REPORT AND COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF A ONE-DAY PRE-SUMMIT STAKEHOLDERS’ FORUM FOR AN EFFECTIVE INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (IWRM) IN NIGERIA, 11TH OF SEPTEMBER 2019 AT THE BUSINESS SCHOOL NETHERLANDS, GRA, IKEJA,LAGOS NIGERIA
INTRODUCTION
NIAAN is a registered not-for-profit organization in Nigeria, made up of Nigerians who have studied in the Netherlands, with the common goal of promoting Back-Home Action Plan (BHAP) in order to contribute to the accelerated development of our country, driven by the knowledge acquired from the various Dutch Institutions attended. In this regard, the Association (NIAAN) proposed to organise the first International Water Summit, with the theme: Towards Effective Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Nigeria.
In Nigeria, there are over 200 dams, built for water supply, irrigation and hydropower generation, under the management of River Basins Development Authorities (RBDAs). Yet, the country is faced with a myriad of environmental, social and economic problems, such as food insecurity, flooding, epileptic electricity supply and inadequate access to clean water, among others. The inefficient use of water stored in dams, for the purposes for which the dams were built (water supply, irrigation and hydropower generation), has often resulted in the problems highlighted above.
The proposed International Water Summit will, therefore, seek to bring relevant stakeholders together for a cross-sectional discourse, aimed at addressing some of these issues, based on International best practices, with a view to clearly defining a coordinated institutional framework for the implementation of IWRM in Nigeria and achieving the SDGs in Nigeria.
As a way of stimulating discussions among stakeholders towards the successful hosting of the International Water Summit, a Pre-Summit Stakeholders’ Forum was held to bring primary stakeholders together. The Stakeholders’ Forum sought to initiate an all-inclusive discussion and engagement that brought about a shared understanding of the roles, responsibilities, challenges and gaps of institutional frameworks, and developed a working modality that would enhance the purpose and impact of the proposed International Water Summit.
35 participants were in attendance at the Forum. The participants represented 21 Institutions at Federal and State levels of government, private sector, civil society and the media, including community of the Lagos and Ogun State Waterside Communities. The resource person, Dr Eiman Karar, joined the Forum from the Netherlands via teleconference. Her presentation highlighted the elements of IWRM and contemporary issues in IWRM practices.
OBSERVATIONS
Participants at the Forum observed that:
- There is a need to identify and bring together more stakeholders for the main summit. These stakeholders were identified for future engagement.
- There is lack of coordination among the different institutions that are supposed to be involved in WRM in the country. However, the brochure of Ogun Oshun River Basin Development Authority indicates that the River Basin Development Authorities in Nigeria have been saddled with the responsibility of coordinating water resources management at basin level, though their Advisory Committees, which need to be resuscitated.
- The different Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) usually see their areas of overlapping roles and responsibilities as detrimental. There is a need for a paradigm shift so that the overlapping roles will be viewed as being complementary towards achieving a common goal.
- There is a need to identify the challenges in the area of corporate governance and policy makers at the three tiers of government have not shown adequate political will and capacity to implement existing policies.
- There are many political, legal, financial, structural challenges and limitations affecting effective and efficient utilization of water resources which prevent existing MDAs from carrying out their responsibilities.
- There is no central harmonization of data used in water management planning and, sometimes, the integrity of the data is questionable because of obsolete tools and methodology.
- Agricultural practices impact water resources, but are yet to be fully identified as an integral part of water management planning process.
- The importance of forests and watershed management is yet to be properly identified and utilized to address water resource management for flood control, food security and safety.
- Portable water production and supply is at an all time low for various reasons: ageing equipment, poor electricity supply, high non-portability of water, low capacity of staff, lack of an appropriate pricing regime and inadequate funding.
- The potential of power generation at the River Basin level for local electricity supply and sustainability of cottage industries has not been tapped.
- The gender dimensions to Water Management have not been given the attention it deserves.
RECOMMENDATIONS/RESOLUTIONS
In the light of the foregoing discussions and observations, we, the participants at the Stakeholders’ Forum, make the following recommendations and resolutions:
* There should be an international water summit which should be expanded in scope to include all identifies stakeholders and linked with the delivery of the SDGs in Nigeria. The International Water Summit was proposed to take place in March 2020.
*The communiqué should be circulated to the Stakeholders, with a strong presentation to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to take the leadership and coordinating role, as engendered in the River Basins Development Authority Law.
*In order to enhance collaboration, coordination and synergy among the stakeholders, participants agreed that the forum of stakeholders should meet on a quarterly basis, as a platform for sharing ideas, exploring solutions to challenges, and nurturing a robust participatory approach to IWRM.
*The group, created above, will form the basis for a quarterly inter-agency network to facilitate discussions on IWRM and proffer practical solutions to the identified challenges.
*Measures should be put in place to reduce political, legal, financial and structural encumbrances in the delivery of clean water and ensuring food security to the population.
*Measures should be put in place for data harmonization and management, and their integrity. A recommendation for a data repository should be made to the Ministry of Water Resources.
* Measures should be put in place to ensure that agricultural practices do not endanger the provision of clean water through the use of nature-based solutions in agricultural practices.
* Watershed management conservation initiatives should be put in place across major River basins in Nigeria.
*The River Basin Authorities and the Ministry of Power should work together to work out modalities to harness the hydropower potentials/components of the Basins in order to boost electricity generation in the country.
*The gender dimensions to water management should be taken into account in the planning process for IWRM in Nigeria.
Olusesan Olukoya, Funmi Eyeoyibo
Coordinator, NIAAN Secretary, Summit Planning Committee