The Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC) has announced plans to digitize water use licensing and monitoring as part of reforms introduced within the first 100 days of its Executive Director, Dr Aminu Zaria.
Zaria disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the commission’s achievements since he assumed office. He said the milestone reaffirmed NIWRMC’s commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s water resources, strengthening national water security, and advancing President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Describing NIWRMC as Nigeria’s water regulatory authority established under the Water Resources Act, Zaria explained that the commission promotes equitable, economically and environmentally sustainable management of the country’s water resources. It regulates and controls the development and use of water resources shared by multiple states.
He outlined the commission’s mandate, which includes defining water footprint standards, regulating water resources development, and planning national water resources management. Operational responsibilities, he added, cover water abstraction licensing, allocation planning, monitoring and enforcement, catchment management, aquifer protection, regulatory compliance, and conflict resolution.
Zaria highlighted the critical role of NIWRMC in national development, food security, industrial growth, environmental sustainability, and climate resilience.
He assumed office on September 1, 2025, with a vision to build a disciplined, transparent, data-driven, and technology-enabled regulatory institution. Upon taking charge, the commission faced challenges including deteriorated headquarters facilities, inadequate staffing, fragmented data systems, manual licensing processes, weak enforcement capacity, dormant catchment offices, limited inter-agency collaboration, low public awareness, poor staff morale, and critical funding constraints.
“These challenges threatened effective delivery of our mandate amid Nigeria’s growing water demand,” Zaria said.
He noted that reforms were immediately initiated with ministerial support to restore order, strengthen systems, empower staff, and rebuild public confidence. Actions taken included staff town hall engagements, the inauguration of a think tank team, and revival of field and catchment offices nationwide.
The commission also introduced the Professionalism, Adeptness, Consistency and Excellence (PACE) Agenda to improve service delivery and institutional culture. Partnerships with key stakeholders were strengthened for collaboration, capacity building, and data sharing. Notably, NIWRMC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kano State Water Board to strengthen subnational water governance.
Zaria added that salaries for security and janitorial personnel were reviewed to enhance staff welfare and morale. The reforms have improved data availability, increased staff efficiency, revived catchment operations, enhanced visibility, and strengthened inter-agency collaboration.
Looking ahead, Zaria said the commission would deploy a National Water Use Licensing Digital Portal to improve transparency and licensing efficiency. He also announced plans to expand monitoring networks across catchments and establish a national real-time water data observatory.
“The commission will also strengthen community-level compliance through partnerships with state governments, traditional institutions, and water users. Our goal is to secure Nigeria’s water future and ensure every drop is sustainably managed for generations,” he said.
Zaria thanked President Tinubu, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, relevant National Assembly committees, and NIWRMC staff for their support. He reaffirmed his commitment to leading an accountable, innovative, and future-ready commission aligned with national development priorities.
