The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, has urged stakeholders to intensify efforts toward ensuring water security through conservation programs and sustainable water management.
He made this call on Saturday at a press briefing in Abuja, marking the 2025 World Water Day celebration themed “Glacier Preservation.”
WWD, observed annually on March 22, raises awareness about the 2.2 billion people globally who lack access to safe water. While Nigeria does not have glaciers, Prof. Utsev emphasized that their preservation remains critical to global climate stability.
He pointed out that the melting of glaciers has contributed to extreme weather conditions worldwide, with cascading effects that also impact nations far from glacial regions, including Nigeria.
Addressing Nigeria’s strides toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6, the minister highlighted key initiatives such as the Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (PEWASH), the National Action Plan for WASH, and the Nigeria Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Programme.
These initiatives aim to enhance access to clean water, improve sanitation, and promote hygiene across the country.
Additionally, he stated that the government is investing in water infrastructure, irrigation systems, hydrological research, and sustainable river basin management to ensure equitable water distribution.
Prof. Utsev underscored the need for collective action in achieving water security, stressing that partnerships across government levels, the private sector, development agencies, and local communities are essential.
“We are not ignorant of the fact that sustainable water security requires partnerships at all levels of government, private sector, development partners, and communities. To this end, we call on all stakeholders to redouble their efforts at supporting initiatives that enhance Nigeria’s water security and contribute to peace and development.”
He assured that the Federal Government remains committed to strengthening climate adaptation policies, enhancing flood control systems, and investing in sustainable water infrastructure. He also encouraged state governments to implement local water conservation programs, promote afforestation, and enforce environmental regulations.
The private sector, he noted, must contribute by investing in eco-friendly technologies, supporting sustainable water initiatives, and engaging in corporate social responsibility projects that enhance water access.
Additionally, the minister called on research institutions and NGOs to raise awareness about environmental challenges like glacier loss, conduct climate resilience studies, and advocate for community-based adaptation strategies.
He emphasized the role of individuals in water conservation efforts, tree-planting initiatives, and policy advocacy.
“As we commemorate World Water Day 2025, let us renew our commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian has access to safe and sustainable water. A water-secure Nigeria is a climate-resilient Nigeria.”
During the event, Prof. Utsev launched the United Nations World Water Development Report titled “Mountains and Glaciers – Water Towers,” the climate-resilient water safety plan guidelines, and the revised technical designs for WASH facilities.
In his remarks, Permanent Secretary Richard Pheelangwah highlighted the significance of water as both a global and local resource, stressing the need for careful management.
“We may claim as a country that the effects of glacier floods do not directly affect us, but the larger environmental shifts that drive such changes do. We recognise the central role water plays in national development and need to prioritise management for both current and future generations.”
UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of WASH, Dr. Jane Bevan, reinforced the urgency of addressing climate change and its impact on water resources. She detailed UNICEF’s ongoing collaborations with the ministry, including support for a climate rationale approved in January and efforts to enhance the climate resilience of WASH facilities.
“Climate change is most definitely affecting all of us in Nigeria. And UNICEF has been supporting the ministry in many different initiatives to respond to this issue. We are supporting the technical working group the climate rationale, which was approved in the council in January, and supporting the design revision to make sure they’re more climate resilient for all WASH facilities, which will be unveiled today.
“We are also supporting communities to better strengthen their ability to respond to climate issues. So, that’s about climate-resilient water safety planning. Climate change is real, it’s happening now, it’s getting worse, and we all need to be thinking climate about everything we do, particularly wasteful water, think about the use of water, minimising the use wherever possible, and encouraging others to do so as well.”
Similarly, World Bank Senior Water Specialist, Chinedu Umolu, emphasized the importance of preserving and sustaining water resources for future generations.
Representing UNESCO’s Director-General, Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Dr. Enang Momoh highlighted the essential role glaciers play in the global water cycle. She described them as Earth’s “water towers,” holding nearly two-thirds of the planet’s freshwater reserves.
“Appointed as the lead agency by the United Nations General Assembly, UNESCO will work closely with governments, the scientific community, relevant United Nations agencies, and other stakeholders to implement a comprehensive programme to address the alarming impact of climate disruption on glaciers, ice sheets, and permafrost,” she noted.
She stressed the urgency of protecting these natural reservoirs, noting that they hold critical information about past climate conditions and must be preserved for the future.
“Glaciers bear witness to the Earth’s history, holding within them essential information about the atmosphere, wind patterns, and other climate conditions of the past. Now, we must take urgent, collective action to protect these vital resources—for the sake of our future,”
The event reinforced the interconnection between global environmental changes and Nigeria’s local water security challenges. It also served as a clarion call for immediate action in safeguarding water resources for both present and future generations.
