Adejoke Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), says that Nigeria’s current access to basic drinking water now stands at 64 per cent.
She disclosed this during a briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team in Abuja.
The figure seems to be an improvement above the 58 per cent access to basic water for Nigerians compared to what it was in 2020.
Adefulire stated that there is a need for more investment in public health to ensure the most vulnerable are reached through universal access to basic healthcare services.
Adefulire said, “The country faces challenges on health outcomes, such as high rates of maternal mortality, as there has been a significant reduction in the under-five mortality rates ranging from 157 to 132.
“Nigeria’s current access to basic drinking water now stands at 64 per cent. There is a need for more investment in public health and to ensure the most vulnerable are reached through universal access to basic healthcare services.”
Adefurile said the baseline of a study conducted by the government indicated that the rate of under-five mortality rate (meaning that for any child born in a specified year to survive before reaching the age of 5) per 1,000 live births in 2016 was 128/1,000 live births but had reduced significantly to 100 in both 2018 and 2019.
“However, the population of Nigerians covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for a better quality of life throughout the removal of financial barriers increased from 634,154 for males and 266, 618 for females in 2016 to about 781,057 for males and 332,742 for females which indicated an increase of about 26 per cent of the national population,” she added.