Abdullahi Ganduje, former Kano State Governor, urged regional leaders at the 5th Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum in Maiduguri, northeastern Nigeria, to refocus on the organization’s core mandate restoring the shrinking lake—while continuing efforts in security and peacebuilding.

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

Ganduje, who now chairs Nigeria’s ruling political party, served as the eighth Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC). He recalled the vision of the commission’s founders, who sought to combat the lake’s decline through inter-basin water transfer. Stressing the need for renewed advocacy and investment in the long-proposed transfer from Cameroon’s Mbange River, he acknowledged the project’s funding challenges but insisted on its critical importance.

He also proposed exploring additional sources, such as Nigeria’s Benue, Gongola, and Kaduna rivers, to develop a more comprehensive water restoration strategy.

While expressing gratitude to international partners—including the UNDP, Germany, the UK, Sweden, and the Netherlands—for supporting the region’s stabilisation efforts, Ganduje urged leaders to place the lake’s environmental crisis on their agenda.

“We must not forget the vision of the LCBC’s founders,” Ganduje noted during a remark to close the three-day forum, leaving attendees with a renewed sense of urgency to address the security and environmental challenges facing the Lake Chad Basin.

Lake Chad leaders outline next steps

At the end of the forum, a communiqué was issued, highlighting the region’s progress, challenges, and commitments. The governors acknowledged achievements under the Regional Stabilisation Strategy (RS-SRR) and praised the efforts of regional governments, institutions, and partners. They welcomed the adjusted RS-SRR and urged its swift endorsement.

While noting progress in stabilisation, peace, and development, the communiqué stressed the need for stronger efforts to eliminate terrorist threats, reintegrate former combatants, and address the ongoing impact of climate change, poverty, and humanitarian crises.

The suspension of donor support for Niger’s RSF window emerged as a serious concern in the communiqué. Looking ahead, the governors pledged to strengthen the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), secure Lake Chad’s islands, combat illicit activities, enhance climate resilience, engage vulnerable populations, and expand cross-border trade and infrastructure.

They noted that mobilising resources through the SMDF and NFF will be key to translating these commitments into tangible progress for the Lake Chad Basin.

The forum also agreed that the next meeting will be hosted in Niger Republic, with Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni taking over as chair from Ms Ildjima Abdraman, Governor of Hadjer Lamis Province in Chad.