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Report links drying Lake Chad to insurgency as Nigeria, Niger Rep parley over insecurity

By Joke Falaju and Chuka Odittah Abuja
14 August 2015   |   1:12 am
The dwindling of the Lake Chad has been identified as one of the causal factors of insurgency in the North Eastern part of the country, an audit report has stated.
PHOTO: en.wikipedia.org

PHOTO: en.wikipedia.org

The dwindling of the Lake Chad has been identified as one of the causal factors of insurgency in the North Eastern part of the country, an audit report has stated.

The report jointly done by Cameroun, Chad, and Niger Republic on the drying up of Lake Chad disclosed that the lake that use to be 25,000 sq.km in 1960 had shrunk to about 1,500sq.km as at present.

The report made available to newsmen in Abuja said there is a strong correlation between shrinking Lake Chad and insecurity in the North East of Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Nigeria and Niger Republic under the Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission for Cooperation, yesterday in Abuja held bilateral talks in respect of nagging challenge of insecurity faced by the two countries, as well as ways to bolster transit trade for both countries.

Speaking yesterday at the opening of the two-day event with the theme “Promoting Transit Trade for Greater Economic Integration of Landlocked Countries, Head of Service of the Federation Danladi Kifasi said the initiative to hold the knowledge sharing forum in Nigeria was championed by former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, in the wake of incessant insecurity posed by extremist Islamic group, Boko Haram.

Auditor General of the Federation Mr. Samuel Ukura, while stressing the need to save Lake Chad from extinction said, we know the importance of water in that part of the region, we have farmers, fishermen, and they have been using it the for their various activities.

“Where there is water is in Cameroun or Chad. Our farmers will have to go to Cameroun or Chad to carry out their activities, of course you know the consequences of this. Lake Chad is drying up and it has to be saved.”

Ukura maintained that over 30million people that get their source of livelihood from the Lake through, farming and fishing activities are now jobless and has been displaced, hence the need to find other means of survival.

The AGF has disclosed that $14.6billion is needed to recharge the Shrinking Lake, the fund is for transfer of water from river Bangui in Central African Republic to the Chad Basin.

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