The Delta State Ministry of Water Resources, in partnership with the State’s Sustainable Urban and Rural Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) Programme, on Wednesday, hosted a one-day sensitisation workshop for media practitioners and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to advance Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services across the state.
Declaring the workshop open, the Commissioner for Water Resources Development, Dr. Isaac Wilkie represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary, Mr. Kenneth Ozegbe urged participants to pay close attention and engage actively. He called on them to propose innovative solutions to address the “water trilemma” of access, affordability, and sustainability.
In his welcome remarks, Environment Officer Engr. Bright Akpodonor stressed the importance of the workshop in strengthening collaboration between the WASH programme, CSOs, and the media for more effective communication and advocacy.
“Although significant progress has been made under the SURWASH programme, gaps still exist in public awareness, behaviour change, information flow, and community ownership. CSOs and the media are key to closing these gaps,” he said.
He noted that CSOs represent grassroots voices, while the media shapes public opinion, influences narratives, and guides policy direction. “Building their capacity ensures that accurate information gets to the right people at the right time, enabling citizens to make informed choices and contribute to sustaining WASH services,” he added.
The Director of Planning, Research and Statistics in the ministry, Mr. John Imilar, outlined the ministry’s responsibilities, which include developing Policy Institutional and Regulatory (PIR) frameworks, strengthening institutions, and creating legal and operational guidelines for urban water supply.
He further revealed that the ministry is working on establishing WASH departments across Local Government Areas with proper budgetary support, and noted its involvement in setting up a functional urban sanitation authority.
The workshop also featured a presentation on the role of the media in promoting sustainable WASH services, delivered by the Delta State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comr. Churchill Oyowe. Another session, led by Pst. Robert Osahon, examined how CSOs can support long-term WASH sustainability.
Implementing partners of the SURWASH programme including the Delta State Urban Water Corporation (DESUWACO), the Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (STOWASSA), and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) also briefed participants on their contributions to the initiative.
The SURWASH programme is a World Bank-funded initiative designed to expand access to clean water and improved sanitation across Nigeria. It aims to provide basic drinking water to six million people, improve sanitation for 1.4 million individuals, and deliver upgraded WASH facilities to 2,000 schools and health centres in Delta, Ekiti, Imo, Katsina, Plateau, Kaduna, and Gombe States.
In Delta State, six Local Government Areas Bomadi, Ndokwa West, Ukwuani, Isoko South, Okpe, and Ughelli North—were selected for the pilot phase.
