The Yobe River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in West Africa

West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...

 that flows into Lake Chad

Lake Chad

Lake Chad is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Africa, whose size has varied over the centuries. According to the Global Resource Information Database of the United Nations Environment Programme, it shrank as much as 95% from about 1963 to 1998; yet it also states that "the 2007 ...

 through Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

 and Niger

Niger

Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...

.
Its tributaries include the Hadejia River

Hadejia River

The Hadejia River is a river in northern Nigeria and is a tributary of the Yobe River .Among the cities and towns that lie on or near its banks are Hadejia and Nguru....

 and the Jama'are River

Jama'are River

The Jama'are River, also known as the Bunga River in its upper reaches, starts in the highlands near Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria and flows northeast through Bauchi State and Yobe State before joining the Hadejia River to form the Yobe River...

. The river forms a small part of the international border between Niger and Nigeria.

There are concerns about changes in the river flow, economy and ecology due to upstream dams, the largest at present being the Tiga Dam

Tiga Dam

The Tiga Dam is in Kano State in the Northeast of Nigeria, constructed in 1971-1974. It is a major reservoir on the Kano River, the main tributary of the Hadejia River. Water from the dam supplies the Kano River Irrigation Project as well as Kano City...

 in Kano State

Kano State

Kano State is a state located in North-Western Nigeria. Created on May 27, 1967 from part of the Northern Region, Kano state borders Katsina State to the north-west, Jigawa State to the north-east, Bauchi State to the south-east and Kaduna State to the south-west...

, with plans being discussed for the Kafin Zaki Dam

Kafin Zaki Dam

The Kafin Zaki Dam is a controversial project to build a reservoir on the Jama'are River in Bauchi State in the Northeast of Nigeria.-Proposed dam and reservoir:...

 in Bauchi State

Bauchi State

Bauchi State is a State in northern Nigeria. Its capital is the city of Bauchi. The state was formed in 1976 when the former North-Eastern State was broken up...

.