Nigeria still has a “rather long way to go” in providing access to reliable water supply, says the country’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
This is despite the increase over years in percentages of urban and semi urban population with access to water supply.
Overall, more than half the population has effective urban water supply due to poor maintenance and unreliability of supplies.
Osinbajo spoke at the National Retreat on Revitalising Urban Water Supply and Sanitation in Abuja.
“There is hardly any need now to make the argument that water supply and sanitation has a multi-level impact on other sectors in the human development value chain, and ultimately on the larger paradigm of poverty and productivity,” he said.
“Thus by directly impacting key indicators in the health, education, agriculture/food, security, and environment sectors, water supply has a profound impact on the quality of life indicators and is a major determinant of productivity and poverty.”
He said the water sector should remain a primary focus of government policy and action.
Water and sanitation infrastructure are part of the government’s infrastructure development objectives.
Its newly launched Economic Recovery and Growth Plan and strategies for mainstreaming the Sustainable Development Goals also prioritize water and sanitation.
“But perhaps of the greatest moment for the water sector, are the well thought out and creative initiatives … aimed at transforming the water sector, and meeting all our national aspirations in this regards and all the SDGs,” said Osinbajo.
“Our country is vast, the rate and pace of urbanization is alarming, swift action, creativity and synergy on the part of governments at all levels is imperative to bridge the demand-supply gap in the urban areas in particular,” he noted.
“The times we are in are both challenging and full of opportunities. Global best practices are more readily available now than ever before, and the vibrancy of thought and action we have seen from the Ministry [of water resources] and the water family generally already show a willingness to think outside the box.”
