2005 - 2006 - Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2012

NIGERIA PART 2: COUNTRY ANALYSIS
Nigeria
Economics (2003)
GDP per capita US$350
GDP per capita (PPP) US$900
GDP in Agriculture 26%
GDP in Industry 49%
GDP in Services 24%
Service coverage and delivery
In 1993, 68% of households had access to piped water in Lagos (10.29 million people in 1995), using
an average 70L of water per capita per day. Approximately 2% of the city’s population is connected to
sewerage, all of which nominally receives treatment. There is no sewerage or sewage treatment in
Ibadan (population 1.48 million in 1995), where 68% of households are connected to piped water,
using an average 70L of water per capita per day. Officially, 84% of the country’s urban population in
1996 had both access to safe water supplies and adequate sanitation. In reality, 50% of urban
Nigerians (20% in unofficial urban areas) and 35% of rural Nigerians had access to potable water in
2003 and the urban figure may be 30% overall due to poor maintenance. The Government seeks to
improve this to 60% by 2010. The World Bank approved a US$120 million loan in 2004 to encourage
the reform of urban water management. Between 1999 and 2004, Federal Government spending of
over N180 billion on water supply brought about an official increase in water supply coverage from
about 35% in 1999 to almost 65% at the end of 2004. The National Urban Water Sector Reform
Project (NUWSRP) aims to see 80% water supply coverage at the end of 2007.
Population
2003 (million) 136.5
2015 (million) 173.8
Urbanisation in 2003 47%
Urbanisation by 2015 56%
In urban agglomerations, 2015 15%
Water provision is being commercialised
Until recently, water was provided free of charge, with direct finance from the Government. Since the
mid 1990s there has been a gradual move towards partial commercialisation, with marginal rates for
water in order to allow the corporations to break even, although until recently profits were not allowed.
Akwa Ibom Corporation (Akwa Ibom state) has been turned into a limited liability company as part of a
US$73 million loan from the African Development Bank designed to encourage the commercialisation
and reform of utility services in Nigeria. Of that state's population, 30% is connected to mains water,
while in the state capital, 30,000 out of 50,000 customers are connected. The Akwa Ibom
Corporation’s remit is limited to supplying water to urban areas with a population in excess of 5,000.
The Ministry of Water Resources intends to increase water supply coverage from the current 40% to
60% by the end of 2003. In urban areas, 180 water schemes have now been completed, increasing
water supply capacity by 1.2 million m 3 per day and restoring access to 10 million people. A
Government/World Bank pilot project on small towns water schemes had started in the states of Kogi,
Akwa Ibom, and Bauchi, while three more schemes are planned in Ebonyi, Katsina and Niger states.
The government aims to bear 50% of rural water supply and 30% of all urban water supply projects
initiated by states from 2004.
A survey in 1999 found bacterial levels in 90% of tap water samples taken in Lagos to be above WHO
limits. This was taken as evidence for the readiness of people to buy bottled ‘pure’ water and thus to
pay for potable water supplies.
Urban Data
Served by piped water 84%
Access to sewerage 84%
With sewage treatment 2%
152 Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2005 – 2006