APPRAISAL OF WATER SUPPLY SECTOR CONTRIBUTION TO THE REVENUE

Abstract

Water sector is an indispensable entity that produce essential services to the teeming. population of human, animal and ensures the growth of economic activities and help in the •general functioning of the ecosystem. This is sector in spite of its importance yield very dismal 'returns to the government and water entrepreneurs in most developing countries. This study .appraises the contribution of water supply sector to the revenue of Plateau State Government! 'Nigeria. The study utilized mainly documented sources of revenues of Plateau State Water Board (PSWB), Jos and the various revenue profiles of the Plateau State Revenue Service Jos and the data obtained from these sources are: year on year revenue generated by PSWB between 1991 and 2019 and the other revenue contributors like PLAGIS, education sector, health services, Judiciary, manufacturing, tourism and general taxes. Data were presented and •analyzed using frequency tables and water revenues compared with revenues generated front (other sources. The result of this study indicates that the total water revenue generated between ■2007 and 2019 is N5.8bn representing only 5.6% of the total revenues generated by [government for the period while Plateau State Internal Revenue Service raked in the totalsuni \pfN95, 380,052,386.34 from PLAGIS, retail trading, taxes and social services. The study \concluded that the water revenue is low and dismal compared to other sources of revenues and •recommends that: government should utilize the idle capacities of water supply projects \(WSPs), government to commercialize and partially privatize the operations ofWSPs through ‘arrangements of PPP, JV and BOT and engage in massive recovery drive through incentive (based target system to boost revenues from accumulated debts.