Abdullahi Ganduje, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says stakeholders in the Lake Chad region should not lose focus on the threats posed by the Boko Haram terrorists.

 

Ganduje spoke in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, on Friday at the closing of the fifth Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum.

 

The forum was held between January 29 and 31 with the theme ‘Rebuilding the Lake Chad Basin: Consolidating gains, commitment to peace, cross-border cooperation, security, and sustainable development for a resilient community’.

 

The former governor of Kano also stressed the urgent need to address the shrinking Lake Chad Basin.

The lake is a vital water source for millions of people in countries like Chad, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Niger Republic.

 

NAN reports that Ganduje, a former executive secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), noted the need to address environmental challenges in the region.

 

He told participants at the forum of the vision of LCBC’s founders—Davao Baleo of Nigeria, Ahmed Ahijo of Cameroon, Amani Diori of Niger, and Tamba Lubai of Chad—who sought to address the shrinking of Lake Chad through inter-basin water transfer.

 

The APC chairman noted that security and peace-building efforts are vital, adding that recharging Lake Chad through water transfers from Cameroon’s Mbange River is equally crucial.

 

“While we focus on the security threats posed by Boko Haram and other groups, we must not forget the importance of recharging Lake Chad,” Ganduje said.

 

He expressed gratitude to all development partners, especially the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the governments of Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), Sweden, and the Netherlands, for their financial support in implementing the regional stabilisation strategy.