Lawrence Bajah, Abuja
Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, has expressed the commitment of the FCT Administration towards providing equitable access to water, sanitation and hygiene services while strengthening community-led approaches to total sanitation.
The minister who gave this commitment at the commemoration of the 2023 World Water Day, also encouraged stakeholders to join hands with the Administration to accelerate change in improving access to safe drinking water in the Territory.
Represented by the Mandate Secretary, Area Council Services Secretariat, Hon. Ibrahim Dantsoho, the minister, revealed that the FCT Administration has constructed 188 hand pump borehole water supply schemes, 6 motorised solar-powered borehole water schemes and rehabilitated 30 rural water supply schemes, culminating in improving access to safe drinking water for about 50,000 citizens.
She, however, reiterated that World Water Day is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis of about 2.2 billion people living without access to safe drinking water, stressing that the 2023 World Water Day is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.
While appreciating the partnership with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, development partners such as UNICEF, USAID, WaterAid Nigeria, DFID, Japan International Cooperation Agency, she however pledged the readiness of the Administration in supporting and encouraging collaboration and partnership in the provision of safe drinking water in rural communities.
According to her, “sustainability of both the private and public water sources is significant in the service delivery sector of the FCT.
Aliyu lamented that millions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centres, farms and industries are being held back because their human rights to water and sanitation still need to be fulfilled, just as she called for an urgent need to accelerate change— to go beyond “business as usual.”
“The recent data (WASH-NORM) shows that governments must work on an average of five times faster to meet the SDG 6 on time, but this is not a situation that any single actor or group can solve. Water affects everyone, so, we need everyone to “be the change” and take action,” she added.
