality, support groundwater recharge and maintain aquatic ecosystems.
He urged communities, institutions, businesses and individuals to support government efforts by preventing pollution, protecting watersheds and forests, and promoting responsible waste management.
World Rivers Day is observed annually on the fourth Sunday of September to raise awareness of the importance of rivers and promote their conservation and sustainable management.
The event has grown into an international observance involving communities in more than 100 countries through activities such as river clean-ups, restoration projects, educational programmes and community events.
