Minister Says Nigeria’s Water Challenges Caused By Insufficient Funds, Staff

The Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Ochekpe, has identified inadequate budgetary provision and staff as some of the factors limiting its performance.

Ms Ochekpe stated this to journalists at the end of the weekly meeting of the Executive Council of the Federation (FEC) in Abuja.

The minister, who briefed the Council on the performance of her ministry in 2012, said with a N79.34 billion budget in 2012, the ministry got a warrant of N51.3 billion that was backed by N43.86 billion cash. Out of this, the sum of N46.66 billion was utilised, bringing an achievement of 99.95 per cent fund utilisation

She enumerated some of her achievements to include the completion of Makurdi regional water supply scheme, Mangu regional water supply scheme, provision of hand pumps in 16 states, completion of motorised boreholes in 35 communities, town water supply scheme in 3 states, and completion of 9 dams as well as irrigation projects in Jigawa, Kano, Sokoto and one other state.

The Minister said her ministry had increased the area of dry season cultivation by upgrading the river basins across the country adding that there had been a significant improvement in the cultivation of wheat in the Chad basin and Zamfara State.

She listed some of the challenges of her ministry as insufficient budgetary provisions, rain season, lack of synergy between federal and state governments, non-payment of pump water rate which also affected the ministry’s internally generated revenue (IGR) and lack of sustenance of projects funding.

Other challenges, according to the minister, include lack of adequate staff, effect of climate change on the ministry’s activities, obsolete equipment in the river basin development authorities, security challenges, lack of legislative framework to regulate activities of the sector, need for more hydrological facilities, and need for more processing and storage facilities.