The federal government has urged Nigerians to take responsibility as guardians of rivers. The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev gave the advice his speech at an event in commemoration of the 2025 World Rivers Day in Abuja. Speaking at the event with theme, ‘Clean Rivers, Healthy Communities,’ the minister noted that protecting the nation’s waterways was tantamount to safeguarding public health, food security and the economy.
Represented at the even by the permanent secretary of the ministry, Mr. Richard Pheelangwah, Utsev called on all stakeholders, including government, civil society, private sector, media, and indeed every Nigerian, to see themselves as guardians of the rivers. “Our rivers are not refuse dumps. Our rivers must not be polluted with sewage, effluents or open defecation. “Protecting our rivers is safeguarding ourselves, our health and our economy,” he said.
The minister said clean and healthy rivers were vital to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in food security, job creation and socio-economic wellbeing. Utsev disclosed that the federal government had advanced key interventions to protect rivers and improve sanitation.
These include the Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH), the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) programme, and the Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign. “So far, 21 states and 151 Local Government Areas have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF), with Jigawa State sustaining its record as the first ODF state in Nigeria,” he added.
He said the River Basin Development Authorities had intensified community-inclusive initiatives such as tree planting, catchment protection and small-scale irrigation schemes to safeguard riverbanks and boost food production. The minister also stressed the need for collaboration with states, local councils, civil society and the private sector to promote eco-friendly practices such as river clean-ups, pollution control and climate-smart sanitation.
In his welcome remarks, Pheelangwah, represented by the director of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, Mr. Moses Jo-Madugu, said rivers must be treated with respect and managed with care. “Rivers nurture ecosystems, sustain livelihoods and hold cultural values. Safeguarding them means securing human dignity, social wellbeing and ecological balance,” Pheelangwah said.
