International development charity, WaterAid Nigeria has called on Nigeria ministers to support a universal water and sanitation goal as part of the new sustainable development goals.
The global agency has also launched an online interactive map showing that if Nigeria increased access to clean drinking water by 3.2 million extra people every year, it would be on track to reaching the historic mark of everyone in the country having access to clean drinking water by 2030.
Announcing its participation in the 5th series of the Africa Water Week Conference convened by the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), taking place in Dakar Senegal, the agency said the map shows that the goal of all Nigerian’s accessing clean water by 2030 is realistic and achievable.
Spokesman of WaterAid Nigeria, Oluseyi Abdulmalik, said the theme of the conference is, ‘Placing Water at the heart of the post-2015 Development Agenda.’
“The map has been released on the day that Nigeria and other African water ministers and delegates arrive for the start of African Water Week conference in Dakar, Senegal for crucial talks as to whether they should back a proposed new global Sustainable Development Goal for universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene by the year 2030,” he said
WaterAid said it is lobbying Nigerian ministers and other delegates for the conference communiqué to include such a commitment.
Country Representative of WaterAid Nigeria, Dr Michael Ojo, said Nigeria is one of a number of African countries that with relatively modest improvements in levels of access can achieve this historic milestone.
“Nigerian Ministers at Africa Water Week conference should grasp this opportunity to set in motion a happier, healthier and more prosperous future for everyone on the continent.”
The map is understood to be the first online interactive data representation project produced with a predominantly African audience in mind, which is increasingly online and social media savvy.
He said the African Water Map shows that in Nigeria, 6 million people are gaining access to water each year, but that this needs to increase by an extra 3.2 million people per year, so that everyone everywhere across the country would have access to clean water by 2030.
The map he revealed also shows that 0.5 million people are currently gaining access to basic sanitation in Nigeria every year, but that this will need to increase by an extra 12 million people to reach everyone by 2030. Even as around 73,000 Nigerians die every year because of diarrhea diseases attributable to a lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene.
