Nigeria's water law: How is it translated in the Cross River Basin?

Laws and regulations on water-resource use in Nigeria are found in several documents and instruments. However, these instruments are not sufficient to resolve the issues of control, ownership, management, and protection of water resources. This article examines the water management practices in Nigeria. Akwa Ibom is used as a case basically to see how the various institutions in the state respond to the water needs of the populace and what regulations guide them. Data and other necessary information came from the first water resources stakeholder meeting of the CRBDA (Cross River Basin Development Authority) in 2005. Other sources of data came from interviews, review of relevant documents, as well as data obtained during my doctoral fieldwork in 2005. A case study approach was used to analyse issues in water resource project distribution, management rights, and the protection of water sources in the study area. It was observed that operators and managers of water resources in the state are not guided by a set of principles and regulations, but by a set of directives and executive decisions. The implication is that water resource management in the state does not respond to the principles of needs and equity, and the agencies or authorities involved are not working for the common goal of optimum accessibility because of endemic corruption and lack of standard practices. This paper presents an argument that evolving an effective and holistic water law in Nigeria is most urgent and should not be ignored.