The Federal Government has called for integrated management of Nigeria’s rivers, forests, wetlands and watersheds to safeguard water resources, public health and livelihoods.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof.

Joseph Utsev, made the call on Monday in Abuja at the commemoration of the 2026 World Rivers Day.

Utsev said sustainable water resources management required coordinated action by governments, communities, traditional institutions, the private sector, development partners and civil society.

He said the theme of the celebration, “No Forests, No Rivers, No Water, No Life,” underscored the interdependence between healthy ecosystems and sustainable water resources.

According to him, rivers support agriculture, food production, domestic and industrial water supply, fisheries, biodiversity, livelihoods and economic development.

He said forests, wetlands, floodplains and groundwater recharge areas helped protect river sources and regulate water flow, adding that their degradation threatened rivers and communities that depended on them.

Utsev said Nigeria’s rivers, including the Niger and Benue, as well as streams, wetlands and tributaries, constituted a shared national heritage requiring collective protection.

He identified population growth, urbanisation, untreated wastewater, indiscriminate dumping, agricultural runoff, erosion and sand mining among pressures threatening the country’s rivers.

The minister added that climate change, changing rainfall patterns, flooding and drought were compounding the challenges, requiring integrated management of watersheds and water resources.

He said the ministry was strengthening its capacity to collect, analyse and use data on rainfall, river flows, groundwater and water quality to support evidence-based water management.

Utsev said sanitation was central to river protection, noting that untreated sewage and wastewater could contaminate water sources, threaten public health, affect livelihoods and compromise water supplies.

He said 179 Local Government Areas had been validated as Open Defecation Free under the Clean Nigeria Campaign, while more than 5,238 public sanitation facilities had been supported nationwide.

“These achievements reflect our commitment to keeping human waste out of our drains, streams and rivers,” he said.

The minister urged Nigerians to stop open defecation and indiscriminate dumping of refuse, plastics and effluents into drains, streams and rivers.

He also called for conservation of forests and wetlands, responsible wastewater management, efficient water use and stronger collaboration among stakeholders.

Utsev said the government was identifying dams requiring rehabilitation and locations for new ones as part of measures to manage excess water and mitigate flooding.

He said the government was exploring private-sector participation in dam construction and rehabilitation, stressing that the government alone could not undertake all the required projects.

The minister said the ministry was also engaging relevant state governments on water-resource management, including discussions with Kebbi on measures to manage water from the Lagdo Dam.

He urged young Nigerians to deploy education, technology, entrepreneurship and community action to tackle plastic pollution, open defecation, wastewater management and ecosystem degradation.

Utsev called on the media to sustain public awareness on the relationship between forests, rivers, water and sanitation, saying behavioural change was essential to protecting water resources.

He said the Federal Government would continue to strengthen policies, institutions and programmes aimed at sustainable water resources management and improved sanitation services nationwide.

Earlier, Ali Dallah, Director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said the choice of Wupa River as the venue provided an opportunity to demonstrate the need to protect and restore water bodies.

Dallah said activities for the celebration, including public enlightenment, environmental awareness and stakeholder engagement, were designed to encourage practical action to protect rivers.

He said Nigerian rivers faced pollution from domestic, industrial and agricultural activities, indiscriminate waste disposal, deforestation, erosion and uncontrolled development along river corridors.

According to him, the challenges had implications for water quality, public health, agriculture, biodiversity and the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians dependent on water resources.

Dallah said healthy forests and watersheds helped regulate water flows, reduce soil erosion, protect water quality, support groundwater recharge and maintain aquatic ecosystems.

He urged communities, institutions, businesses and individuals to support government efforts by preventing pollution, protecting watersheds and forests and promoting responsible waste management.

World Rivers Day is observed annually on the fourth Sunday of September to raise awareness of the importance of rivers and promote their conservation and sustainable management.

The event has grown into an international observance involving communities in more than 100 countries through activities such as river clean-ups, restoration projects, educational programmes and community events. (NAN)

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening local pharmaceutical manufacturing as a strategic pathway to achieving medicine security, healthcare resilience and sustainable economic development in Nigeria and across Africa.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr.

Iziaq Adekunle Salako, stated this on Monday, while declaring open the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo (NPME), organised by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN), at Harbour Point Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Salako said the disruptions experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the global healthcare financing landscape had reinforced the need for Nigeria and Africa to develop stronger domestic capacity to produce medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and other critical health technologies.

 “Our conversation can no longer be limited to whether we can access medicines when global supply chains are functioning. The more fundamental question is whether we can produce what our people need when those supply chains are disrupted. Medicine security is therefore not simply a health-sector objective; it is an issue of national resilience and sovereignty,” he said.

The Minister said the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had introduced strategic interventions, including the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) and the Presidential Executive Order for Pharmaceutical and Allied Sectors, to revitalise local manufacturing and strengthen the health value chain.

He disclosed that PVAC had secured commitments of about US$2 billion at single-digit interest rates, with about 50 Nigerian health firms in advanced funding discussions, while the initiative targets at least 70 per cent local production of essential healthcare products by 2030.

He added that 87 local manufacturers were benefiting from the implementation of the Presidential Executive Order providing zero tariffs on pharmaceutical machinery, APIs and excipients across almost 1,000 Harmonised System codes, re-emphasizing that the Order provides fiscal and non-fiscal measures, including tariff relief and market-shaping mechanisms, to support local production.

Salako further highlighted ongoing efforts to expand local production of APIs, vaccines, biologics, diagnostics and other health commodities, including the operationalisation of the NIPRD API Capacity Building and Concept Production Centre, development of commercial API manufacturing capacity, and initiatives to localise the production of HIV, Hepatitis and Syphilis diagnostic products.

The Minister called for greater investment in research and development, particularly in harnessing Nigeria’s rich phytomedicinal resources. “Localization must not mean simply importing the active ingredients, packaging materials and technologies and assembling the final product here. We must progressively build capacity across the entire value chain—from research and raw materials to formulation, quality assurance, manufacturing, packaging and distribution. That is how localization becomes genuine capability,” the Minister stated.

He said the establishment of Medipool, Nigeria’s national Group Purchasing Organisation for essential medicines and medical commodities, would help create predictable and large-scale demand for domestic manufacturers by aggregating procurement, negotiating bulk purchases and improving supply-chain efficiency.

Salako urged pharmaceutical manufacturers, researchers, investors and development partners to embrace regional manufacturing and leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area to expand markets and strengthen competitiveness, stressing that the success of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical transformation would depend on sustained investment, innovation, regulatory alignment and market integration.

“We must move from dependency to capability, from fragmented markets to regional scale, and from localization to genuine African pharmaceutical sovereignty. Our health security will be built not only in hospitals and laboratories, but also in our factories, universities, research centres, supply chains and investment decisions,” he said.

Declaring the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo open, with the theme of the Expo “Regional Manufacturing: Advancing Africa’s Pharma and Life-Science Sovereignty through Localization.” the Minister, expressed confidence that sustained collaboration among stakeholders would contribute significantly to achieving medicine security, strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare value chain and building a more resilient pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem for Nigeria and Africa.

From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

Amid tears and wailing, the remains of Late Deputy Editor-in-chief of DAILY ASSET Newspaper, John Danusa Ocholi has been laid to rest at his country home, Aloekegbe Egume in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi state.

Ocholi, a veteran Sports journalist died recently following a protracted illness and was buried according to Christian rites by the Living Faith Church, Egume, on Monday, pulling relations, friends and people from all walks of life to pay him the last respect.

The Leading Officiating Minister and Zonal Pastor of the Living Faith Church, Egume, Stephen Kurah, in his Sermon at the funeral mass, described death as inevitable which comes at God’s appointed time irrespective of human status or position.

“Time to die is also beyond human power and remains unknown

Pastor Kurah said that “we as human beings are nothing but dust stressing that God is our Creator and him alone we suppose to serve

“We should therefore, strive to know God and go by his ways of living in peace with one another irrespective of our differences in life” he advised

The Clergy also admonished members of the family of the deceased to embrace prayers as it is the surrest way that would enable them bear the loss of their departed father

He noted that prayers is the only answer to the family’s spiritual callings and it changes things even in the time of difficulties in life struggle or in the face of all odds.

He said that with prayers God will certainly rescue the family members against evil forces

The Publisher of Daily Asset Newspaper, Dr. Cletus Akwaya in his tribute on behalf of the management and staff of the company, described his late Deputy Editor-in-chief, John Danusa Ocholi as a very dedicated staff whose contributions to the growth of the Newspaper remains second to none.

Represented at the funeral by the Director of Administration of the Newspaper House, Shehu Aliyu, the Publisher said that Ocholi was the pioneer Editor of the Asset Newspaper, who did quite a lot to take the paper off ground from inception and remained steadfast through difficult times in the bid to nurture the paper maturity.

“We are grateful to God for the gift of Ocholi, who was a team player, motivator and mentor, always full of smiles to reduce tension in times of difficulties

“We pray God to forgive him his sins and grant members of his family whom he left behind the fortitude to bear the loss”

Surviving wife of the deceased, Elizabeth Ocholi in her tribute, extolled the virtues of her late husband, John Danusa Ocholi who she said lived a fulfilled life interm of care for his immediate family and those around him while on earth

She also expressed satisfaction that her husband made his mark in his professional callings in journalism practice over decades especially as Sports Journalist

“Losing my husband has left a space in my heart that no one can ever fill except God Almighty” she said.

The first son of the deceased, David Ocholi on behalf of his siblings described their father as very lovely and generous.

He praised their father for adequately taking care of them before God called him into his vineyard.

“We strongly believe that he is with God in heaven and prayed for God’s mercy upon him as well as granting us the fortitude to bear his loss” David prayed.