The Gombe State Commissioner for Water, Environment, and Forest Resources, Mohammed Fawu, on Tuesday called for collective action to safeguard Northern Nigeria’s water resources, warning that climate change, population growth, and poor land use continue to threaten livelihoods across the region.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the stakeholders’ engagement for the development of strategic catchment management plans for the Gongola, Gali-Lamurde, and Hawal-Kilunga basins.
Fawu described the initiative as a “blueprint for sustainable water management and resilience against environmental shocks.”
According to him, the engagement—supported by the World Bank-funded ACRESAL project—aims to create a practical framework that will strengthen basin-wide conservation efforts across Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, and Borno States.
He praised the Northern Governors’ Forum Chairman, Governor Muhammadu IYahaya, whom he referred to as the “Green Governor,” for spearheading bold environmental interventions, including the Gombe Goes Green (3G) initiative, which has planted over five million trees in five years.
“With the Federal Government’s target of restoring four million hectares of degraded land by 2030, Gombe State has positioned itself as a beacon of climate action,” the commissioner said, noting that ACRESAL interventions such as gully stabilisation, afforestation, and bioremediation are already reshaping degraded landscapes.
He acknowledged the Federal Ministry of Environment, ACRESAL National Project Coordinator Dr. Abdulhamid Umar, and the World Bank Task Team Leader Dr Joy Agene for their technical guidance in steering the initiative.
Fawu stressed that the outcome of the engagement would serve as a cornerstone for wetland management, climate finance access, and institutional capacity building, ensuring long-term environmental security for millions of people across Northern Nigeria.
“Today, we gather not just as stakeholders, but as stewards of a shared future,” he declared.
