The Federal Government has designated the iconic River Ethiope as a National Park, the founder of the River Ethiope Trust Foundation (RETFON), Irikefe Dafe, has announced.

Dafe disclosed this development during the launch of the Antarctic Rights Initiative held at the source of the river in Umuaja, Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State.

River Ethiope, one of Africa’s cleanest freshwater bodies, originates in Umuaja and flows through five local councils before discharging into the Benin River and Atlantic Ocean.

He noted that once fully established, the River Ethiope National Park would become the only national freshwater park in Nigeria’s South-South geo-political zone.

Dafe explained that the river holds global ecological significance, stressing that its connection to the Antarctic means that environmental disruptions in one system can impact the other.

He further revealed that an executive bill will soon be presented to the Delta State House of Assembly to domesticate and enforce the rights of the river. “People should not take the river for granted. We should preserve it for generations yet unborn,” he said.

“River Ethiope will be the first river to have a human status. It will become a national freshwater park attracting people from all parts of the world to Umuaja.”

Responding on behalf of the Umuaja community, Godwin Anamali thanked RETFON for it’s over three decades of work in safeguarding the river and appealed that the community be included in the delegation to meet the government on the establishment and take-off of the park.

Also speaking, a former President-General of the community, Enegide Sunday, expressed the community’s readiness to partner with the foundation to achieve its conservation goals and commended RETFON for its sustained efforts.

The Antarctic Rights Initiative, led globally by the Wild Law Institute in South Africa, promotes the recognition of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean as a “living community” with legal rights, an approach rooted in the broader “Rights of Nature” framework, gaining traction worldwide.