The residents of the Lake Chad region, expert react as the Chadian government plans to suspend an application for the lake’s world heritage status over oil exploration.
This was contain in a leaked document wrote to UNESCO by Chadian minister of tourism and culture asking UNESCO to postpone the process of registering Lake Chad on the world heritage list.
On this backdrop, Radio Ndarason International reporter in Maiduguri today interact with PHD. Dr. Khalifa Dikwa a well-known researcher in the region.
Khalifa while responding to questions from RNI said, the decision should be collective one by consulting Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon. He stated that oil exploration is not what really matters, noting that with the realities ground, the government should be very careful before taking further action.
The researcher also said, over 45 million people rely on the lake for livelihoods, particularly irrigation farming, fishing and an animal rearing, added oil explorations will denied the above mentioned opportunities to the people.
Dr Khalifa also expressed worries on the current fight against Boko Haram who are terrorizing the region. He added that, the recent decision has raised tension between the country (Chad) and the other member states, which if not amicably addressed, it will definitely affect the current war against Boko Haram/ ISWAP, because the insurgents may use this advantage to continue ravaging region.
The 57 years old Musa Bintube is a farmer from Marte local government of Borno State in the Lake Chad Region who depend on the Lake Chad for farming and rearing his animals. He expressed shocked when responding to our reporter on a phone interview, noting that the decision to explore oil will come with so many negative impacts on the environment.
Some youth interviewed describe the decision by the government of Chad to explore oil in the region as a well come development. According to them, will go a long way in addressing youth unemployment in the region.
In the other hand the Niger’s deputy director of wildlife, hunting parks and reserves Hamissou Halilou Mallam Garba said, the lake is a shared recourse, no country can do it alone, noting that this would be profoundly unfair.
