By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Government has disclosed that it is prioritising water security as a key component of national security, citing its importance to food security, public health, economic stability and national resilience.
This was disclosed on the official X handle of the Presidency, @NGRPresident, on Wednesday, 5 August, 2026.
According to the statement, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, disclosed that 154,000 hectares of irrigable land currently benefit over 1.6 million farmers across the country, even as the National Water Compact 2026-2030 continues to be developed.
The Compact, driven by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, is designed to guide interventions in the water sector from 2026 to 2030, focusing on water security, safe water supply, sanitation, irrigation and sustainable water resource management.
Utsev had earlier explained, during a nationwide stakeholders’ consultation workshop in Abuja, that Nigeria faced persistent water security challenges driven by rapid urbanisation, population growth, climate change, environmental degradation, inadequate infrastructure, fragmented institutions and financing constraints, all of which had affected the country’s ability to provide reliable water supply, sanitation services and productive water use.
The Minister disclosed that a National Technical Working Group, comprising representatives of government, state governments, development partners, academia, professional bodies, civil society and the private sector, had produced the first draft of the Compact following months of technical engagements, evidence-based analysis and inter-sectoral collaboration.
“The National Water Compact cannot succeed unless it reflects the aspirations, priorities and realities of the Nigerian people,” he said.
Utsev disclosed that the ministry had written to the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to secure the political commitment, ownership and buy-in of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, describing the Compact as a national instrument rather than a document belonging exclusively to his ministry.
He also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had been briefed on the progress of the Compact, while efforts were ongoing to secure the commitment of state governors towards its implementation.
