Nigeria’s Water Challenges and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s)

Water is a pre-requisite for human health and well-being as well as preservation of the environment. It is vital to all living creatures on earth. To underscore the importance of this fact the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2005 elevated water to the status of human right of the people. Again at its Millennium Summit in the year 2000 the UN signed up to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) which represent a global agreement by the world leaders setting out key standards that nations of the world should achieve by the year 2015. The component of water in the MDG’s is very prominent. Apart from standing alone as a principal target (Goal 8) it is also directly or indirectly related to Goals 1,4,5 and 6, a total of four other goals. This paper examines the current rate of progress in this sector vis-a-vis the MDG’s targets, whether the nation is on track or off-track in realizing this particularly essential, inclusive goal. It concludes with some suggestions in finding ways to achieve this time-bound commitment DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n9p