The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to revamping urban water supply nationwide to meet the international target of Sustainable Development Goals (sdgs) on Water For All by 2030.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo stated this in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the National Retreat on Revitalising Urban Water and Sanitation Sector in Nigeria.
Osinbajo, who launched the “Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Poverty Diagnostic Report during the occasion, noted the positive efforts being made by the water sector toward improving the living standards of Nigerians in both rural and urban areas.
He noted that clean potable water, in addition to adequate sanitation, were critical factors for socio-economic development in the country.
“The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, places priority on infrastructure development including those of water supply and sanitation towards ensuring better life for our people.
“In demonstrating this commitment, practical steps have been taken with the launching of Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) in April this year and the recent inauguration of the Presidential Council on sdgs,” he said.
According to him, as the country’s urban population continues to rise, recent indices for water supply and sanitation access calls on government at all levels to redouble their efforts and work in synergy towards meeting the nation’s water supply and sanitation demands.
The report, according to  him, gives an overview of the state of WASH services in the country, based on the number of data sources, desk reviews, and regional research to analyse service delivery in the country and assessment of the sector’s performance by the World Bank.
Reiterating the Federal Government’s pledge, the Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, said, “The council at the meeting noted with serious concern, state governments’ near neglect of provision of sustainable water supply and adequate sanitation to urban areas across the country.
According to Adamu, the retreat is one of the outcomes of the 24th regular meeting of the National Council on Water Resources (NCWR) held recently in Akure, Ondo State.
“The council resolved to hold a special retreat as soon as possible to fashion out appropriate solutions that could revitalise urban water supply and sanitation in the country.
The minister expressed displeasure over negligence by some states to take water supply and sanitation as a top priority in governance.
According to him, the constitution puts the responsibility of water supply and sanitation services on the three tiers of government following which the Federal Executive Council and the National Economic Council approved the National Water Supply and Sanitation Policy in 2000.
Adamu said the policy spelt out that the Federal Government should contribute 30 per cent to the water sector, the state governments 60 per cent, and the local government 10 per cent.
“It is worrisome to note that the laudable objectives of the policy have not been met 17 years down the line.
“The federal government has adopted several strategies in the past to implement the policy through counterpart funding of water supply projects, direct procurement and execution of projects or direct reimbursement of state expenses on agreed capital expenditure, but none have yielded the desired results.
“Access to pipe water on the premises in urban areas has declined from 32 per cent in 1990 to 7 per cent in 2015, ” he said.
Also, Mr Musa Ibrahim, Permanent Secretary, FMWR, observed was apt, coming at a time when the country’s urban water supply and sanitation sector faced serious challenges of widening supply-demand gap across the country.
Ibrahim noted that many urban dwellers had no access to potable water and adequate sanitation due to increase in the population as a result of rural-urban migration and dilapidated infrastructure.