Environment
World Population Threatens Sustainable Water Management
The Honourable Minister
of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, says world population would increase to 8.3 billion by 2030.
Mrs Ochekpe, who said this at the opening of the national consultation on water in the past 2015 Development Agenda in Abuja also said that land degradation, climate change, population growth and deforestation are capable of threatening sustainable management of water resources in the country.
According to her, this situation has placed pressure on water resources.
“Many water bodies in the country have been polluted at an alarming rate through illegal mining, poor farming practice and dumping of waste and effluents discharge from industries,” she said.
She said that these practice subsequently render the water bodies unsuitable for use.
Ochekpe, who was represented by Mr Effiong Bassey, Head Technical Support Services in the ministry, noted that world population would increase to 8.3 billion people by 2030.
The minister noted that feeding a world of over eight billion people would require a more efficient use of water and urged stakeholders to provide measures for improved management of water resources.
According to her, this is critical to promote water security, peace, stability and prosperity at local and national levels.
Also in his address, Mr Muslim Idris, a representative of the Global Water Partnership Nigeria, said the national consultation was convened given the importance of water to the actualisation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
“It has become critical that there is an insightful and informative debate on the role of water in the post-2015 development agenda,’’ he said.
In her address, Ms. Oualkacha Laila, a representative of the Africa Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW), called for the implementation of the different water commitments in the African region.
Laila cited the ‘Sham el Sheikh’ and ‘Africa Water Vision 2025’ as some of the commitments to be implemented.
She warned that if African governments failed to implement the protocols, it would pose major challenge for the sector.
“What we lack in Africa is implementation; the solution is there, we have a lot of commitments but we need to start implementing them.
“We should adapt the programmes to soothe the locality because what we need in Abuja in terms of water is different from the needs of Addis Ababa,’’ Laila said.
The workshop was aimed at obtaining views from countries on the post- 2015 development for water, to build awareness and examine the country’s relevance and applicability on a dedicated goal for water.
L-R: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mr Taye Haruna; Minister of Environment, Mrs Laurentia Mallam and Retired Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, during the inaugural meeting with officials of T.Y. Holdings Limited and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation on Private Sector Participation in the Management of National Parks in Nigeria in Abuja last Friday. Photo: NAN
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.
Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.
The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.
According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.
Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.
She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.
Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.
She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.
“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.
She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.
She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.
Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.
In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation
The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.
Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.
Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.
Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities
Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.
She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”
Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.
The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.
“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.
Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”
Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.