A university don has cautioned that human survival is at risk if rivers are not urgently protected and sustainably managed.
Delivering the 25th Inaugural Lecture of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, Professor Sheikh Danjuma Abubakar of the Department of Geography warned that the continued neglect and exploitation of rivers could trigger devastating consequences including flooding, displacement, waterborne diseases, and widespread socio-economic disruptions.
The lecture, titled “Social Relations of Rivers and Smart Sustainable River Management: A Serendipitous Journey of a Fluvial Geomorphologist”, highlighted the crucial role rivers play in shaping landscapes, regulating climate, and sustaining ecosystems.
“Fresh water is alarmingly scarce. Less than three percent of the Earth’s water is fresh, and most of it is locked in glaciers or deep underground. What remains accessible is vital to human life and must be managed wisely,” Abubakar said.
Tracing the evolution of fluvial geomorphology from the 19th century to the modern use of satellite imaging and modelling, he called for a paradigm shift from exploitation to stewardship. He urged Nigeria to adopt the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers into law, supported by community coalitions to ensure sustainable river management.
Professor Abubakar cited floods in Sokoto (2010), Lokoja (2022), Maiduguri (2024), and Mokwa (2025) as examples of the consequences of poor river management. “When rivers are poorly managed, they react and the consequences are devastating for communities, agriculture, and the environment,” he cautioned.
He recommended integrated water resources management, stricter policy enforcement, legal recognition of rivers’ rights, and greater regulation of companies and individuals whose activities threaten river systems.
In his opening address, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohammed Hadi Sulaiman urged Nigeria to embrace smarter, sustainable river management practices to mitigate the effects of climate change. He stressed that geography and other specialised research must move beyond theory to provide practical solutions.
“Research in areas of specialisation can yield geographical, economic, health, social, and political gains for a country. With climate change threatening our existence, geographers must connect the recommendations of their research to real-life challenges,” the Vice-Chancellor said.
The Chairman of the University’s Seminars and Conferences Committee, Professor Victor A. Kolawole, praised Professor Abubakar for his detailed presentation and thanked the university management for sustaining the inaugural lecture series.
The event was attended by dignitaries including Honourable Abdullahi Mahmud, Member representing Agaie/Lapai Federal Constituency, who pledged legislative support for environmental research, and Honourable Muhammed Sani Idris, Chairman of the Niger State House Committee on Education, who assured of stronger backing for scholarship and sustainable development.
The Emir of Agaie, Alhaji Yusuf Nuhu, described the lecture as “timely and socially relevant,” promising that traditional institutions would partner with academia in addressing flooding and land degradation.
In his vote of thanks, the Registrar, Alhaji Idris Saleh Kusherki, commended Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, the University Council, management, and guests for their unwavering support to IBBU Lapai.
