A coalition of civil society organisations has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the water sector and ensure broad public participation in developing plans to achieve universal access to clean water.
The call was made during the public presentation of a report titled Dry Taps: A Damning Verdict on the State of Water Utilities in Nigeria, held in Abuja to mark World Water Day 2025.
The report was based on fact-finding missions to water utilities in six states Enugu, Edo, Lagos, Oyo, Kogi, and Kano.
The investigations were conducted by the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), New Life Community Care Initiative (NELCCI), Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF), Ecumenical Water Network Africa (EWN-A), Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN), and the Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre (SERDEC), in collaboration with the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE).
The report highlighted several challenges plaguing the water sector, including deteriorating infrastructure, inadequate funding for water treatment, erratic power supply leading to high alternative energy costs, manpower shortages, and unpaid workers.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of RDI, Philip Jakpor, said: “The investigations we conducted exposed what is already in plain sight. Now we can lay the blame for the perilous state of water in Nigeria exactly where it should be.
“The government at the state and federal levels continues to vote money for the water sector, yet there is nothing to show that the funds are used for what they are meant for. It is a wicked strategy across the board to ultimately collapse the water utilities and pave the way for their privatisation.”
In his remarks, the Executive Director of EDEN, Barrister Chima Williams, accused state governments of paying lip service to water provision.
Similarly, the Executive Director of CFSF, Comrade Sani Baba, warned that continued neglect of the water sector could lead to a public health disaster of unimaginable proportions.
The coalition demanded that the federal and state governments reject all forms of water privatisation and commodification, uphold the human right to water, and ensure transparency and accountability in the management of water resources.
They also called for a probe into the billions of naira in loans secured for failed water projects across the country.
By Dare Akogun
