The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, says the issues of water and sanitation are the prerogative of the state governments, urging them to invest more in providing potable water and basic sanitation to their citizens.

In an interview on Sunday, Mr Adamu said most schools and health institutions in Nigeria lack adequate water and hygiene facilities, according to the target of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6.

“Look at statistics; if you should go by the sustainable development target, less than 10 per cent of our schools and health institutions have adequate water and sanitation and hygiene facilities,” he said.

The minister added, “It’s terrible, and the population keeps rising quickly, so we need to triple our investment in the WASH sector.’’

He expressed optimism that there is hope for Nigeria to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 by 2030.

The SDGs are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all.

SDGs 6 ensures the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.

Mr Adamu, however, said it would be difficult to achieve the SDGs 6 if the state governments failed to double their efforts to invest in that sector.

“But there’s a lot of work to be done, to be honest, and the work is the challenge we’re operating the federal system.

“Some states are ruled not by the governing party. So, even if it’s a party manifesto, some states are not part of it, and they have their priorities; different individual governments have individual priorities.

“We have WASH National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASHNORM) Survey to monitor progress on the SDG 6 targets. Some states are doing well, while most others are not.

“We have seen improvements from sharing that information, and some states really don’t seem to care, but we’ll keep pushing,’’ he said.

Mr Adamu said the three tiers of government needed to triple the current investment in the sector to achieve the SDGs targets by 2030.

“This is expected to help in bridging the investment gap in meeting the SDG 6 targets and creating a self-sustaining, climate-friendly, and gender-centric cycle of economic growth and human development.’’

According to him, from the 2022 Report, the Sanitation Economy and Menstrual Hygiene Marketplace in Nigeria is estimated at US$6.9 billion in 2021, with the potential to grow to US$14.3 billion by 2030.

(NAN)