The National Urban Water Sector Reform Project has received a two-year extension to 2028, giving Plateau State additional time to complete ongoing rehabilitation works and other components of the intervention in Greater Jos.
Plateau State Commissioner for Water Resources and Energy, Hon. Lawandi Datti, disclosed this yesterday in Jos at the opening of the second semester Project Coordination and Review Workshop of the National Urban Water Sector Reform Project.
The two-day workshop, held at Crispan Hotel and Suites, is organised under the theme, “Improving Water Supply and Sanitation Service Delivery,” and brings together stakeholders from Plateau, Enugu, Ondo and Kano states to assess implementation and address challenges.
Datti said the Plateau component includes the rehabilitation of the Yakubu Gowon and Laminga treatment plants as well as reticulation within Greater Jos.
He said the extension would allow the state to complete the projects and maximise the benefits of the intervention, assuring residents that the government remained committed to addressing the challenges confronting the sector.
“I want to assure the good people of Plateau that after this project is completed, the issue of water scarcity will be a history,” Datti said.
Declaring the workshop open, Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, represented by his Deputy, Mrs Ngo Josephine Chundung Piyo, said sustainable reforms and stronger institutions were critical to addressing challenges in Nigeria’s urban water sector.
Mutfwang said rapid urban growth was putting increasing pressure on existing infrastructure and municipal networks, stressing the need for strategic, sustainable and accountable approaches.
“As leaders and public administrators, our responsibility is not simply to provide infrastructure but to build systems that can deliver sufficiently, consistently and sustainably over a long time,” he said.
The governor urged participants to review project performance, identify implementation bottlenecks and develop practical solutions that would translate into tangible benefits for citizens.
Representing the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, Engr. Kasim Muhammad Nafiu said the workshop would enable the four implementing states to assess progress, identify challenges and agree on measures to improve implementation.
Nafiu commended Plateau State for committing $2.6 billion as counterpart funding, but stressed the need for additional funds to address taxes and compensation as rehabilitation works continue.
The Project Coordinator, Engr. Charles Eze, said the National Urban Water Sector Reform Project, which commenced in 2017, was designed to improve access to essential services and strengthen the capacity of participating states.
Eze said the project covers Plateau, Enugu, Ondo and Kano states, adding that implementation had recorded about 80 per cent achievement.
He said the project remained important to public health and the wellbeing of communities in the participating states.
The workshop, supported by the French Development Agency, AFD, is expected to review progress across the four states and chart the way forward for the remaining period of implementation.
