Nigerian taxpayers have funded research for improved water resources for industrial and domestic usage to the tune of N6.3bn in the last three years.

The amount has been committed to water research and development by the ministry of water resources, under the supervision of the Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu.

Another N3.3bn approved for expenditure in the 2022 fiscal year raises the figure for research and development to N9.6bn investment for water sector research and development in the last four years,

These amounts are captured in the various national appropriation Acts of 2019, 2020 as amended and 2021, Tribune Online’s findings, revealed.

According to the appropriation documents, the ministry budgeted N3,235,820,188 in 2019. For its 2020 fiscal year, the budget as amended had N1,478,310,478, while its appropriation for 2021 was captured thus, N1,662,463,660, Nigerian Tribune findings indicated, the cumulative of these figures totalled N6,376,594,326.

Minister of finance, Zainab Ahmed in her separate presentations on the performance of the Nigerian budget stated that the 2021 capital budget performed by 83 per cent. The 2021 budget closed at the end of March 2022.

She also noted that the 2020 budget performed at 89% per cent while the 2019 budget performed by 86 per cent.

At its 2021 world water day, the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), submitted that “Sustainable and equitable access to safe drinking water remains a challenge in Nigeria, with over 86 per cent of Nigerians, lacking access to a safely managed drinking water source.

“The problem is compounded by poor drinking water quality and lack of equity in access,” the report stated.

It is reckoned that about 70 per cent of Nigerians are reported to have access to basic water services, and more than half of these water sources are contaminated.

“And, although 73% of the country’s population have access to a water source, only nine litres of water on average is available to a Nigerian, daily,” UNICEF said. This quantum of water supply was seven litres less than the daily need of a minimum of 16 litres of water per person.

Goal six of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG,) sought to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. The World has eight years left on this goal, and so is Nigeria.

In this regard, the global standard for water availability for its usage for a person has been put at 16 to 20 litres per day for multipurpose usage.

Nigeria Media Officer of the United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF), Geoffrey Njoku, told Tribune Online in a telephone interview, that daily water need was between “16 to 20 litres by international standard.

The federal government of Nigeria has also identified water as a major economic asset after its review of national policy on water resources. According to a document entitled: “Implementing Nigeria’s Water Policy” annual rainfall varies from over 4,000mm in the South-East to below 250mm in the extreme North-East and is subject to significant temporal variation.

“The total surface and groundwater resources potential of the country is estimated to be over a 250billion cubic meters.

The federal government document said: “Nigeria is not a water poor country as there is enough water resources for different needs, but Nigeria is ranked as an “economic water scarce country”, due to lack of investment and proper management to meet demand and guarantee equitable access.”

In pursuance of the policy to harvest the nation’s water resources with the aim to ensure improved clean and quality water availability to the population, three areas were considered for immediate action with the timeline. National Water Resources Policy, National Irrigation and Drainage Policy and the contentious National Water Resources Bill awaiting legislative passage and presidential assent. The bill has generated mixed reactions from the public who suspect FG control of the water asset and limiting access to other uses by Nigerians. The minister, Engr. Adamu Suleiman and his team have employed various communication strategies to make Nigerians buy into the bill’s passage.

The ministry of water resources said in the document sighted by Tribune Online that “In order to aid diversification of our economy, guarantee food security and create employment, the National Irrigation Development Programme was initiated under the Roadmap. The Programme is aimed to realise 500,000ha of irrigation farmland by 2030.

Implementation of the Programme is in three (3) phases as follows: Phase I covering the period 2016-2020 was to develop 100,000Ha; in Phase II to run between 2021-2025 the policy hoped to achieve the development of 175,000Ha while the programme in phase III would between 2026-2020 achieved another 225,000Ha

It was gathered that 96 per cent of the phase one target was attained “So far, 96,000Ha of irrigation have been developed as of 2021.” Recent data from the Ministry indicated that “ten (10) irrigation schemes were completed increasing the actual irrigated area from 70,000 Ha in 2015 to 138,000 Ha presently.”

The federal government, had also in the plan wanted the development of an additional 1,000,000Ha of irrigable land by the private sector and state Governments within the same period.

One area in which the Suleiman-led ministry of water resources would need to step up its effort was to look at the “Clean Nigeria Campaign.” The “Clean Nigerian Campaign,” began in 2019 at the return of President Muhammadu Buhari, to end the menace of open defecation which has swelled infections related to open defecation. The date of 2025 was set to rid Nigeria of the menace.

In his world toilet day speech, the Minister of Water Resources Engr. Suleiman Adamu said “An estimated 494 million people are practising open defecation globally of which 46 million are Nigerians which ranked us among the countries with the highest number of people involved in this act.

“The practice of open defecation due to non-availability of sanitation facilities is linked to sanitation-related diseases, poor educational outcomes and loss of productivity. Besides these is the lack of dignity, inconvenience and violence experienced by women and girls, when practising open defecation.

“To address this unfortunate situation and its negative implication on national development, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with stakeholders in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector has rolled out initiatives such as the development of a Roadmap towards making Nigeria Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2025, Partnership for Expanded Water, “Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) programme, the National WASH Action Plan to revitalize the sector and declaration of a state of emergency in the sector by the President.

“Also, the ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet’ Campaign was launched in 2019 by the Vice President to implement the National Open Defecation Free (ODF) Roadmap followed by the signing of Executive Order 009 by Mr President, to give effect to the Campaign,” Suleiman stated.

So far, the policy has revealed a low performance by its drivers, calling for a review to tweak the programme and strategies. Out of 774 local governments in the 36 states and the FCT, only 78 local governments are certified free of open defecation. It represented 9.3 per cent of the five-year target, while the programme was in its second year with 90.7 per cent more ground to cover.

Recent data obtained by Nigerian Tribune showed that 78 local governments are declared open defecation free in Nigeria. This data also showed that the progress is recorded in Katsina and Jigawa, the home states of President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Adamu Suleiman.

“Under Sanitation activities, 3,402 facilities were constructed in Institutions and Public places (markets, schools, motor parks, IDP camps etc). Also, a national survey conducted under the 2021 WASHNORM III reported national access to basic drinking water supply services at 67% and access to basic sanitation services stood at 46%, according to Director, Press and Publicity Kenechukwu Obiosu, the spokesperson of the ministry. (Nigerian Tribune)

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