FG charges OPS on sustainable water regeneration to bridge Nigeria’s SDG attainment

The Federal Government through Joseph Terlumun Utsev, minister for Water Resources and Sanitation, has challenged the organised private sector (OPS) on building a more sustainable water regeneration ecosystem to bridge Nigeria’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) goal six attainment.

“Commissioning a facility is only the beginning; ensuring that it continues to provide safe, reliable and sustainable service is the true measure of success,” Utsev stated during the recent commissioning of eight climate-smart boreholes and water treatment plants by Nestlé Nigeria Plc.

Nestlé Nigeria recently commissioned eight climate-smart boreholes and water treatment plants in communities within the Agbara catchment in Ogun State, as part of its Water Regeneration Project

The facilities form part of a wider programme spanning the Agbara catchment in Ogun State and the Abaji catchment in the Federal Capital Territory.

The water regeneration project is structured around four connected pillars: water access, quality, conservation and governance, strengthened through community water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) committees and governance training.

“It is encouraging that this initiative places strong emphasis on governance and water stewardship through the development of a governance training manual for water regeneration and stewardship.” Utsev stated.

Balarabe Abbas Lawal, minister of Environment, stated that the initiative advances SDG goal six and aligns with Nigeria’s environmental priorities.

Lawal added that the project demonstrates what strategic public-private collaboration can achieve. “By working with regulators, local authorities and host communities, Nestlé has supported an ecosystem for sustainable and equitable access to safe drinking water.”

Olutayo Olatunji, Business Executive Officer, Nestlé Waters and Premium Beverages, stated that combining treated water infrastructure with local governance and performance monitoring, helps in creating a model that improves access, strengthens watershed resilience and delivers enduring value.

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“The Agbara commissioning is an important milestone within our wider Water Regeneration Project and reflects Nestlé’s commitment to helping regenerate local water cycles.

“As we finalise the remaining scope, our focus remains on rigorous delivery and measurable outcomes that benefit communities and support business continuity,” Olatunji stated.

According to him, the water regeneration project links measurable community impact with watershed resilience, responsible water management and business continuity.

The initiative provides an integrated model in which infrastructure expands access, treatment safeguards quality, rainwater harvesting supports conservation, advocacy strengthens stewardship and local governance sustains performance.

“Today is a day of gratitude for the people of Agbara. Safe water touches every part of our lives: the health of our children, the dignity of our homes and the hopes of our families,” Lukman Jayeola Agunbiade, the Alagbara of Agbara Kingdom, stated.

He reiterated that the community received more than boreholes; instead it received a responsibility to keep the project going. “What has been started here today, Agbara will sustain for our children and for generations yet unborn.”

Victoria Uwadoka, Corporate Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability Lead, Nestlé Nigeria Plc, stated that access to clean portable water alone is not enough.

She reiterated that water must be safe, protected, and that communities across the country must have the knowledge to manage it responsibly.

“Through the National Water Quality Advocacy Campaign and the National Water Quality Handbook developed with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and OPS-WASH, we are helping to take water safety knowledge beyond project sites into homes, schools, communities and institutions.”