Samuel Ibibi Ibrahim, a professor of Geography at the Federal University Lokoja (FUL), has called upon governments at all levels to prioritise water quality and safety over the provision of water infrastructure.

Ibrahim made the call while delivering the 47th inaugural lecture of the university, themed “Water Is Life: Is Our Water Living? Confronting the Water Quality Crisis in Nigeria’s Environment”, at the Felele Campus of the institution.

Ibrahim warned that contaminated water sources pose serious risks to public health and environmental sustainability in Nigeria, stressing that the country’s water crisis could not be resolved by drilling more boreholes and constructing additional water schemes alone, but required effective monitoring, stronger environmental regulations, improved sanitation and sustained protection of water sources.

He observed that Nigeria must move beyond measuring success by the number of boreholes drilled or communities connected to water schemes to determine whether the water supplied to households is safe for consumption.

“The country’s water resources are under increasing pressure from pollution, poor waste disposal, inadequate sanitation, flooding, industrial effluent and unregulated human activities around water sources”.

He warned that contamination could occur at different stages, from rivers and underground aquifers to boreholes, storage facilities and household containers, making it necessary to protect water throughout the supply chain.

“The time has come to shift to the question of safety,” he said, arguing that access to water would remain incomplete without guarantees of quality.

As part of his recommendations, Ibrahim advocated Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), explaining that rivers, groundwater, land, waste streams and human settlements constitute interconnected systems that must be managed collectively.

He called for the strengthening of River Basin Development Authorities and hydrological institutions to incorporate water -quality protection into their planning activities, rather than concentrating largely on irrigation and dam development.

He also urged relevant agencies responsible for water supply, sanitation, agriculture, mining, environmental protection, urban planning and public health to coordinate their activities, share information and harmonise regulations, pointing out the need to protect source -water zones around boreholes, reservoirs and river intakes, while ensuring that land -use planning takes account of the potential impact of human activities on water resources.

He noted that poorly located pit latrines and soakaways could contaminate nearby boreholes, while indiscriminate waste disposal and industrial pollution could threaten entire communities downstream.

Earlier, in his welcome address, Gbenga Solomon Ibileye, vice chancellor of the university, called for greater scrutiny of water quality and sustainable management of water resources, warning that the abundance of major rivers does not necessarily translate into access to safe and adequate water.

Using a bottle of water on the lectern to illustrate his point, Ibileye suggested that, in the light of the subject of the lecture, even drinking water should be subjected to scientific scrutiny, noting that the lecturer’s research raised important questions about the origin and quality of water consumed by Nigerians, stressing the need to move beyond the mere availability of water to ensuring its safety.

Ibileye commended Ibrahim for his sustained engagement with environmental issues affecting ordinary Nigerians, describing his scholarship as an illustration of the relevance of Geography to understanding the relationship between natural resources, human activities and environmental sustainability.

He expressed confidence that the lecture would deepen public understanding of water quality challenges, highlight unresolved environmental concerns and stimulate further research into the sustainable management of water resources.