The statistics on access to water and sanitation are conflicting due to divergent definitions, indicators and methodologies applied by different agencies.

[14] According to Guardian News: "The Head of Advocacy, Policy and Communication, Water Aid Nigeria, Kolawole Banwo, said out of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria, only 76 are free of the status of open defecation in the country, this sanitation crisis remains a critical issue that needs urgent action".

Equipment and pipes are poorly maintained, leading to intermittent supply and high levels of non-revenue water.

[18] In the second decade of the 2000s, it was measured with the presence of metalloids in the water supply designated both to the human and the agricultural use, in some cases with value exceeding the international WHO limits (e.g. in the areas surrounding Zaria,[21] Abakaliki,[21] Ibadan[22][23] and Onitsha.

[21] Polluting of metalloids and particularly of arsenic- varies in a relevant measure during the dry and wet season, due to the mineralization of well and borehole waters and partially to the mining industry activities.

[6] Nigeria's capital, Abuja, receives part of its drinking water from the Lower Usuma Dam reservoir.

In September 2013, the Federal Capital Territory Water Board (FCTWB) which is the agency that is responsible in providing potable water in the Federal Capital Territory commissioned phase 3 and 4 of the Lower Usman Dam Treatment Plant(LUDWTP) project which began in November 2011.

[27][28] Wastewater is treated at Federal Capital Territory Sewage Treatment Plant located in the Wupa district of Abuja, was constructed by SCC Nigeria Limited and commissioned by President Olusegun Obasanjo.

[30][31] The Enugu State House of Assembly in July 2021 passed a bill tagged "the right access to basic water and sanitation services".

[32] The Enugu State government began the rehabilitation of the 9th Mile Crash Programme in November 2021 after the project was abandoned for over 30 years.

According to Nat Apir, an independent water consultant, the lack of a modern distribution network will lead pipes to burst and the capacity of the plant is at risk of not being fully utilized.

[53] The Local Government Authorities (LGAs), of which there are 774, are responsible for the provision of rural water supplies and sanitation facilities in their areas although only a few have the resources and skills to address the problem.

A leading non governmental organisation in the sector is the Bread of Life Development Foundation which manages the eWASH webblog on water and sanitation news in Nigeria.

Surveys of street vendors in Lagos, Kaduna and Katsina show that they charge as much as 20 times more than the State Water Agencies.

Between 1948 and 2001, nine commissions, six military decrees, one Act of the legislature and two Supreme Court judgements have attempted to define fiscal interrelationships among the component parts of the federation without resolving the issue.

In February 2012, the African Development Bank approved a US$100 million soft loan to improve water and sanitation in the northern city of Zaria.

[62] It also approved an Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project in the cities of Ibadan and Jalingo in Oyo and Taraba States in 2009.

Both urban projects include the installation of water meters, hygiene promotion as well as the construction of toilets at schools, health clinics, market places and parks.

[54] The African Development Bank also financed rural water and sanitation projects in Yobe and Osun States approved in 2007.

The project aimed to increase the functionality of rural water supply and sanitation facilities in the two states, estimated to be below 50% in 2006, to 100% in 2012.

[54] The African Development Bank finances the entire costs of these projects without requiring a contribution by the Nigerian state.

The EU supports a Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform Programme in six states (Anambra, Cross River, Jigawa, Kano, Osun and Yobe) with 87 million Euros grant funding.

[64] JICA is an abbreviation for Japan International Cooperation Agency[65] and they provide grants for rural water supply and sanitation in three states, Oyo, Kano and Yobe.

A total of 6,960 new safe water sources (boreholes, dug wells and protected springs) and over 19,100 household latrines have been constructed.

USAID is partnering with Nigerian non-governmental agency Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN), Action Against Hunger (NGO) and WaterAid.

[70][71] WaterAid, a British NGO, promoted the integration of sanitation, water supply and hygiene education using a community-based approach and low cost appropriate technologies.

According to the Minister of Water Resources, President Goodluck Jonathan is interested in an independent assessment of sector performance and NGOs are well placed to undertake this task.

The First Urban Water Reform Project (US$120 million) targets 13 towns in the states of Kaduna, Ogun and Enugu.

[19] In 2012, the World Bank approved a US$400 million National Urban Water Sector Reform Project for Lagos, Kaduna, Ogun, Enugu and Cross River States.

In 2021, the World Bank approved a loan for $700 million[74] for water and sanitation as part of a programme called SURWASH.