The Nigeria Country Director, World Bank, Ndiame Diop has said that the State of Nigeria’s Water, Sanitation and Hygien, WASH, are emergency situations just as the federal government has expressed deep concern over the slow pace of implementation of the $700 million Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene, SURWASH, programme. The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof Joseph Utsev, expressed the concern based on the implementation of the Programme in seven States; Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, and Plateau, during the High-Level Advocacy meeting with the seven State Governors in Abuja. Utsev said the essence of the meeting was basically to assess progress and urge the seven State Governors to ensure the programme meets its objectives. According to the Minister, the SURWASH programme is in its third year of a six-year initiative, despite that it is yet to be implemented as expected based on disbursements made to that effect, which he asserted that the snail progress is traceable to poor understanding of the about the programme, hence the worrisome state of the programme.
Meanwhile the World Bank country director said “It doesn’t reflect the ambition of Nigeria; as a big family here, we should be candid about the fact.” According to Diop, Nigeria invests an average of only 0.32 per cent of its GDP annually in WASH services, which is abysmally below the African average of 0.7 per cent, he also added at least 1.3 per cent of GDP is required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which Nigeria is lagging far behind to achieve. The World Bank Country Director made it known that about 60 million Nigerians lack access to basic drinking water services, while 80 million Nigerians fail to have adequate WASH facilities to boost their health, while 167 million Nigerians lack access to basic sanitation, and around 48 million Nigerians still practice open defecation. He further stated that eight per cent of the population engages in safe hygiene practices, and just 10 per cent have access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
However, Utsev has expressed optimism that the seven governors will be committed when they are given adequate support and guidance, and the implementation of the programme would be accelerated. The Minister disclosed plans to visit the seven participating states for on the spot assessment of progress, then give guidance, and also invite additional states to join the programme in order to expand its impact. The Country Director, World Bank, Ndiame Diop, described the State of Nigeria’s Water, Sanitation and Hygien, WASH, as emergency situation, “It doesn’t reflect the ambition of Nigeria; as a big family here, we should be candid about the fact.” According to Diop, Nigeria invests an average of only 0.32 per cent of its GDP annually in WASH services, which is abysmally below the African average of 0.7 per cent, he also added at least 1.3 per cent of GDP is required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which Nigeria is lagging far behind to achieve. The World Bank Country Director made it known that about 60 million Nigerians lack access to basic drinking water services, while 80 million Nigerians fail to have adequate WASH facilities to boost their health, while 167 million Nigerians lack access to basic sanitation, and around 48 million Nigerians still practice open defecation. He further said that eight per cent of the population engages in safe hygiene practices, and just 10 per cent have access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, said for the past two years, the SURWASH Programme is currently at about 40 per cent completion, falling short of the expected 70-80 per cent, and added that slow progress recorded is due to a lack of clarity among State governments about their roles. He also called for the continuous collaboration between the Ministry of Water Resources and sanitation, the World Bank, and the States to ensure effective resource utilisation in order to bridge the gap. According to the Governor, his State has a procurement plan worth N20 billion, of which N15 billion is currently available. He said: “An additional N5 billion is expected to be secured by the end of the year to support the project’s completion. For 2025, the state has allocated $50 billion in its budget for further initiatives.” noted the importance of addressing water supply and hygiene issues to reduce hospital admissions and improve public health. He said over the past two years, the project has seen only about 40 per cent completion, falling short of the expected 70-80 per cent. The governor attributed this slow progress to a lack of clarity among state governments about their roles and programme benefits. Radda stressed the need for continuous collaboration between the Ministry of Water Resources and sanitation, the World Bank, and the states to ensure effective resource utilisation. Radda said that Katsina State has a procurement plan worth N20 billion, of which N15 billion is currently available. “An additional N5 billion is expected to be secured by the end of the year to support the project’s completion. For 2025, the state has allocated $50 billion in its budget for further initiatives”.
