Could you give us an overview on the Lake Chad Basin Commission as it has not been in public domain very recently and also in view of its connectivity with citizens of some West African countries?
Basically, the lake is a common asset for neighbouring countries. Water being a necessity for life to thrive and throughout history bodies of water have been central in human settlement decisions. The lake by its uniqueness and geography is a meeting ground for people from Libya, Niger, Ghana, Mali, Cameroon and Nigeria. They come to fish in it, while some of them have settled and brought their families with them. It is truly a melting pot of cultures and civilizations.
Not much has been heard about the commission, what is really going on?
The work of the Lake Chad Basin Commission is about harnessing human and institutional resources in addressing regional integration, preservation of ecosystems and the development of the region away from the fixation on Boko Haram and insecurity. I speak as a Chadian who is feeling the impact. We are heading towards becoming one people, one human institution pulling our strengths together to address our challenges. There is a lot to be done to address environmental degradation and climate change impact.
Can you give us some historical perspective on the challenges?
The impact of the 1973 and 1984 droughts was severe because it was agrarian communities and economies that we had. The current challenges can be traced to those occurrences, from anthropological and sociological points the whole system was re-ordered. It altered the environment and led to loss of livelihood which resulted in mass migration and population explosion of Maiduguri, N’djamena and Niamey. Shanty towns were created without social amenities and schools. Some people sent off their children for Islamic schooling called Sangaya in the Kanuri areas. They graduated without productive skills to support them financially. Others were completely unschooled, both categories could not fit into urban life. Some became beggars and others were stuck with their malams. A cycle of poverty was established because they could not properly cater for their children. There was no government support and programme to support and properly integrate the displaced people and their children; government intervention could have altered the outcome of their lives and the history of the area. We are in the third generation now and a cycle of poverty has been established. This is the remote cause of the persisting insecurity in the region. There is also the traditional tension that exists between the settlers and the people they met living in the settlements.
This is the third Annual Conference of the Lake Chad Basin. How far-reaching have the previous resolutions been?
The challenges faced by member nations are unique although they emanate from the use of this body of water and its resources. Together with the commission, Chad is adapting the previous solutions to our peculiar needs and it is yielding results. The countries should also leverage the opportunities that technological advancement offers. Chadians have shown enthusiasm and the whole region has awakened to the idea of the home-grown solution. This is a great leap and people have shown enthusiasm. Nigeria is the driving force of the initiative, it has the critical phase, institutional capacity and manpower to transform the Lake Chad basin. Humanitarian intervention should be a stop-gap but not be made a perpetual policy. People in this region are ready and able to help themselves.
How much have Chadian citizens keyed into the resolutions, in their farming and fishing endeavours?
We widened the attendance to traditional chiefs, youth and women organizations in farming, fishing and other businesses, they will take the message home to their members. We are also supporting media advocacy to reach a wider audience. Fortunately, the discussions are very much in line with our national development plans, and Chadian citizens will not find it hard to adapt.
Are you satisfied with the outcome of the conference?
I am absolutely satisfied. The topics were exhaustive, the experts invited were knowledgeable and the discussions were engaging. We exceeded the time by one and a half hours, because of the valuable contribution of members of that session.
There is misunderstanding about the state of the lake. Some say it is receding, while others say it is not. What is the true situation?
So far upstream (the Ubangi River of the Congo) which is the source of supply, it continues to flow at the same current so the recession is not natural but man-made. The oldest measurement of (the downstream) Lake Chad is 375,000 square kilometres, it went down to 30,000 square kilometres, then 75,000 square kilometres, 7,000 square kilometres, and it is now about 4,000 square kilometres. Things are improving with more conciseness, but there is the distortion of the natural environment. The size of the lake is challenged by pressure inside and around it. Besides fishing and other outright use of the lake, there is also the increasing human settlement downstream which is stretching and carrying capacity of the environment. Without the right sets of policies, population explosion and over-exploitation can deepen the crises of environmental degradation of water resources, and pastoral and agricultural lands. Mobility and traction are issues to deal with too.