Minister Calls for Water Security as National Security

On Monday, Prof. Joseph Utsev, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, delivered a lecture at the National Defence College in Abuja, advocating for water security to be classified as a national security issue. He warned that challenges such as flooding, drought, and poor sanitation could lead to conflicts, public health emergencies, and economic instability.

Utsev emphasized the need for Nigeria to integrate water security into its national security framework, stating, “Water security is national security.” He highlighted the 2026 Annual Flood Outlook, which identified 1,249 communities in 176 Local Government Areas across 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory as high flood-risk areas. The minister also linked water management to food security, noting that irrigation development is essential to mitigate reliance on unpredictable rainfall.

He mentioned that about 154,000 hectares of irrigable land currently support over 1.6 million farmers and announced the development of a National Water Compact for 2026–2030 to harmonize water and sanitation policies.