Boko Haram: FG Plans to Recharge Lake Chad at Estimated Cost of $15bn

• Water to be drawn from Congo basin

• Humanitarian situation in 11 IDP, 3 refugee camps, very critical

By Senator Iroegbu

The Federal Government has successfully conducted a feasibility study towards recharging the Lake Chad through inter-basin water transfer from Congo basin at an estimated cost of $15 billion.

This is part of the projects envisioned to transform the region into a more stable economic hub after the counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations against the Boko Haram terrorists in parts of the North-East.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, disclosed this at the weekend on the sidelines during the just-concluded 2nd Regional Security Summit in Abuja.

Onyema noted that even though the figure is a rough estimate, it is going to be executed under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement when it comes into force.

“We also have the issue of environment and economic activities. Also the issue of recharging the Lake Chad basin, which is extremely expensive. So we will be looking at financiers and the mechanism of Public Private Partnership (PPP).

“Yes, it’s a rough estimate and there is research that was done and the rough patch was that its going to cost $15bn,” he stated.

In the same vein, the Executive Secretary, Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), Engr. Sanusi Abdullahi, gave a few details about the planned inter-basin recharging of Lake Chad as part of grand post-conflict rebuilding projects in the region.

Abdullahi said that with the war on terror gradually entering the finish line, now is the time to aggressively turn attention to the implementation of development projects and programmes to facilitate the re-building of those critical areas in the North-East of Nigeria, the far North of Cameroun, the Lake region of Chad and the Diffa and Zinder regions of Niger affected by Boko Haram insurgencies as well as the Central African Republic’s war (CAR).

Also speaking, the Commander, Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Maj-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun, noted that the humanitarian situation within their area of operation remains very critical.

Currently, Adeosun said, there are 11 IDPs and three refugee camps within the MNJTF Area of Responsibility (AoR).

“They include Kolafata, Mora and Fotokol IDP Camps and Minawawo Refuegee Camp in Cameroun. Yokoua, Bagasola IDPs and Daressalam Refugee Camps in Chad, Baga and Kukawa IDP Camps in Nigeria, Jakimiya, Kablewa, Kangouri and Assagar IDP Camps and Assagar Refugee Camp in Niger,” he stated.

FURTHER DETAILS LATER