Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The Federal Government and Nestlé Nigeria Plc have launched a nationwide water quality advocacy campaign aimed at tackling unsafe drinking water and taking water safety education directly to communities across the country.
The initiative, being implemented in collaboration with the Organised Private Sector in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH), seeks to shift Nigeria’s water conversation from mere access and availability to the quality, safety and sustainability of water consumed by citizens.
The campaign was unveiled at a National Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop on the Water Quality Handbook, bringing together government officials, technical experts and other stakeholders to build a network of personnel capable of cascading water safety knowledge to states, local government areas and communities.
Representing the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Prof. Joseph Utsev, at the event, Director Habu Jamilu said Nigeria could no longer afford fragmented interventions in water quality management, stressing the need for a unified national approach.
He described the Water Quality Handbook as a definitive technical guide designed to establish standard procedures across the water quality value chain.
According to him, the handbook covers source protection, household water handling, water testing, household water treatment, climate-related water quality challenges and channels for reporting water quality concerns to relevant authorities.
Utsev said the training represented a critical step towards converting the technical provisions of the handbook into practical knowledge that could be replicated across the country.
He urged participants to maximise the technical sessions and practical exercises, noting that the success of the national campaign would ultimately depend on effective transfer of knowledge from trained personnel to communities.
Speaking on the initiative, the National Coordinator and Global Head of OPS-WASH Nigeria, Dr. Nicholas Igwe, who represented Nestlé Nigeria at the event, said the company was deliberately broadening its approach to water stewardship beyond access to include quality, governance and sustainability.
Igwe disclosed that under Nestlé Nigeria’s Water Regeneration Project, the company had committed to providing about 270,000 cubic metres of water annually to 16 communities in one catchment area, while another catchment area covering eight communities was expected to receive about 130,000 cubic metres.
The combined intervention amounts to about 400,000 cubic metres of water annually, underscoring the scale of the company’s stated commitment to water regeneration and community development.
He said the project rests on four key pillars — water access, water quality, governance and sustainability — with the objective of ensuring that communities do not merely have water but have access to water that meets acceptable quality standards.
“People should not only have access to water; they should also understand and benefit from water that meets acceptable quality standards,” Igwe said.
He explained that community participation was central to the project, with communities involved at different stages, from design through implementation, in order to promote ownership and ensure that the benefits could be sustained beyond the intervention period.
The project also incorporates water harvesting initiatives aimed at supporting agricultural activities and contributing to food security.
Igwe said the Water Quality Handbook, launched in April 2026 with the support of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, was designed to be more than a policy document.
He said its real value would be measured by its ability to reach ordinary Nigerians and equip them with practical knowledge about the water they consume.
“The objective is for people to know exactly what they drink and understand how water quality affects their health and even the economy,” he said.
According to him, the trainers being developed through the workshop would take the knowledge contained in the handbook to different states, local government areas and communities.
They would educate residents on the health and economic consequences of poor water quality, appropriate household practices and the importance of consuming safe water.
Igwe also challenged private-sector organisations to move beyond interventions at the federal level and ensure that their investments translate into measurable benefits for communities.
He called on state governors and state-level water and sanitation institutions to take ownership of the campaign and support its implementation when it reaches their respective states.
The training featured technical sessions designed to equip participants with practical knowledge of water quality management.
A goodwill message was delivered by the President of the Association of Professional Women Engineers in Nigeria (APWEN), Engr. Chinreye Igwegbe, who joined other stakeholders in advocating stronger professional and institutional collaboration in water management.
The partnership between the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, OPS-WASH and Nestlé Nigeria signals an increasing recognition that Nigeria’s water challenge extends beyond providing sources of supply.
The emerging priority is ensuring that the water reaching Nigerian households is safe, tested, properly handled and sustainable.
For millions of Nigerians who depend on vulnerable water sources, the success of the campaign could therefore determine whether access to water translates into genuine protection of public health — or merely access to water that may still pose risks.