The federal government has warned that Nigeria’s deepening water crisis cannot be resolved by government action alone.
Officials say communities, states, and development partners must join forces, with more than 70 million Nigerians still lacking access to clean drinking water.
They stressed that the challenge is a national concern but also a personal reality for families across the country.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, issued the call in Abuja on Wednesday during the public launch of the Lokoja Dialogue, a forum convened to deliberate on the country’s persisting water crisis.
According to Edun, the urgency of the situation requires direct community participation. “At the community level, action must be taken. People must be incentivised, mobilized, empowered to make their contribution — including to this water crisis,” he said.
He added that state governments also bear significant responsibility in finding solutions. “The States have their role to play. Under President Tinubu, they have more funds than they’ve ever had. So they are more empowered to contribute,” he stated.
Edun noted the nationwide disparities in water availability, pointing to both excess and scarcity. “Water is life, and the reforms of the current government are all about improving lives. Gaps remain, despite the progress made. We’ve heard it earlier: over 70 million Nigerians still lack clean drinking water,” he said.
Drawing from his past experience in the Niger Delta, he recalled a time when communities battled contaminated water. “In the South, in the Delta — I was on the board of the Trust Fund — and the water there had benzene in it. That was their problem. In the North, as we know, with the drying up, desertification, and scarcity. So there’s an abundance of water in the South. In the North, scarcity of water. But at the same time, these issues affect real families and vulnerable communities,” he added.
Edun explained that the federal government recognises water as the bedrock of public health, food security, productivity, and national stability. He called on all stakeholders to “work together to find the solutions to the problems” through clear policy direction, partnerships, and innovative financing models.
“Money solves all things,” he noted. “And a lot of the people convened and gathered here today — a big part is finding financing to implement the solutions we come up with. And that will help us achieve what we’re looking to do: to have resilience, inclusivity as we grow the economy, and give people the dignity of having enough water to take care of themselves, to nourish themselves, and to ensure that no community is left behind.”
Speaking on behalf of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, said the impact of water scarcity continues to shape the daily lives of households across Nigeria. She observed that communities are experiencing both droughts and floods, each posing threats to livelihoods and food production.
“Across our country, families seek better access to clean water, food, and energy. In some places, farmlands are dry, while in others, floods wash away fertile soils and harvests. And where the harvest fails, it is women and children who are most at risk,” she said.
She described the Lokoja Dialogue as an important platform for community-driven solutions. “This initiative exists to connect communities, define our agendas, policy, partnership, and investment, to cultivate and thrive sustainable water solutions, and recycle our discarding and climate-driven poverty,” she added.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, reflected on Africa’s longstanding relationship with water, noting that the history of the continent is deeply tied to water systems.
“I would like to say that the history of Africa, of our continent, is inextricably tied to the history of water and water systems,” he said. “The history of Africa is about movements… and a lot of it has to do with water — the search for water, the search for better grazing land, for cattle, for farming.”
Tuggar linked this historical context to present-day priorities under the Tinubu administration, particularly food security. According to him, the government’s drive to strengthen food supply “is of course premised on the water, how we use water, and how we manage it.”
He noted that Nigeria remains fortunate to be richly endowed with water resources. “We are lucky to be blessed with water, because Nigeria itself was born out of the confluence of two great African rivers,” he said. “Even before the maps were drawn, the people that lived around those two rivers traded with each other, they intermarried, they lived together. That coexistence has always been there.”
The Lokoja Dialogue is expected to serve as a platform for forging long-term solutions to Nigeria’s water crisis, with attention to climate impacts, financing gaps, and sustainable water management.
