Experts Advocate Innovative Strategies For Sustainable Water Security In Nigeria
•By KAZEEM OYENIYI
IBADAN – EXPERTS have called for the adoption of innovative and community-driven approaches to strengthen water security and ensure sustainable development of Nigeria’s water sector.
This was the consensus at the plenary session of the 36th Annual Conference, Exhibition and Workshop of the Nigerian Association of Hydroecologists (NAH) held in Ibadan.
The event had the theme “Sustainable Water Sector Development in Nigeria: Harnessing Innovations for a Water-secured Future.”
A Professor of Hydrogeology at the University of Ibadan, Prof. Moshood Tijani, who spoke on the challenges and solutions of water security underscored the importance of water to the stability of every country.
According to him, water security is the availability of an acceptable quantity and quality of water for health, livelihoods, food, and energy production, with an acceptable level of water-related risks.
He warned that without water security, there could be no food or national security, citing population growth, urbanisation, land use changes and climate change as major pressures on water resources.
Tijani recommended that groundwater be made explicit in Nigeria’s water-climate action plan, with targets, budgets and monitoring frameworks.
He also urged the creation of a national groundwater monitoring upgrade programme and adoption of managed aquifer recharge and rainwater harvesting as adaptive measures.
Also, an Associate Professor of Hydrogeology at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Dr. Aisha Kana, stressed the need for community-led water management.
“A community-led management approach means local leaders must take an active role in managing water resources, ensuring sustainability and resilience,” she said.
Kana further called for citizen science integration to empower communities to collect and share water data.
The Acting General Manager of Oyo State Water Corporation, Mrs Oluyinka Shotonwa-Roagess, said the corporation was rehabilitating infrastructure, expanding coverage to rural communities, and promoting sustainable water use.
She identified funding constraints, weak regulations and infrastructure decay as challenges.
Shotonwa-Roagess noted that “strong leadership, community engagement, and staff training are key to ensuring reliable, safe and sustainable water services.”