The Ibom State WASH Media Committee and Akwa Ibom Water Company Limited (AWCL) have applauded Governor Umo Eno for approving the policy documents to enhance public health and water management in the state.
The newly approved documents including Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework and the Open Defecation Free (ODF) Roadmap, they noted “are major milestones in the state’s efforts to improve access to clean water and sanitation services in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) 6.”
Speaking to journalists in Uyo yesterday, the director of Ibom WASH Media (IWM) and the African Human Development Centre (AHDC), Prof. Gabriel Umoh, applauded the government’s action, describing it as “long overdue and highly significant.”
“I am really elated that these documents have been approved after a long delay. It’s a great step that Governor Umo Eno has taken to get the State Executive Council (SEC) to approve the WASH policy and related documents,” Umoh, a University of Uyo (UNIUYO) professor of agricultural and development economics, noted.
He commended the commissioner for Water Resources and Sanitation, Dr. Ubuoh Ubuoh, for swiftly presenting the documents at SEC after assuming office.
Umoh acknowledged the tireless efforts of civil society groups, including the AHDC, which he recalled had spent over three years advocating for the policy’s approval.
While celebrating the progress, Umoh identified implementation as the critical next step and appealed to the state House of Assembly to expedite action on the Bill so that the governor could follow up and assent it to become law.
“Approval of the WASH policy is just the first step. A more crucial step is to implement it. The WASH sector has relied heavily on donor support in the past, but going forward, national, state, and local governments must fully fund the sector,” he stated.
According to him, major donors like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) may no longer offer the same level of financial support due to internal restructuring, and urged other concerned Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to fill the void.
In the same vein, the managing director (MD), Akwa Ibom Water Company Limited, Engr. Edo Bassey Etuk, hailed the development as a step in the right direction.
“The approval of the WASH policy, M&E framework, and ODF roadmap is a plus for us as a government. It’s a welcome development that aligns Akwa Ibom with global efforts to ensure access to safe water for all by 2030,” Etuk stated.
He also pointed out one pending legislative requirement—the Water Regulation Law 2025. He noted that the governor had already directed the Justice Ministry and the state House of Assembly to expedite action on the law, saying “it is a prerequisite for accessing counterpart funding under the World Bank’s Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN) programme.
He said, “Recall that during the Water Council meeting organised by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation in February 2025, the government committed N200 million to support this initiative. Once the regulation is passed, Akwa Ibom will be positioned to access the necessary funds and complete the implementation circle.”
The Ibom WASH Media committee chairman, Mrs Imaobong Dem, of the Inspiration FM, expressed optimism that “with strong political will, multi-sector collaboration, and timely legislation, Akwa Ibom will be on track to becoming a model for sustainable water and sanitation governance in Nigeria.”
