The Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC) has announced plans to digitise water use licensing and strengthen monitoring networks as part of reforms initiated within the first 100 days of Executive Director Dr. Aminu Zaria’s tenure.
Zaria made the disclosure on Monday in Abuja while briefing journalists on milestones achieved since assuming office on Sept. 1, 2025. He said the reforms reaffirm the commission’s commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s water resources, enhancing national water security, and advancing President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Describing NIWRMC as Nigeria’s regulatory authority established under the Water Resources Act, Zaria highlighted the commission’s mandate to regulate water rights across state boundaries, define water footprint standards, allocate resources, enforce compliance, and resolve conflicts. He said the agency plays a key role in national development, food security, industrial growth, environmental sustainability, and climate resilience.
Zaria noted that the commission inherited challenges including deteriorated headquarters, inadequate staffing, fragmented data systems, manual licensing processes, dormant catchment offices, weak enforcement capacity, and low public awareness.
“These challenges threatened effective delivery of our mandate amid Nigeria’s growing water demand,” he said.
To address these issues, Zaria introduced reforms under the Professionalism, Adeptness, Consistency and Excellence (PACE) Agenda, including staff town hall engagements, revival of field offices, strengthening stakeholder partnerships, and signing a memorandum of understanding with the Kano State Water Board to enhance subnational water governance.
He added that salaries for security and janitorial personnel were reviewed to improve staff welfare and morale. The reforms have led to improved data availability, increased staff efficiency, revived catchment operations, and stronger inter-agency collaboration.
Looking ahead, Zaria said NIWRMC would deploy a National Water Use Licensing Digital Portal to improve transparency and licensing efficiency. Monitoring networks would be expanded across catchments, and a national real-time water data observatory would be established. The commission also plans to 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,” Zaria said, thanking President Tinubu, the Minister of Water Resources, 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.