Senate Rejects N40bn Deductions From Water Ministry

The Senate Committee on Water Resources chairman, Kenneth Eze,  has expressed concern over the N40 billion multilateral and bilateral loan deductions from the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation’s 2025 budget allocation.

While concerned, the committee chairman, Senator Kenneth Eze says the deductions will affect the ministry, leaving it with inadequate funds to execute critical projects.

He highlighted the devastating annual flooding crises that plague the nation, describing them as economic and social catastrophes. They lamented that the 2025 budget allocation is insufficient to address these challenges or ensure meaningful progress in the ministry’s objectives.

Senator Kenneth Eze raised concerns about the ministry’s financial constraints, asking, “What happened to the projections for 2025 when loan repayments have consumed a significant portion of the budget?”

In his submission, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, elaborated on the ministry’s challenges. He stated that the allocation for loan repayments—deducted at source—has left the ministry with only N57.7 billion for its activities.

He says the 2025 budget proposal prioritises completing ongoing dam and irrigation projects to enhance agricultural productivity and food security. Prof. Utsev emphasised the need to aggressively implement water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs and flood and drought mitigation measures.

The minister outlined plans for collaboration with the private sector under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements for dam and hydropower projects and partnerships with international organisations to scale up sustainable water management and sanitation interventions.

He added, “The Ministry believes that with adequate monetary allocations, we can complete viable projects that contribute to job creation, poverty reduction, and overall economic growth. However, the ministry faces a limited expenditure ceiling for capital projects and insufficient overhead allocation to cover day-to-day operations.”

Prof. Utsev also appealed to the Senate committee for support:

“Distinguished Senators, I sincerely appreciate your unwavering commitment to our mandate. With your continued support, we can achieve shared goals critical to the well-being of Nigerians. We urge this committee to consider increasing our budget allocation to ensure the ministry can continue delivering essential services to the nation.”

Addressing the issue of annual flooding, Prof Utsev noted that a presidential committee had been inaugurated to tackle the problem. He emphasised the importance of its mandate in mitigating flood risks across the country.

The Senate called for enhanced public awareness campaigns to end open defecation and address the recurring flooding disasters. They urged the ministry to work closely with the legislature and pledged their intervention to secure additional funding from the presidency.

The lawmakers reiterated their commitment to supporting the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation in fulfilling its mandate to improve water management, sanitation, and flood control, ensuring long-term benefits for all Nigerians.