…Services To All Communities
In line with Part II, Section 4 of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) Act, the Acting Executive Chairman of the Commission, Hon. Kayode Oladele, on Monday charged the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure that water-related infrastructures and services reach every community in the country.
The Acting Chairman, who gave the charge at the Minister’s office in Abuja, said that it is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, access to potable water and sanitation services is a fundamental human right and a critical driver of Public health, Agricultural development and food security, Poverty reduction, Climate-change resilience and Sustainable economic growth.
Oladele said that he and his team were at the Ministry to collaborate with them in making sure no part of the country is left behind in what the Ministry is doing.
Addressing the Ministry of Water Resources management, he said, “I am honoured to lead this delegation on a courtesy visit to your office. On behalf of the Federal Character Commission, I extend warm compliments and appreciation for your ministry’s strategic role in national development, particularly in ensuring clean water supply, irrigation, sanitation, and the development of hydropower infrastructure across Nigeria.
“Our visit today is anchored on the Second Mandate of our Commission: ensuring the equitable distribution of amenities and infrastructure, the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and our shared commitment to building a fairer, more inclusive, and more prosperous Nigeria.
“While many Nigerians know the FCC primarily as the agency responsible for ensuring equitable distribution of public sector job opportunities, our constitutional mandate is broader. Part II, Section 4 of the FCC Act clearly empowers us to promote and enforce equitable distribution of social and economic infrastructure across the federation. This includes water resources, dams, irrigation systems, sanitation projects, and other related facilities.
‘It is in recognition of this mandate that we seek greater collaboration with your ministry to ensure that water-related infrastructure and services reach every part of Nigeria fairly, especially underserved and vulnerable communities.
“Equitable siting of water projects, boreholes, irrigation schemes, water treatment plants, and other water-related infrastructure flood prevention facilities is, therefore, a question of justice, equity, and nation-building.
“No community in Nigeria should remain marginalised or water-insecure due to government neglect, political patronage, or poor representation. Your ministry is a strategic institution in fulfilling this constitutional responsibility.”
Speaking on the collaboration with the Ministry, Oladele said, “Our collaboration must focus on Data-driven mapping of water infrastructure gaps, ensuring the equitable location of new federal water projects, prioritizing communities where women and children travel long distances for water, promoting equitable benefits for farmers through irrigation systems, establishing compliance frameworks for contractors and agencies and transparency and stakeholder engagement at the community level
“We are in the process of creating an Integrated Federal Character Compliance Database (IFCCD)- a digital system that will support evidence-based monitoring of project distribution across the country.”
He further said, Minister, we seek your cooperation in establishing a joint FCC-MWR Working Group on Equitable Water Projects, actionable frameworks for compliance reporting of contractors and agencies, and co-developing public sensitisation and stakeholder engagement programs.
In his response, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, welcomed the FCC delegation and affirmed the Ministry’s readiness to partner with the Commission to advance the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He noted that the Ministry has recorded significant progress in dam construction, water-supply schemes, sanitation services and flood control across the six geopolitical zones. He also highlighted several key national programmes currently underway:
“Sustainable Power and Irrigation Project (SPRIP): Focused on rehabilitating dams and integrating hydropower components to boost electricity generation and irrigation. SUB-WASH: Provides water and sanitation services to rural and semi-urban communities.
“P-WASH: A World Bank–supported programme complementing SUB-WASH to expand safe water access. Clean Nigeria Campaign: A flagship initiative aimed at making all 774 LGAs open-defecation-free through the provision of facilities and nationwide sensitisation.“
Utsev said the Ministry is working with the Head of Service, religious bodies, traditional institutions, community groups and media organisations to address behavioural challenges that encourage open defecation despite the availability of facilities.
He assured the FCC of full cooperation, noting that both institutions must work together to ensure fairness in the distribution of water projects and information across Nigeria. “We will continue to carry out the directives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in making Nigeria a better place.”
