An environmentalist with the Lower Niger River Basin Authority (LNRBA), Dr. Olabisi Awoniyi, has raised alarm over the increasing pollution of rivers across Nigeria.
Speaking in an interview on Friday in Ilorin, Awoniyi described rivers as “synonymous with life,” stressing their vital role as sources of water, food, transportation, and energy for humans, animals, and plants.
He identified industrial waste, poor sewage management, and agricultural runoff as the major causes of river pollution in the country.
“Through rivers, we get our drinking water, support agriculture through irrigation, and sustain fisheries,” he said. “They also generate hydropower, support biodiversity, and serve as cultural symbols — such as in the Argungu Fishing Festival.”
Awoniyi, an instructor and environmental scientist at LNRBA, lamented that the livelihoods depending on rivers were under serious threat, warning that continued neglect could endanger human survival.
He defined pollution as the introduction of harmful or excessive substances into the environment faster than it can naturally disperse or decompose, resulting in damaging effects on ecosystems and human health.
“When industrial waste, sewage, chemicals, and plastics enter our rivers, they become polluted — and the consequences are better imagined,” he said.
Citing the Asa River in Ilorin as an example, Awoniyi noted that it serves as a confluence for other rivers and streams and is a tributary of the River Niger. “Research has shown bacteriological contamination, high faecal coliform counts, and elevated physicochemical parameters downstream of urban and industrial discharges,” he added.
The environmentalist appealed to residents to stop dumping refuse into gutters and channeling sewage into rivers, urging community participation in cleanup and conservation efforts.
“Whatever you do to the rivers has a way of coming back to you,” he warned. “Let us plant trees along riverbanks, remove plastics and waste, and raise awareness through community education and advocacy.”
