The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, has called on state governments to show greater commitment to implementing the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) programme to accelerate access to safe water and improved sanitation across the country.
Utsev made the call on Wednesday in Abuja while declaring open the Fourth Federal Steering Committee Meeting of the World Bank–assisted SURWASH programme.
He said the meeting was convened to review progress in the seven implementing states—Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, and Plateau—and to consider their revised work plans for approval.
The minister expressed concern over delays in the submission of state work plans, describing it as one of the major factors slowing down implementation.
“We must all show stronger ownership and commitment at both the federal and state levels if we are to achieve the desired impact of this programme,” he said.
Utsev noted that the first phase of SURWASH restructuring, completed earlier this year, had improved disbursements to states through the achievement of key results under the Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs).
“We are now in the second phase of restructuring, which aims to strengthen programme institutions, improve accountability, and onboard new states into the SURWASH initiative,” he added.
The minister disclosed that the Federal Government was working with the World Bank to bring on board 10 additional states, which would increase the total number of participating states to 17.
He assured that other states would be included in subsequent cycles to ensure nationwide coverage.
“Our vision is for all 36 states and the FCT to eventually benefit from SURWASH interventions, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for universal access to water and sanitation,” Utsev stated.
Earlier, the National Programme Coordinator of SURWASH, Mr. Abdulhamid Gwaram, said the meeting was crucial for finalizing and harmonizing work plans from the implementing states for federal approval.
Gwaram described the programme’s performance as “very good and modest,” noting that while institutional strengthening had achieved significant progress, service delivery was improving under the performance-based funding model.
“In Result Area One, which focuses on strengthening institutions, we are doing very well. However, in service delivery, we are modest because the Programme-for-Results (P4R) model is new to Nigeria. We have faced challenges but are now consolidating and seeing faster progress,” he said.
He explained that some states initially misunderstood the funding structure but had since embraced the performance-based approach.
“States now understand that SURWASH is not a repayment programme but one that rewards performance. The better you do, the more support you get. We appreciate their growing commitment and urge them to continue working diligently to ensure the programme’s success,” he added.
The SURWASH programme, supported by the World Bank, aims to expand access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services, strengthen sector institutions, and promote the sustainable management of water resources in participating states.
