The Nigerian Navy has called on Nigerians to join the government and other related institutions in efforts to preserve the nation’s lakes.

Navy chief Idi Abbas made the call on Thursday at the World Lake Day celebration event organised by Naval Base, Abuja.

Mr Abbas said that effective cleaning and maintenance of Nigerian lakes requires the participation of the Nigerian people who are in first contact with the water bodies.

“We must recognise that the stewardship of our lakes is not just a responsibility of the government or a particular group, but a collective duty that requires the active participation of all. We must move forward towards shared prosperity, overcome identified challenges and prioritise sustainable management practices,” he said.

Mr Abbas noted that the lakes are a natural endowment with a profound impact on water and food security, power generation, and environmental sustainability, which imposes a huge responsibility on all to sustain them.

Mr Abbas revealed that Lake Chad had shrunk by approximately 90 per cent since 1963, adding that this had adversely affected the well-being of about 13 million people in the region, including employment, nutrition and sanitation.

He described the 2026 Lake Day celebration as a call to deliberate action to reduce pollution from agricultural runoff, industrial waste and domestic sewage.

The commander, Naval Base Abuja, Oluseyi Oladipo, host of the event, said that aside from the navy’s main purpose of highlighting the need to sustain lakes, the day marked a step forward in civil-military relations and trust of the navy.

According to Mr Oladipo, the development aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which mandates the strengthening of civilian assistance and the outreach arm of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

He said it also aimed to integrate the military into the rehabilitation of the Lake Chad Basin ecosystem and other water bodies.

He added that commemorating the day further demonstrated the importance of using the Nigerian Navy platform to educate the public, students, youths, and policymakers about the ecological significance of lakes.

The commodore said that the service had already engaged in a one-week cleaning of Lake Chad in commemoration of World Lake Day.

(NAN)