‘’Clean water is key factor for economic growth; deteriorating water quality is stalling economic growth, worsening health conditions, reducing food production, and exacerbating poverty in many countries’’, wrote the World Bank Group President David Malpass. The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund{UNICEF} observed on WWD 2024 that about 133 million Nigerians lacked access to potable water, water that is treated for bacteria, toxic chemicals, viruses and fecal matter. Yet Nigeria has significant total water resources reportedly estimated at 215 billion m’3 (cubic kilometers) of surface waterand 87 billion m’3 ground water resources. It is clear that the nation is suffering from ‘’economic water scarcity’’- the inability to properly manage, use and protect water resources for socio-economic development and environmental sustainability. The Western world is using African water resources in mining, and in oil and gas exploitation without thinking about water pollution.

Source: Nigerian Tribune June 24, 2024 17:59 UTC