The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, has asked Nigerians to stop expecting the federal government to provide water for their respective homes.

In an interview with Daily Trust, the minister said it is the responsibility of the state and local governments to do such.

He said, “Nigerians need to understand that it is not the responsibility of the federal government to provide water to people in their houses. It is the responsibility of the state governments to do that, and local governments going down further. That is why this ministry does not have a water board.

“The only federal water board that we have is the one that is managed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration. And that, of course, is for the Federal Capital Territory. So it’s not under the municipal taxes.”

The minister said the federal government was only expected to construct dams which the various states could use for the needs of their citizens.

He added, “So, every time people ask me that there is nowater in their towns. I tell them, go and ask your states. In the last four decades or so, the federal government has built over 400 dams, I think. We just launched the compendium on dams last year across the country. There are over 500 dams that have been captured.

“Almost 400 of them were built by the federal government and that’s the role that we play; we provide bulk water; we go and build the dams. And it is for the states to now tap into that water, treat it and distribute. That’s the way it is supposed to be.”