Lagging Water Resources Bill: Moving from inertia to address pressing amenity demands

Nigeria appears to have suffered depletion in the profile of social amenities over time. It appears that existing schemes which used to be enjoyed by citizens have, over the years, been distilled away by the force of wear and tear. It is apparent that the insensitive culture of poor posture to maintain sustainability, has borne unsavoury narratives for infrastructures in the Country. As would be lamented, the dilapidation of critical infrastructures have premised wobble conditions of depletion of social amenities, than development for conducive living. The waxing gaps have made conditions of living for the masses worsen over the years.

Among social amenities suffering from such erosion is the working of water schemes across the Country. As would be noted, availability of potable water has always been in record, a critical social amenity that citizens ought to enjoy. The unavailability of same, has led citizens to survive by self help via developing domestic water systems for themselves. With the erosion and crumbling of public portable water system, citizens across the Country have been known to resort to sourcing water through various alternative means. The gaps have led to the businesses of water supply and petty trade of water for domestic usage. At critical locations, consumption of unhealthy water has been the case, while in some localities, the lack has led to the populace resorting to unhygienic sources of water. The ripple effects have been cases of water borne diseases which have recorded huge losses for the Country.

The Country appears deeply to be suffering from a high rate of water-borne diseases owing to dilapidated infrastructure and inadequate investment in potable water.  In such communities plagued with inadequate or unavailability of potable water, the plight of citizens who without choice resort to unclean water unhealthy for consumption, has continued to heap up narratives of cholera outbreak across the Country. Nigeria’s North has been typical of this disease, among others. No less than 22 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, had recently recorded high rate of cholera outbreak. As of November 21, 2021, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) had disclosed that Nigeria had recorded a total of 3,566 deaths and 103,589 suspected cholera cases across 32 States of the Federation and the FCT – a 3.4 per cent Case Fatality Ratio. According to the NCDC, four States – Bauchi (19,470 cases); Jigawa (13,293 cases); Kano (12,116 cases); and Zamfara (11,918 cases) account for 55 per cent of all cumulative cases. Early December, the Centre had disclosed that Cholera had claimed more lives in Nigeria than the much alarming COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in 2021. The Director General, NCDC, Ifedayo Adetifa, in December had said the Country has recorded “a little more than 3,600” deaths from cholera in the last 11 months while the total fatalities recorded from coronavirus since 2020 when the index case was recorded still stood at 2,977, as at the 31st of November, 2021. Adetifa, in an interview on Channels Television morning programme – “Sunrise Daily,” while giving update on the Omicron COVID-19 variant found in Nigeria, had disclosed in December, that while cholera outbreaks were recorded in different States at different times, some of the States have had short outbreaks, while others have had protracted outbreaks. “We are dealing with some fresh outbreaks, there is a connection between this and the rainy season, for example. So when you’ve got the rains and areas with open defecation, and normal water sources are then flooded by rainwater and mixed and then you have a problem,” he had said. He had in his submission urged State authorities to invest in water and sanitation across the Federation.

The losses from water borne diseases have recently brought into bear the need to invest on water systems in the Country. While there has been recent approval for water projects, it is notable such are still infinitesimal to cater for demands of a teeming population.   Following Wednesday’s (22, December, 2021), Federal Executive Council meeting, it was disclosed that a sum of N3.51billion was approved by the Council for Water Resources projects. Making the development known to State House Correspondents after the  FEC meeting presided over by the President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja,  Minister of Water Resources, Sulaiman Adamu, had said his ministry obtained approval for the execution of two water projects in Gashua, Yobe State. According to him, the projects became expedient owing to rising spate of kidney diseases and kidney failure among people living in Gashua in the last few years. According to him,  both water projects were approved at the sum of N3.51bn. Giving the breakdown, he had said while one is to extend water supply service to Zango and Sabongeri Lamido, the other project is for an upgrade of existing waterworks. He was quoted: “Council today (Wednesday, 22, December, 2021) approved a memo for the execution of two contracts for Gashua Water Supply Project (phase 2) in Yobe State. For ‘Lot A’ is the sum of N1.27bn and ‘Lot B’ is the sum of N2.24bn. Essentially, one lot is for extension of the water-supply service to Zango and Sabongeri Lamido, comprising of battery, boreholes, submersible pump, solar panels and so on, and the other contract is for the upgrading of the existing waterworks, which also includes rehabilitation of some elevated tanks, provision of potable water treatment plants and a host of other ancillary-facilities. The contract is for 18 months and essentially, this contract was awarded to address the acute water supply situation in Gashua, which is well within the Sahelian region and also because in recent years there has been some prevalence of kidney diseases and kidney failures and a quick intervention were required so that we’ll be able to address this situation. In the interim, the National Water Resources Institute under my ministry is conducting an investigation as to why this high prevalence of kidney disease in the area. So, Council graciously approved these two contracts.”

Nigeria’s teeming population is threatened with a number of water-borne diseases as a result of poor water facilities. The gross deficits in the availability of portable water for consumption have put challenges of worsening health problems before the Country. Cholera outbreak as a health  emergency in the Country is avoidable. As much as such allocations by FEC are needed for intervention to change the prevailing narratives, the gross deficits make them inadequate with the pressing demands. Just as the demands for more virile infrastructures for an elaborate water system is paramount, the need to fortify the structures of monitoring mechanisms to ensure the emerging allocations for the slated projects are optimally utilised for the intended objectives, remain sacrosanct to eliminate the infiltration of human infractions and poor administrative mechanisms.

The significance of a healthy potable water system for public good has brought into bear demands emphasising the importance of same in mitigating the losses, discomfort and health challenges associated with resort to the unavailability of potable water and the resort to stressful and unhealthy water sources. On Thursday, 17th February, 2022, the Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, explaining why the Federal Government is insisting on the passage of the Water Resources bill, noted how such bill would benefit the masses and businesses. In effort to demystify the controversies around the bill, the Minister who spoke to journalists on  Thursday shortly after declaring open a two-day Sensitisation Workshop on the 2013 National Water Resources Master Plan and the Nigeria Accession to the UN Water Convention for Stakeholders in the North Central Geo-Political Zone including Taraba State, held in Makurdi, the Capital City of Benue State, said “the bill which is before the National Assembly is not a new document,” explaining that the bill contains all old existing laws regulating water resources in the Country with additional provisions.

“The only difference in the content is the inclusion of the activities of the Water Resources Commission. Though people have expressed their displeasure over the bill but the water bill is not harmful at all. If the bill is passed, there are so many things to gain from it. There are so many benefits attached to it. There are so many projections on water demand by Nigerians and it is through the development of the identified projects and programmes that we will be able to meet up with all the demands for water supply, hydro power generation, irrigation for food security, access to potable water and good hygiene. All these are part of the content of the bill. Part of the bill also says that domestic usage of water is free but using it for commercial purpose attracts fees. This will help us to maintain other infrastructure and meet the budgetary allocation on water. That is why the Ministry is pushing for the passage of the bill so as to ensure that we enjoy all benefits that are attached to it.

“Besides, even the private sector, when they come in and there is no legal instrument, they will not be happy to bring in their investment. Water development needs a lot of money and yearly appropriation will not be able to develop the infrastructure. So, the Ministry is not bringing anything that is contentious for the people to adopt. Right now, there is an ongoing review of the bill. We have engaged a consultant to look at the contentious issues that is in the masterplan and we will see the ones that are acceptable by all stakeholders. All stakeholders are being carried along – we have received reports from the Governors’ Forum. That report is with the consultant who is also harmonising whatever is being looked into by the National Assembly. By the time we come out with that, I think we will have a clean document and everybody will be happy that we have a water law for the development and management of water resources in Nigeria in an integrated manner,” the Minister represented by the Director Water Resources Planning and Technical Support Services in the Ministry, Mrs Alice Ojowu, said.

According to the Minister, the 2013 National Water Resources Master Plan developed by the Ministry in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperative Agency in 1995 had suffered slow implementation due to lack of political will, weak implementation structure poor justification for budgetary provision and appropriations leading to low implementation of identified projects.

The inertia demonstrated to water resources in the Country has left huge gaps behind in the provision of water schemes. For potable water, the citizens have largely been made to suffer the brunt. While the Federal Government recently have made certain approvals for certain projects, the percentage of what such would cover in the huge deficits of demands, is largely insignificant. Prioritising statutory instruments, such as those of the Water Resources bill, to institutionalise processes essential to building formative provisions along coordinated frmaworks, is sine qua non to have a working system to meet the teeming population demands. The importance of such bill to meet both commercial and domestic needs is significant to enhancing living standard of the people, in addition to vitalising economic demands. As would be observed, only a healthy population can drive an economy. Where a teeming population is largely challenged by poor living standards borne by lack of social amenities with health challenges, such as those associated with lack of portable water, the essence of such behemoth population is defeated economic wise. It is pertinent for the Government to work assiduously, deploying the necessary instruments and resources to make social amenities in the Country work.