EVOLUTION OF NIGERIA S WATER SECTOR DRIVING FORCES AND CONSTRAINTS A NIGERIAN PERSPECTIVE. By Professor Adebayo Adedeji

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1 EVOLUTION OF NIGERIA S WATER SECTOR DRIVING FORCES AND CONSTRAINTS A NIGERIAN PERSPECTIVE By Professor Adebayo Adedeji

2 Outline of Presentation Introduction Background setting Evolution of the water sector system 1914 to date Problems facing the sector Summary listing of constraints Driving forces (Negative & Positive Propelling Factors)

3 Introduction Acknowledgements Need for govt. to step up action in Poverty Alleviation Poverty level in Nigeria: ACDESS 1998 Human Development Report % (55 million) living below poverty level. World Bank (1993) -- 34% (34 million of the 1992 population) News media average figure -- 60% (72 million) Improvement in water supply -- key to alleviating poverty.

4 Background Setting Centrality of Adequate Water Supply to Life and Civilisation: Five basic human needs water, food, health, education, and peace & order. Water is a common denominator to at least 4 of these. Traditional ways of coping with problem of water: 3 main sources (now & then) River and pond; dug wells (unprotected & protected) & rainfall.

5 Background Setting(contd.) Distribution of Sources of Drinking Water (Based on FOS/UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, 1995) 12% 2%1% 19% Protected Well 9% 11% 17% 29% Unprotected well Pond Vendor Piped Public Tap Hand pump other

6 Background Setting (contd.) Disaggregation of the severity of potable water deprivation situation: Non-availability of adequate potable water adverse impact on economic & social empowerment - (health, welfare & productivity) National average on access to potable water -- 32% not representative of wide variations between states (Lagos - 78%, Kwara - 55%, Ogun - 52%, Taraba - 6%, Benue - 11%, Bauchi - 13%).

7 Background Setting (contd.) Well endowed country in water resources Existence of vast surface and ground water: Niger & Benue with their numerous tributatries; several other perennial rivers, e.g. Gongola, Hadehia-Jama are, Kaduna, Cross River, Sokoto, Ogun, Osun, and Imo; Total annual surface flow est. at between 193 x 10 and 315 x10 cubic metres; Volume of ground water also considerable in large sedimentary basins (which are shared basins); High rainfall in south, low in the north and extreme variability in the north; persistent drought in the north. Environmental degradation deforestation, fertiliser run-off and industrial effluents affects availability.

8 Evolution of the water sector system 1914 to date 1914 to date characterized by lack of coordination, and multiplicity of agencies responsible for water supply. Waterworks Act of 1915 (just after amalgamation in 1914). The Minerals Act and the Public Health Act; Two to three decades after 1914 Public water supply commenced in some towns Lagos, Calabar, Kano, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode and Enugu; (established by local Authorities). Calabar and Lagos (Native Administration).

9 Evolution of the water sector system 1914 to date(contd.) Regional government started assumed technical and financial responsibilities for new water schemes; Local authorities of the colonial era successful in providing essential local services compared with the elected local government of the era of regional self govt. Consequently regional govts. Transferred local govt. responsibilities to parastatals thus marked the advent of SWAs. The SWA era characterised by lack of funds to meet promised expansion, and unreliability.

10 Evolution of the water sector system 1914 to date 1976 creation of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR); estab. of RBDAs (Initially 11, later 12) National Water Resources Institute (NWRI) FMWR merged with Federal Ministry of Agriculture; Separated from Agriculture and resurfaced as a separate ministry in 1979; in 1984 merged again with Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Dev. In 1989 became a separate Ministry again (Characteristic of policy discontinuity of the military era. RBDAs suffered same fate 11 -> 18 -> 12.

11 Problems of the Sector Lack of Comprehensive Irrigation Policy: History of irrigation practice : Shaduf lift irrigation system possibly imported to NE Nigeria from North Africa around 700 AD; Because of lack of any comprehensive irrigation policy only 300,000 ha or less than 10% of arable land is under irrigation. Urgent need to increase irrigated land to 50% to 60% of arable land to meet increasing demand from the rapidly increasing population. Comprehensive irrigation policy necessary to increase the human-population carrying capacities per hectare.

12 Problems of the Sector Dams In total 149 dams in the country. 81 owned by the State Governments, 59 by the Federal and 9 by private companies Of these, 59 out of the 107 large dams are principally for irrigation 20 for hydropower Medium and small dams: 12 and 22 for water supply; 6 and 9 for irrigation

13 Problems of the Sector Water Supply Institutional Landscape very elaborate, and not effectively coordinated and harmonised. 5 levels Federal (FMWR, 12 RBDAs, NWRI, and PTF; State level - 36 SWAs and FCT Water Board; Local Govt. Level 774 LGAs; Private sector; Community; and Household level.

14 Problems of the Sector Shared water courses Rivers Niger and Benue, Cross River, Lake Chad, and the Lagoon system; Downstream of these shared basins; To jointly manage these shared basins with other co-riparians Nigeria entered into the following agreements : At the multinational level LCBC (May 1964), NBA ( Oct. 1964); At Bilateral level Nigeria-Niger Joint commission for cooperation; Nigeria-Benin Joint commission for cooperation; Nigeria-Cameroon Joint Commission.

15 Summary Listing of Other Constraints Lack of clear and coherent regulation; Lack of clear definitions of the functions and relationship of sector institutions; Lack of coordination; Dwindling funds; Dearth of data for planning and projections; Over-centralization; Lack of autonomy of water supply agencies; Common perception of water being a free good due to the politicising of water supply by govts.

16 Summary Listing of Other Constraints Lack of public awareness about water conservation; Erratic and inadequate power supply; Lack of accountability (pervasive corruption); Lack of technical & financial capacity to efficiently monitor distribution systems; Shortage of qualified, honest & transparent manpower; Lack of people-oriented and user friendly water resources management strategy.

17 Driving Forces : Negative Propelling Factors Demographic Factor Rapid urbanisation factor Environmental factor Transboundary waters factor (poor handling of transboundary waters)

18 Driving Forces : Negative Propelling Factors Demographic factors: Population million (1995 World Bank, 1997); (10 th most populous country in the world.) By 2025 projected pop. 232 (low variant) to 247 (high variant) million. Growth rates 2.85 (high variant), 2.70 (medium variant), 2.40 (low variant).

19 Driving Forces : Negative Propelling Factors Factor of Rapid Urbanisation: 1952 urban pop. 10% of the country pop., %, %, %; projected to be 70% by Lagos pop. Estimated to be 8 to 10 million; projected to reach million by Environmental Factors: Already discussed, but exacerbating water scarcity. Transboundary Waters: Re-invigoration of govt. efforts necessary concerning putting new life into these RBOs.

20 Driving Forces : Positive Propelling Factors Restoration of democracy; Putting in place a holistic sustainable human development programme; A paradigm shift in the management strategy of water resources; Encouraging Private Sector Participation (PSP) in water development & delivery; Growing demand for comprehensive regional initiative & approach to development & utilisation of transboundary water resources;

» Victor O. Okoruwa (Ph.D)

» CURRENT STATE OF AGRICULTURE IN THE STATES OF NIGERIA AN OVERVIEW ASSESSMENT» Victor O. Okoruwa (Ph.D) Professor of Agricultural Economics Department of Agricultural Economics University of Ibadan, Nigeria