Abuja: Stakeholders in the environment sector have urged the Federal Government to designate Katampe Hill and Waterfalls as a National Park. The Former Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, and other environmentalists made the call during the official unveiling of the ‘Where Rivers Are Born’ – Save Katampe Hill and Waterfalls, Restoration and Legal Personhood Campaign in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the event was organised by the Foundation for the Conservation of Nigerian Rivers (FCNR) in partnership with the Earth Law Centre, USA-Africa Programme, and other environmental stakeholders. Afolabi, represented by Bayero Kasim, a former director in the Ministry of Environment, described the move as vital to preserving Nigeria’s environmental heritage, promoting sustainable tourism, and ensuring long-term water security for surrounding communities.
Afolabi highlighted that Katampe Hill and its waterfalls are more than just topographical features; they are sacred birthplaces of rivers that sustain ecosystems, communities, and cultures. He emphasized that designating Katampe as a National Park would not only protect its fragile ecosystem from encroachment and degradation but would also create new opportunities for environmental education and scientific research, contributing to Nigeria’s sustainable economic development.
The campaign aims to combine ecological restoration with legal advocacy, including the push for legal personhood for Katampe Mountain and its surrounding ecosystems. This concept, gaining recognition worldwide, allows rivers, forests, and mountains rights to exist, flourish, and be protected under the law.
Mr. Irikefe Dafe, Executive Director of the Foundation for the Conservation of Nigerian Rivers and Africa Lead, Earth Law Centre, stated that the initiative marks a new chapter in Nigeria’s environmental movement. He explained that it advocates for the legal recognition of rivers and freshwater ecosystems as living entities and seeks to reconnect people, especially youth, with rivers as sources of life and spirituality.
Dafe noted that the legal personhood campaign is supported by environmental lawyers, civil society organisations, and traditional custodians, aligning Nigeria with a growing international movement that includes countries such as Ecuador, New Zealand, India, and Uganda, where ecosystems have been granted legal rights.
He outlined the foundation’s commitment to landscape restoration, community education, legislative advocacy, and partnerships with government institutions, civil society, academia, and traditional leaders. He called for immediate action to prevent further degradation of the mountain, warning that the rivers and mountains citizens fail to protect today could become future tragedies.
In his remarks, Dr. Austin Maho, the Vice Chairman of the Katampe Residents Association, pledged the full support of residents for the campaign. Maho described the initiative as a timely intervention to halt years of encroachment and degradation around the mountain and assured the organisers of the continued synergy by the Katampe Residents Association.