With a challenge to stakeholders to prioritise ecosystem restoration and shared prosperity, the Nigerian Navy (NN) has celebrated this year’s World Lake Day.
It also called for the protection of lakes and other water bodies across the country.
Speaking on the theme ‘Revitalising our lakes, advancing ecosystem: Resilience and shared prosperity’, held at Bon Pearl Hotel, Jabi Lake, Commander, Naval Base Abuja, Commodore Oluseyi Oladipo, said the celebration was rooted in the Renewed Hope Agenda (RHA) of President Bola Tinubu.
He said the administration’s agenda mandated the strengthening of civilian assistance and outreach by the Armed Forces of Nigeria, as well as the integration of the military into the rehabilitation of the Lake Chad Basin ecosystem and other water bodies.
He noted that the base had held the maiden edition of the event at the same venue last year, describing this year’s celebration as part of the Navy’s civil-military cooperation outreach, which spans education, healthcare, infrastructure and the environment.
According to him, the event was designed to raise public awareness on the ecological importance of lakes and to encourage government policies that would protect water bodies from pollution, overuse and the effects of climate change, in the interest of the country’s water and food security.
He said the Navy was committed to maritime security in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea, in line with the vision of the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, to build a modern, agile and professional naval force.
The naval commander added that this responsibility extended to protecting internal waters, including lakes that support trade, transportation, food production and the blue economy. He listed the Jabi Lake and Usuma Dam as strategic water bodies within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that the base has prioritised for protection.
He commended the FCT Administration, sister services and other security agencies, as well as public and private sector partners, for their collaboration with the base in promoting security within Abuja and its environs.
Quoting the late Afrobeats icon, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, he said ‘water no get enemy,’ stressing the need to secure water resources and promote sustainable water management.