A new report has revealed that the state of water utilities in select states in the country is in utter neglect and deliberately or negligently allowed to collapse and rot away.
The report conducted between 10-17 March, 2025 focussed on the state of infrastructure in the water utilities, the manpower needs and other issues militating against their optimal delivery to commemorate the 2025 World Water Day in Nigeria.
Though the scope of the research was limited only to six out of Nigeria’s 36 states, it deliberately captures the situation in at least one state per geographical zone, making it a sneak peek into the overall picture of access to water in the entire federation.
The report covers Lagos and Oyo in the South west, Enugu in the South East, Edo State in the Niger Delta, Kano in the North-West, as well as Kogi in North Central Nigeria.
The research was intended to understand the nature of the problems in the water utilities, to gauge the resilience of the existing facilities and to add to the pool of scattered information on the reason why our taps are not running.
The report titled, “Taps: A Damning Verdict On state of Water Utilities in Nigeria”, was conducted by Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF), the Ecumenical Water Network Africa (EWN-A), Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN), Socio-Economic Research and Development Centre (SERDEC) and New Life Community Care Initiative (NELCCI).
Speaking during the public presentation of the report, the General Secretary, AUPCTRE, Sikiru Waheed said the research was to ascertain if the water facilities in the select state were working optimally and delivering on their mandate.
He stated that the findings are meant to inspire the government to commit to addressing the looming threat to public health through sustainable public funding of water utilities and the improvement of the conditions of workers in the water sector.
The report indicated that from all the states visited, the discoveries are similar.
Waheed noted: “Utter neglect, facilities constructed and machines bought with tax-payers money running into billions of naira deliberately or negligently allowed them to collapse and rot away.
“In some cases like in Lagos and Kano the allure of privatisation by its administrators, would seem to be one of the reasons the facilities are allowed to die to pave way for privatisers to be onboarded.”
The report further recommended that the government should probe billions of Naira in loans for water schemes and strengthen public accountability in the management of water resources.
The report recommended that governments at federal and state levels should integrate broad public participation in formulating plans to achieve universal access.
It stated: “The Nigerian government should declare a state of emergency in the water sector. The federal and state governments should reject all forms of water privatisation and commodification.
“Federal and state governments should fully uphold the human right to water as an obligation of the government, representing the people.”
The report also recommended that governments at all levels should prioritise public funding for water infrastructure upgrades.
It also urged the government to improve electricity supply to the water utilities and equally invest in alternative energy sources such as windmills and solar technologies.
It said supply of treatment chemicals should be a priority in all states to maintain water quality, adding that current staff in the water utilities should be trained and motivated through enhanced pay, while technical personnel should also be recruited to enhance operational efficiency.