By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja

The Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, Thursday, lamented high population growth impeding on developing and managing water resources in Nigeria.

Adamu, stated this during the Sensitisation Workshop on the 2013 National Water Resources Master Plan and the United Nations Water Convention for stakeholders in the North Central geo-political zone, including Taraba, held in Abuja.

It would be recalled that the he 2013 National Water Resources Master Plan was developed by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR) in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA) in 1995.

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According to him, the plan was the first integrated development strategy aimed at enhancing the nation’s water resources, financial and economic investment options to achieve accelerated growth, integrated water resources management, agricultural production and food security for Nigerians.

He said: “A number of other issues that continue to hamper the development and management of the nation’s water resources are: increasing water demand due to population growth, uncoordinated water resources development among the three tiers of government, development partners and end users among others.”

The Minister further stated that implementation of the master plan has been at a snail speed as a result of lack of political will by successive administrations, which is traceable to poor and weak implementation structure in place, poor budgetary provisions, and others.

He acknowledged the review of the document, which was done with support of the Japanese Government, and that brought about development of a more integrated and sustainable approach to the growth and management of the nation’s water resources which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on 3rd July, 2014.

On essence of the workshop, he (Adamu) explained that it was an opportunity to evaluate the level of implementation of the National Water Resources Master Plan at all levels of governance.

He added that it was also in preparation to the review the plan as proposed to hold in third quarter of 2022.

Earlier,  the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Didi Walson-Jack, in an address of welcome, made it known that the workshop was the ministry’s decision to sensitise its directorate staff and stakeholders.

Walson-Jack added that it was in view of strategically positioning the nation’s water sector for sustainable development.