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WaterAid Launches 5-year Strategy to Improve Water, Sanitation Services for 17m Nigerians

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WaterAid Nigeria on Tuesday formally launched its new five-year Country Programme Strategy, to improve access to basic water and sanitation services for 17 million Nigerians.

At the event in Abuja, the organisation’s Country Director, Ms Evelyn Mere, said the strategy was crucial to ensure that everyone had access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.

According to her, WaterAid is collaborating with multiple stakeholders in addressing the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) challenges facing Nigerians, especially the poor and the vulnerable.

She said the organisation, at the global level, recently launched a 10-year strategy.

Mere said: ”This is to see that by 2032, through its work in Nigeria and other parts of the world, 400 million more people are reached with sustainable, safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

“With a population of over 200 million, we plan to have Nigeria contribute substantially to those numbers.

”Secondly, this is to ensure increased annual financing for WASH in low-and middle-income countries to the tune of $15 billion.

“We have invited you today to launch a strategy that you are part of developing. In doing this, we are further urging you to join us as we commence the journey of implementation.

“You are indispensable co-travelers in our quest to reach 10,000,000 people directly through our interventions with basic WASH services and behaviours and influence improved basic WASH access for 17,000,000 more people”.

Mere said WaterAid Nigeria was conscious of the rapidly changing context in the world and its peculiar dynamics, hence the need to respond to emerging issues and the changing landscape around WASH.

She added that the strategy laid out the blueprint for maximising emerging opportunities through systemic change and accelerating impact over the next five years.

The country director said the commitment was to ensure that women could improve their productivity and realise their rights to a good education and live free of the risk of gender-based violence.

This, she added, would also see that high rates of maternal and infant mortality due to poor WASH became a distant memory.

Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, said Nigeria was strategic country in the drive to achieve the global WASH targets under SDG 6.

Adamu said; “Nigeria’s progress or otherwise in this regard will have great impact at the regional and global levels.

“Some of the most recent initiatives include the initiation of the development of a National WASH Policy for which a multi-stakeholder oversight committee has been inaugurated.

“The signing of Memoranda of Understanding for the take off of the SchoolWASH, HealthWASH and YouthWASH Programmes in collaboration with the relevant Ministries is also one step.

“These high-level initiatives clearly demonstrate the strong political will of the Federal Government in reversing the narrative on Nigeria’s poor WASH indices and accelerating access to sustainable services.”

He said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had consistently ensured the implementation of policies and programmes designed to address identified sector gaps.

Adamu added: ”This is to improve access to services and demonstrate Government’s commitment and prioritisation of WASH.”

Adamu, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Didi Walson-Jack, said that the strategy would achieve universal, sustainable and safe access to influence change and strengthen WASH resilience to climate change.

The minister added that the administration was bequeathing these initiatives as a legacy to the next administration, with the hope that it would be sustained in order to move the WASH sector in Nigeria to the next level.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that within the last 27 years, WaterAid Nigeria has been working to ensure that Nigerians have access to clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene.

This was being done through Systems Strengthening, Partnerships and Empowering Citizens and stakeholders in addressing the WASH challenges facing Nigerians, especially the poor and vulnerable. (NAN)

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Environment

FG, Partners Urged to Act On Rangeland Conservation

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The Federal Government and partners have been urged to take decisive action to protect and restore rangelands, safeguard pastoralist communities’ livelihoods, and enhance climate resilience in dryland regions.

The call was made in a communiqué issued at the conclusion of the 5th International Conference on Drylands.

The conference, themed ‘Promoting Sustainability and Resilience of Rangelands: Present and Future Outlooks’, was organised by the Centre for Dryland Agriculture at Bayero University in Kano and took place from May 6 to 8, 2025.

The three-day conference brought together over 300 participants, including scientists, researchers, policymakers, development partners, and private sector representatives.

The articipants urged governments to develop and implement comprehensive, participatory, and evidence-based legal frameworks prioritizing sustainable rangeland management.

These frameworks should recognise, protect, and support traditional knowledge and practices of pastoralists, ensuring equitable access to land and natural resources.

Secure land tenure and fair resource governance are crucial for promoting peaceful coexistence and preventing land-use conflicts.

The conference recognised the critical role of women and youths from pastoralist communities in driving resilience and sustainability.

The conference also called for increased investment in capacity building, active participation in decision-making processes, and support for income-generating opportunities and sustainable resource development projects.

The conference emphasised the need to scale up public and private sector investments in climate change adaptation strategies, sustainable land management technologies, and diversified livelihood initiatives.

These investments should be complemented by demand-driven research and the promotion of innovations that integrate indigenous knowledge with modern scientific approaches.

The conference urged international development partners and organisations to align their resources with the conference outcomes and enhance regional and global cooperation, particularly on transboundary issues.

The participants also advocated deeper engagement with global initiatives such as the Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS) and the Africa Soil Initiative.

The conference concluded that the alarming degradation of rangelands, threats to pastoralist livelihoods, and fragility of dryland ecosystems demand urgent, collaborative, and sustained action.

The participants emphasised that achieving healthy rangelands was key to food security, ecological balance, and peaceful coexistence.

The conference brought together participants from 11 African countries, 13 Nigerian states, 17 academic institutions, and several international organisations.

It created a rich platform for knowledge exchange, policy dialogue, and regional collaboration.( NAN)

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economy

Firm Boosts Access to Dairy Nutrition with Affordable Peak Mini

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From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos

Dairy brand, Peak Milk has boosted Nigerians’ accessibility to its quality dairy nutrition range with the introduction of the budget-friendly Peak Mini – a smaller, more affordable pack from its signature Peak Evaporated Milk.

Unveiling the dairy brand, the producer, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, restated its commitment to providing high-quality dairy products to consumers as it has been doing in over 70 years in Nigeria.

According to WAMCO, the Peak Mini evaporated milk will provide affordable breakfast within the reach of every home with a budget-friendly nutritional breakfast with the same rich, creamy taste and high-quality.

Senior Brand Manager of Peak Milk, Moninnuola Kassim, stated that with Peak Mini, the company is “directly addressing the challenges many Nigerians face daily, one of which is affordability.

“Our smaller, affordable Peak Mini packs ensure that quality dairy nutrition remains within reach for everyone, regardless of income level.”

According to her, “many consumers have had to compromise on nutrition when considering costs, but with Peak Mini, that trade-off is no longer necessary.

The brand, Kassim said, maintains the same premium taste and nutritional benefits in a convenient and cost-effective package, and whether for breakfast cereals, tea or other meals, this innovation ensures that consumers no longer need to choose between quality and affordability.

According to her, FrieslandCampina WAMCO believes that every Nigerian deserves access to quality, nutritious dairy products,” and “Peak Mini is another step towards fulfilling that mission by providing a practical solution that meets the needs of everyday consumers.”

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Environment

Prolonged Public Holidays Come with Negative Economic Effects on Citizens – Anambra Residents

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Anambra residents have slammed the additional day approved by the Federal Government for the Muslim faithful to celebrate the 2024 Eid-Ei-Fitr, saying this will have negative effects on the economy.

The Federal government had early declared April 9 and 10 as Muslim-Ummah for the successful completion of a month’s spiritual rejuvenation.

Reports says that residents of Anambra capital city believe that the additional day which they did not plan for will result in economic hardship to the citizenry.

Most respondents believe that people had planned to resume their economic activities instead of wasting their time staying at home doing nothing..

Former Chairman, Awka Chamber of Commerce, Chief Felly Akosa, described the additional day to the two days approved earlier as “unfair to the economy of the country as people were unprepared for the additional day.

Akosa said that although it is right for the Muslim faithful to celebrate their holiday after a month-long fasting, the process needs to be carefully planned for in place of the additional rest day which could inhibit business activities.

Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, National Vice President of Igbo Apex Social Cultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said the policy would cause huge economic waste as businesses are put on hold,

He advised that, in future, a proper and well planned programme needs to be in place before declaring a public holiday for any celebration that will be national.

“Our economy and other sectors are not very healthy,” and it would, therefore be appropriate to plan well to avoid declarations that will hamper the citizens’ welfare.

Mazi Christian Beluchukwu, a business man in Awka, described the extension of the Eid-El-Fitr public holiday to Thursday, April 11, as an added hardship for the citizenry.

Beluchukwu said that any public holiday for three days, April 9 to 11, to celebrate any feast in the country is an economic loss to the nation.

He said that it was best to stick to the two-day national public holidays as this gives room for the people to plan their activities very well.

He stated that his wife went to a public hospital on Tuesday and was unattended to because there was no doctor on seat to provide medical attention.

“She resorted to visiting a private hospital which cost extra money which the public hospital is expected to handle at a reasonable cost. (NAN)

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