Tinubu vows to “recharge” Lake Chad if elected president in 2023

Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, says he would “recharge” the Lake Chad region to combat food insufficiency and cross-border terrorism if elected president.

“Each time we discuss the lack of food and the challenges of terrorism, we will talk about lake chad. Okay, let me assure you, if I am elected the president, I will recharge lake chad,” Mr Tinubu said at a campaign function on Tuesday. 

Observers have often noted how Lake Chad has shrunk to 10 per cent of its original size, giving rise to food insecurity and armed violence in the region.

Mr Tinubu, in his promise, reiterated President Mohammadu Buhari’s 2021 position where he advocated for water transfer from the Congo Basin to Lake Chad, to enable residents in the region to resume their normal lives. 

“It is imperative that there be water transfer to Lake Chad from the Congo Basin so that the people can resume their normal lives,” Mr Buhari said in 2021.

Mr Tinubu in his manifesto has also highlighted that the “rehabilitation of the Lake Chad Basin ecosystem and other subnational economic systems affected by violent groups” is a necessary measure towards curbing insecurity.