The Sokoto River at Argungu, once a value custom in Kebbi State, is vanishing before our eyes. What used to be a flourishing ecosystem, a livelihood for fishermen, and the stage for one of Nigeria’s most iconic cultural festivals, is now reduced to shallow waters and fading memories. This is a local tragedy and a warning to the nation.
Climate change and unchecked human activity are colliding in ways we can no longer afford to ignore. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and advancing desertification are robbing the river of its vitality. Add to that overfishing, irrigation demands, and poor watershed management, and you have a pathway to ecological collapse. If action is not taken, the Argungu Fishing Festival which used to be a global showcase of Nigeria’s culture and atrength, may become history.
When rivers dry up, communities are forced to abandon centuries-old traditions. Livelihoods are destroyed. Young people, seeing no future at home, migrate to already overcrowded cities. So, this does not just affect the fish but also the culture, survival and security of the Argungu people. A shrinking river is not only an environmental crisis, it is a social and cultural one.
What then must be done?
First, policymakers must stop treating climate change as an abstract global debate. Its effects are here, lapping at our shores and drying our rivers. Nigeria needs stronger climate adaptation policies, backed by local funding, not just donor handouts. River restoration projects, reforestation drives, and sustainable land use policies should be prioritized as matters of national security.
Second, cultural institutions must step up. Festivals like Argungu are goes beyond entertainment; they are powerful platforms for advocacy. Imagine if every performance, every drumbeat, every oriki at such events carried a message of climate awareness and stewardship. Culture should not just reflect identity of people but should also protect it.
Finally, communities themselves must be included in the solution. Local fishermen, farmers, and women who depend daily on these waters hold invaluable knowledge of how the ecosystem has shifted over time. Their voices should shape any intervention. Climate policy imposed from Abuja without grassroots consultation is doomed to fail.
The truth is stark: if we allow the Sokoto River to disappear, we are complicit in erasing not just an ecosystem, but a heritage. Argungu town is a cultural beacon. To let its river vanish is equivalent to letting a piece of Nigeria’s soul vanish with it.
The shrinking river in Argungu should awaken us all. Nature is telling us what the future holds if we remain passive. The question is, will we listen?
Reference
“Nigeria fishing river reels from changing climate” — The Guardian (AFP), 8 May 2025. (guardian.ng)
