Beware! River Niger Is Drying Up – Federal Government Warns Nigerians

Speaking to newsmen at the end of the 6th Annual
Meeting of African Organization of Supreme Audit
Institutions Working Group on Environmental Audit
(AFROSAI WGEA) yesterday in Abuja, the Acting
Auditor of the Federation, Mrs Florence Anyanwu,
has raised the alarm that River Niger is drying up.
Anyanwu disclosed that to save the river, the
Federal Government, along with countries bordering
the River Niger, has approved an environmental
audit of the river.
She said drying up of the river poses social,
environmental and economic treat to the
communities bordering the river.
“Talks are ongoing on the cooperative
environmental audit project on River Niger by Niger
Basin Authority consisting of Benin, Burkina Faso,
Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’ Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger
and Nigeria,” she said.
When completed, the environmental audit will
afford governments information they need to save
the river from further deterioration as well as ensure
its continued benefit to bordering communities.