Challenges to managing water resources along the hydrological boundaries in Nigeria

At present, Nigeria is undertaking a broad reform program process of its water resources. In order to complement this effort, this paper examines the challenges to managing water resources along the hydrological boundaries in Nigeria: It reviews the present situation of participatory approach in Nigeria using official regulatory documents and other relevant materials and complements it with primary information sources. Findings indicate that: (1) there are no legal regimes or provisions for a river basin-based participatory approach in Nigeria and (2) there is/are no stakeholder management platform(s) that consist(s) of both government and non-government bodies in practice, but conditions do exist for the implementation of a participatory approach in Nigeria, which range from political willingness to socio-economic, environmental and sustainability issues. The paper closes with suggestions about possible interventions, which also stand as challenges on their own, to remedy the identified policy gaps in Nigeria.